Bodegas Ysios discovery tasting at Decanter’s London Fine Wine Encounter 2022
Decanter readers tasted a selection of top wines from Bodegas Ysios during an exclusive masterclass at the Decanter London Fine Wine Encounter. Amy Wislocki reports from the Singular Expressions of Bodegas Ysios Discovery Tasting, with scores for the wines.
The undulating winery roof of Bodegas Ysios, set among the vines in Rioja Alavesa, is one of the iconic sights in the Rioja wine region. Designed by well-known architect Santiago Calatrava, it echoes the contours of the Sierra Cantabria mountain range behind, managing to be both modern and yet in harmony with nature.
The distinctive winery design is a clever reflection of the philosophy behind Ysios, which came into being in 2001. Its wine education ambassador, Victoria Bryksa, explained to the audience at the Singular Expressions of Bodegas Ysios Discovery Tasting that the winemaking aspiration is to combine a respect for tradition with a willingness to innovate.
And what better way to illustrate that than by tasting through six of its wines – a rare opportunity given the limited production and the fact that most of the range is not exported to the UK.
Wines presented ranged from the white Rioja to an ‘en primeur’ preview of the as yet unfinished Selección 2017 vintage, plus two Viñedo Singular wines. These included Finca El Nogal 2018, which was released last year to mark the winery’s 20th anniversary.
A Burgundian approach
‘Viñedo Singular,’ explained Bryksa, ‘is a “grand cru”-like category introduced in Rioja in 2017, to recognise terroir and the expression of single vineyards.’ This sits in contrast to other Rioja classifications, which are based around ageing requirements, she added.
The category is a perfect fit for Ysios, which under the direction of winemaker Clara Canals, pursues a Burgundian outlook, celebrating terroir rather than the traditional Rioja focus on blends. Originally from Rioja, Canals worked vintages in Spain, Argentina, South Africa and Australia, before joining Ysios from Campo Viejo in 2019.
This desire for a pure expression of terroir means that Canals shies away from new oak, favouring second and third use French oak, both traditional barriques and larger, 500-litre vessels. This skilful oak integration was clearly apparent in the wines tasted, in vintages that spanned 2016 to 2019 for the reds.
Modernism and tradition, concentration and refinement, all were on show in a line-up that provided a memorable insight into one of Rioja’s leading names.
Six Bodegas Ysios wines tasted
Bodegas Ysios, Blanco, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2020
93
Made from old Viura vines that grow at the highest parts of eight selected vineyard blocks, the white Rioja sees a portion of the grapes fermented on skins for 15 days, and the wine aged for nine months on lees within clay amphorae. It's only the second release of the wine, which debuted in 2017 and then wasn't made in 2018 or 2019. A pale straw in the glass, this is a youthful wine, mineral, complex and austere with a good weight in the mouth. Lively lemon citrus aromas and flavours, with some notes of jasmine, apple and a slight nuttiness. Delicous now but good ageing potential too. Around 5,000 bottles produced.
2020
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Ysios, Finca Las Naves Viñedo Singular, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2018
96
This small (1.1ha) vineyard is a regional treasure, planted with pre-phylloxera vines before 1902, on clay-sandy soils. The production is tiny, just 1,200 bottles, and the wine is aged for 16 months in a mix of 500-litre and traditional (225-litre) used French oak barriques. Tempranillo is the main grape, but there are also Garnacha, Graciano and Viura vines growing together, and the whole block is picked and fermented together to provide a true expression of this special site. Intensely aromatic, this has a gorgeous perfume of black plum, mulberry, red and black cherry, plus violet, some oak spice, and a twist of black pepper. In the mouth there's a distinct minerality and an almost menthol freshness, with firm black fruits. Power and concentration, but fresh and harmonious too. A long life ahead.
2018
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Ysios, Finca El Nogal Viñedo Singular, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2018
95
This small vineyard (under 1ha in size) is named after the walnut tree in its centre. Planted in 1964, it sits at an elevation of 570m above sea level, to Tempranillo and a little Viura. The deep and poor calcareous clay soils with sea fossils produce around 3,000 bottles of this Viñedo Singular Rioja, which ages in used French oak barriques for 20 months. At just four years of age, it's already utterly delicious, with profound aromas of sweet blackberry and plum fruit, violet floral perfume and hints of oak spice. On the palate it's structured and toasty with some cocoa and clove notes, black berry and cherry fruit and the same notes of violet. Concentrated and complex, but elegant and silky at the same time.
2018
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Ysios, Grano a Grano, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2019
94
Grano a grano means 'grape by grape', a name to illustrate the painstaking care that is taken with the harvest here – grapes handpicked and then hand-destemmed to select berry by berry. The fruit comes from the La Pedrera vineyard in La Guardia, an 0.8ha block planted in 1962 on clay-limestone soil. The dry-farmed bush vines of Tempranillo are co-planted with Garnacha, Graciano and Viura plants, and the yields are naturally low at just 12hl/ha. After destemming, the whole berries are fermented in open-top barriques. Wild yeasts are used, and no temperature control. The wine ages for 12 months in used French oak barriques, and in this 2019 vintage has produced a gorgeous wine. Deeply fragrant, complex and complete, this is redolent with red plum and red and black cherry fruit, a hint of violet, liquorice and blueberry, and a sprinkling of wild herbs. There's real concentration and power here, but it remains lively and fresh, and has a good few years life ahead of it.
2019
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Ysios, Selección, Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2016
92
Intended as a snapshot of Rioja Alavesa, Seleccion is a blend of fruit from up to 40 vineyards across the region, from vines at least 35 years of age. Each vineyard is fermented and matured separately before blending, allowing the unique characters of each vineyard parcel to be expressed. The eight years of age give this some attractive evolution, but still plenty of ripe primary fruit – blackberry and black cherry, and dark plum. The oak is well integrated, the acidity is fresh and there's a clove spice warmth, and soft and silky texture. 2016 is one of a trio of great vintages (2015-2017), according to DWWA Regional co-Chair Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW.
2016
Bodegas YsiosRioja
Bodegas Ysios, Selección 'En Primeur', Rioja, Alavesa, Rioja, Spain, 2017
91
Blended from old Tempranillo vines in small plots across the Rioja Alavesa region, this 2017 vintage of Seleccion is tasted here as an unfinished wine, shown 'en primeur' at Decanter's London Fine Wine Encounter. It's a baby, inevitably, that needs time to come together. The fruit profile is lush and black, the body is full and the acidity refreshing. The oak still needs to integrate, but the potential is already apparent.
2017
Bodegas YsiosRioja
