The best Rioja wines need to be aged, first in barrel and then in bottle, for many years.
Some of them, in the greatest vintages, can develop in complexity over decades – and will stay in pristine shape even after a century or more. Legendary 20th-century vintages to look out for include 1948, 1952, 1955, 1964, 1982, 1994 and 1995.
The 21st century started with one of the greatest vintages ever, 2001, and other top vintages to-date include 2004, 2005 and 2010. In some years, such as 2011 and 2012, only certain areas within Rioja performed particularly well.
There are no lucky coincidences in Rioja: wines that benefit from extended ageing are made with that in mind. The producer’s name is the best clue when it comes to quality and ageing potential.
Traditional wine classification also helps. The crianza, reserva and gran reserva indications refer to increasing times of oak ageing. While crianza is a friendly, affordable choice to drink straight away, and reserva is more of a mixed bag ranging from affordable blends that fulfil the legal ageing requirements to some top reds, all gran reserva wines should be made for ageing. The current popularity of the gran reserva category proves a renewed interest in mature, long-lived wines, with some labels reaching the status of cult wines.
From the late 1990s, many quality-minded producers started not to mention any ageing indication on their labels, and the very best of those wines will benefit from extended ageing. Some of them are graciously fresh and complex now. Again, know your producers; names can be more relevant than classifications and vintages.
Decanter Premium, Decanter Magazine and DWWA 2019 Regional Chair for Spain
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW is a Decanter contributor and joint Regional Chair for Spain at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 alongside Ferran Centelles. He has studied around the world, including Spain, France, USA and Germany. He holds a degree in agro-food engineering and a masters in viticulture and oenology among his qualifications. A columnist for magazines in Spain and Belgium, he works in four languages. He sits at the governing board of the Unión Española de Catadores (the Spanish wine tasters’ union), the board of the International Federation of Wine and Spirit Journalists and Writers, the wine committee of the Basque Culinary Centre, and acts as expert at the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). He is a VIA Certified Italian Wine Ambassador, a member of Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and has been awarded the Spanish Command Order of Agricultural Merit.
