Wine Collecting: Rioja Overview & 6 Top Rioja Wine Producers

John Jackson, DipWSET a/k/a Attorney Somm explains the Spanish wine region Rioja in detail and then identifies 6 top Rioja wine producers whose wines you can purchase to start collecting Rioja wines. #rioja #riojawine #spainwineregion

ATTORNEY SOMM SPANISH WINE VIDEOS
To see all of Attorney Somm's Spanish wine videos, please check out the following playlist:

ATTORNEY SOMM VIDEOS ABOUT SPANISH WINE REGIONS

OTHER SPANISH WINE VIDEOS

ATTORNEY SOMM PODCASTS WITH SPANISH WINERIES

To sign up for the flash site where I often find Rioja wines, click the following link:

This video is NOT sponsored. The link to the flash site is a referral link that is made available to anyone who signs up for this flash site. That means that if you use the link, you will get $10 off your first order and I will receive a modest credit. Likewise should you purchase anything from my Amazon storefront, I will receive a very modest commission.

[natalyavremya]

I wonder how it's possible to make videos equally appealing for beginners and wine geeks?! Thank you so much for this video, John! Your photo&video references and the first hands tasting impressions are invaluable. I've never tasted Contador and Roda, and even didn't know that white Castillo Ygay exists. So many discoveries! Also, I appreciated your clarification about the different lines from the same producer. Some of them were a bit confusing to me, especially ranges made under the CVNE producer.

[maryverzella]

R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva 2010 This was an amazing experience for me. Enjoyed it to the last sip 4 hours later and tasted better and better. 65.00 CAD (Canadian) and worth every cent IMHO. Cheers !

[jessegutierrez]

I had a 1966 Imperial CVNE while living in Barcelona. I was blown away by how much life that wine still had.

[gabriela_dng]

You don’t only had a great wine from iconic producer La Rioja Alta 904 John! You had its superb 1973 Gran Reserva Centenario!!! Not everybody can say that… I’m still amazed after reading the perfection of this 50 years old gem. Your impeccable review in IG is astonishing! Bravo John!!! Santé🍷

[stevenholt]

You have picked some of faves. I opened my last bottle of Roda, 2007 recently - superb. Our guest was convinced it was a claret. My Imperial has all gone, alas, but I have one bottle of 2007 904 left. My go to is Ardanza, of which I have some 2010s and 2012s + one bottle of Arana 2011.
La Rioja Alta does special bottlings, including for the Wine Society, of which I am a member. I am currently drinking the 2013 and have the 2018 in store.
I love Rioja but didn't touch it for about 35 years because it became over-priced - now I think it represents excellent value, at least here in the UK.

[sokarita]

Rioja wines are really good . One of my favorites is Villa Tondonia 😍😋 I would love to visit this vineyard.
Thank you 🙏🏻 🍷 for your videos and let us know more about the wonderful Wine’s world! 🍷👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[drmichaeljazayeri]

Great video, finally giving justice to Spanish wines. Rioja wines are my favorite and I found them by accident. The wine store I typically go to has a great selection of Spanish wines and the label of Lopez de Heredia wines had always intrigued me. One day, their wine bar had a 2001 Heredia Bosconia and I fell in love with that wine. That led to Tondonia, La Rioja Alta, Ygay, Roda, and let's not forget Muga Prado Enea. It still amazes me how Heredia manages to age wines for 10 years and sell the Bosconia Reservafor around $36 and the Tondonia Reserva for $50!

[margauxml]

Best 20 minutes of my busy Monday evening! Thank you for this excellent video of Rioja’s Best! Well-researched, well-written, and superbly presented in a clear, organized, and highly engrossing manner.  Appreciate all the information and insights on Rioja’s wine classifications and vintage ratings including aging time requirements of each classification. Another impressive point with regard to the structure and flow of your video is the smooth segue from the discussion of aging requirements to the importance of quality, leading to your presentation of your 6 Top Rioja Wines. Spanish wines have considerable presence and fame in my country, and I do enjoy Riojas here often, so I very much appreciate your recommended wines and vintages. Also love the footages from your trip to Rioja including wineries and vineyards. Fantastic video, John! Félicitations et santé!

[Pseudopimelodidae]

I was just yesterday researching which Rioja wines should I purchase for our local wine club, so this video came out exactly at the right time.

[DavidSchwartzjr]

Hey John, I have been searching all over the internet for the 2015 La Rioja 904 GR, but it appears it still has not been released. Can you confirm that? Sites that have it listed are "out of stock" and all I can find is the 2011 vintage. Just want to be sure I'm not crazy or missed out. My assumption is it still has yet to be available for purchase just yet. Thanks for all your hard work putting out such awesome content. Cheers!

[elliothm]

Bodegas Luis Cañas make incredible wines at an affordable price. 🇪🇸

Fantastic content. Keep it up, Sir!

[NatashaRaisorGlam]

I love Spain. Now I’m disappointed that I did not go wine tasting. Thank you for this informative video.

[jessegutierrez]

Excellent overview. One of the best I have ever seen.

[hxl]

I'm also a great fan of Rioja wines, I was supposed to visit, but canceled because of the pandemy, now back to the planning, best wishes from Brazil

[IA_Z_V]

I recommend Artadi, a family-owned winery that has achieved 100 Parker points and produces wines from unique plots of land. They departed from the Rioja DOC to be able to create wines that truly express the terroir of each plot, moving away from the aging and reserve classifications, as these classifications do not accurately reflect the quality of Rioja wines. Currently, there is a large number of small family wineries that disagree with the Rioja model followed by the large producers who prioritize quantity over quality, which has led to Rioja not being associated with high-quality wine in the world. In fact, Benjamin Romeo worked at Artadi, where he learned the art of winemaking.

[gustavomgomes]

It’s certainly a pleasure to follow your content, cause the passion about the subject is what drive us wine lovers . And you always travel the extra mile to do your videos ! Thanks ! About Rioja, what you think about remelluri?

[whitelightning]

Rioja has to be a go to for quality and value, especially for wines with 10+ years of bottle age that are easily available like Tondonia and RA 904! Adding Contador and Roda to my list to try. RA Arana and Contino's Reserva are my current favorites for their balance of fruit and oak. Also love Tritium's higher end labels

[welshtoro]

Excellent overview. In recent years many great things have been taking place in Spanish wine which has left the impression, with some, that Rioja is a bit of an old lady. That's not true though. The Rioja classics continue and a great amount of interesting new stuff has come along too. I agree with so much of your recommendations especially the Cubillo which is great value. The Tondonia whites are fantastic. Murrieta are great value even before we get to the Ygay. Spain is full of interesting stuff on wine lists for those in the know and I've had some gems. WT

[FoodiewineloverGina]

I always enjoy Rioja, and it’s a shame I don’t drink enough of them. I appreciate the lesson in topography and your fantastic recommendations. I agree some of these wines make perfect cellar defenders since they are approachable upon release. Outstanding video, John. Thank you for all your hard work. Salud!

[steveP]

I think my favourite riojas not mentioned here would be;
Pancrudo by Gomez cruzado (amazing for the price).

La nieta by vinedos de paganos
Cisma by Pujanza
El pundito by vinedos de paganos
Amancio by sierra cantabria.

But what a treat it is to drive around rioja; logroño, laguardia and haro in particular. Particularly the food scene in logroño.