The 50 hectares belonging to this bodega lie on the south-facing slopes of the Cantabrian mountains, with soils of clay-limestone.  Under the blue skies and gentle climate, vines of Tempranillo (92%), Graciano (3%), and Viura (5%) flourish.

As with many of the excellent bodegas in the region, the Ruiz de Viñaspre family combines generations of tradition with the most up-to-date technology.  Founded in 1910, the bodega moved to its current location in 1978, and expanded to a capacity of 1 million liters in 1995.  The bodega’s winemaking is dedicated to the production of excellent crianza wines, and has recently introduced their “RV” line of wines, a more modern approach to Rioja wine.

Website: www.bodegaruizdevinaspre.com

Wines

Ruiz de Viñaspre Crianza 2002

Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Bright garnet red color

Nose: Complex, with mineral touches and subtle wood notes mixed with wild red fruits.

Mouth: Good structure and rather fleshy in the mouth. Fine tannins, with a long finish ending with red fruits and lightly roasted coffee.

Winemaking: 12 months in 80% French and 20% American oak barrels. 9 month aging in the bottle before release

Ruiz de Viñaspre Reserva 2000

Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Ruby red color

Nose: Well tanned leather, spices, cocoa and toast touches with integrated mature red fruits

Mouth: A fruity, classic Rioja Reserva. Black pepper notes blend harmoniously with mature fruits lending to a smooth, mature finish

Winemaking: Grapes harvested manually from 30-40 year old vines. 24 months in French and American oak barrels. Another 12 months in bottle before release

Ruiz de Viñaspre “RV” Blanco 2008

Varieties: 100% Viura

Color: Clean straw color with hints of green. Bright and very vivacious

Nose: Noble and fine dark roasted notes, aniseed and fennel, ripe red peach, fresh mint and hints of ripe banana

Mouth: Well rounded, great volume and well balanced. Fresh on the attack, crisp throughout the mid-palate, with white peach and hints of mineral on the finish

Winemaking: Using only the highest quality Viura grapes from vines of 80 years. The grapes were hand selected, de-stalked, pressed and cold racked. Vinification using a Ganymede tank for greater extraction of flavor and color. Fermented on its lees in new French and American oak barrels with stirring of the lees every two days. Bottled in February 2008 and released in August of that year