New. White Rioja is (back) on a roll and today is responsible for a sizeable proportion of Spain’s finest white wines. Valenciso was one of the first of Rioja’s modern classicists to recognise the vast potential of the region’s patrimony of old-vine Viura and Garnacha Blanca planted in the stony soils of the Rioja Alta. This super-classy white from 100-plus-year-old vines of Viura (70%) and Garnacha Blanca (30%) was grown on four small pockets of ancient, low-yielding highland vineyards around Rodezno, Haro and Villalba, all within a short drive from Valenciso’s cellar in Ollauri.

Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged on lees in steam-bent, untoasted oak barrels, it’s an engagingly silky white redolent of stone fruits, crushed citrus, chalky saline elements and a silky, fleshy and vibrant palate. Luis Valentín believes this wine performs best in the trickier, cooler years, and 2023 has obliged. Look out for the creamy mouthfeel shot through by invigorating balancing acidity and a lengthy finish tinged with salty minerality and scented chamomile blossom. A shout out to Luis Valentín’s friend, the late Denis Dubourdieu (nicknamed the ‘Pope of white wine’ in Bordeaux), who played a key role in redefining a white which stands out as one of the purest, most vineyard-driven white Riojas on the market.

Laderas de Cabama is 100% Tempranillo, crafted from a single plot of 40-year-old vines in Ollauri. It grows on the classic clay/limestone soil of the Rioja Alta. This single-vineyard bottling used to be made in a similar style to Valenciso’s flagship Reserva in that it was built to age in barrel and bottle before release. From the 2018 vintage, Valenciso has sought to craft Laderas de Cabama in a younger, more fruit-forward style. The fruit is picked a little earlier, and the winemaking employs a portion of whole-berry, semi-carbonic fermentation, bringing a more primary, juicy profile. 

No new oak is used. Instead, fermentation occurs in cool concrete, followed by 14 months in used French oak barrels. From the much-acclaimed 2021 vintage, the resulting wine is vividly dark-fruited and tickled with spice and tobacco leaf notes from the whole-bunch fermentation. It boasts good depth and a tea-scented, full-bodied finish. Great on its own, this will also suit various meat dishes.

This estate's flagship perfectly encapsulates Luis Gutiérrez’s assertion that Valenciso is one of the most traditional of Rioja’s modern producers. From a selection of handpicked Tempranillo from the clay/limestone soils around Ollauri, the grapes are drawn from 17 organically managed plots spread across the villages of Villalba, Gimileo, Rodezno, Briones and Haro, all within a five-kilometre radius of the winery.

Part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos), these venerable sites lie at the heart of Rioja’s grower-producer genesis in the late 19th century.  Key to the quality includes the patrimony of old-vine Tempranillo (no less than 60 years old in this cuvée), excellent limestone calcário soils and altitudes of up to 600 metres. In the right hands, these historic terroirs imbue their wines with aromatic intensity and great structure for longevity. 

The wine ferments naturally in concrete vats before aging for 18 months in (mostly) low-toast Radoux French oak barriques. In recent vintages, 10% of the wine has also been raised in low-toast Caucasus oak, further lessening the wine’s already minimal wood influence. Following aging in barrel, the wine is transferred back to cool concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find the wine clarifies so well in concrete that there is no need to fine or filter it before bottling. “We seek wines with aromatic volume, wines that shine not out of weight but of perfume,” explains Luis Valentín. Valenciso’s classy, beautifully poised 2018 Reserva does just that. 

Valenciso's flagship perfectly encapsulates Luis Gutiérrez’s assertion that Valenciso is one of the most traditional of Rioja’s modern producers. From a selection of handpicked Tempranillo from the clay/limestone soils around Ollauri, the grapes are drawn from 17 organically managed plots spread across the villages of Villalba, Gimileo, Rodezno, Briones and Haro, all within a five-kilometre radius of the winery.

Part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos), these venerable sites lie at the heart of Rioja’s grower-producer genesis in the late 19th century.  Key to the quality includes the patrimony of old-vine Tempranillo (no less than 60 years old in this cuvée), excellent limestone calcário soils and altitudes of up to 600 metres. In the right hands, these historic terroirs imbue their wines with aromatic intensity and great structure for longevity. 

The wine ferments naturally in concrete vats before aging for 18 months in (mostly) low-toast Radoux French oak barriques. In recent vintages, 10% of the wine has also been raised in low-toast Caucasus oak, further lessening the wine’s already minimal wood influence. Following aging in barrel, the wine is transferred back to cool concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find the wine clarifies so well in concrete that there is no need to fine or filter it before bottling. “We seek wines with aromatic volume, wines that shine not out of weight but of perfume,” explains Luis Valentín. Valenciso’s classy, beautifully poised 2018 Reserva does just that. 

New. Released only when the vintage suits, this delightfully unconventional Rioja is sourced from a selection of Valenciso’s highest parcels of Tempranillo in Villalba. With a minimum age of 85 years, these old-vine parcels produce the winning combination of concentrated fruit with the high acidity required to craft this unique style. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, the wine initially ages in a 50-hectolitre concrete tank for five years, then rests for 36 months in low-toast Caucasian oak (the same barrels Valenciso previously used for the Rioja Blanco). Polished for a final year in French oak, this was released in 2024, 10 years after the harvest, hence the name 10 Años Después (‘10 Years After’). 

The classical 2014 vintage was superb for Valenciso, and the wine combines the texture and velveteen mouthfeel of traditional Rioja with the focus and precision of this grower’s wines. The extended aging in concrete results in no loss of colour and has only intensified the wine’s fruit purity and aromatic expression. Despite the age, it remains incredibly vivid and youthful with typical blackcurrant and pine-scented fruit, a lick of oak spice and a deep core of iodine-like complexity before closing with fine, melting tannins and an energising finish. It’s drinking beautifully and should hit its peak in another five years.