The 2010 Coleccion Vivanco Parcelas de Garnacha is aged in a mixture of 225- and 500-liter barrels to respect the fruit, and it stoked my interest with its dark color, unlike most Garnachas, but then it shows the textbook aromas of the variety, red fruits, cherries, strawberries and raspberries, flowers and a touch of smoked peat. The palate is soft and elegant, yet full of power, with fine-grained tannins, heady flavors of cherries in liqueur and a long aftertaste. A power Garnacha. Drink 2014-2018. Vivanco is a well-known name in the wine trade in Rioja, as Pedro Vivanco was in that business and he grew the family firm in the 1970s. Pedro, together with his sons, Rafael and Santiago, built an impressive new winery in Briones, Rioja Alta, and an even more impressive wine museum in 2004. Without knowing them all, I’d venture to say it’s probably the best in its class in the whole world, and has to be seen to be believed. Pedro is an avid collector of wine-related objects including art, and he had the disposable income to build a very large collection. Rafael studied oenology in France and is in charge of winemaking. Under his guidance their wines have seen steady progress. They own an impressive 400 hectares of vineyards, mostly around Briones and Haro averaging 20 years of age, but some plots are as old as 80 years or more. All four varietal wines from the top-of-the-range Coleccion are very true to their varieties and make an interesting and didactic exercise tasting them together. Imported by Opici Wines, Glen Rock, NJ; tel. (201) 689-1200