Last in the varietal collection is the 2008 Coleccion Vivanco Parcelas de Graciano, which had had the benefit of some extra bottle age, which is usually needed by this austere grape. The wine had aged for 18 months in oak barrel before bottling, but the wood seems perfectly integrated with the wine. The nose is quite showy, mixing notes of flowers and ripe black fruit with those of hung game, peat and forest floor. The tannins are sweet and round, making the wine extremely approachable. A (relatively) flashy Graciano. Drink 2014-2019.
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
粵公網安備 44030502006249號