Twenty years later, modern Rioja has become classic Rioja.

Pujanza Rioja Finca Valdepoleo 2018 Link to the wine: https://www.winex.com/pujanza-rioja-finca-valdepoleo-2018.html Join our Daily Email Offer List: https://cdn.forms-content.sg-form.com/f3da488a-d10b-11ee-94a3-62718bdc6118 For years, Rioja has been divided into two camps. Traditional producers embraced long aging in American oak, creating wines layered with cedar, dill, tobacco, and spice. Then came a new generation determined to modernize the region with French oak, single-vineyard bottlings, and a greater emphasis on pure fruit expression. Carlos San Pedro never believed you had to choose between the two. When he left his family's historic winery in the late 1990s to found Pujanza, he wasn't trying to reject Rioja's past. He simply wanted to show what 100% Tempranillo from exceptional vineyards could become when the focus shifted toward terroir, precision, and thoughtful use of French oak. More than twenty-five years later, that vision has matured beautifully. In many ways, the modern Rioja Carlos set out to create has become wonderfully classic. The 2017 Valdepoleo comes from a single vineyard planted in the 1970s in the cool, high-elevation village of Laguardia, one of Rioja Alavesa's most celebrated growing areas. Rather than harvesting the vineyard all at once, Carlos farms each parcel individually, vinifying every section separately before deciding which lots best express the character of Valdepoleo in that particular vintage. It's meticulous work, but it's exactly why the wine delivers such remarkable depth and precision. The wine is 100% Tempranillo, aged entirely in French oak, yet nothing about it feels overly polished or international. Instead, the oak quietly frames the fruit, allowing Rioja's unmistakable identity to shine. Eight years after harvest, the transformation is remarkable. The exuberant fruit of youth has begun giving way to the savory complexity that makes mature Rioja so captivating. Mulberry, black cherry, dried plum, vanilla, cedar, baking spice, tobacco, and earthy undertones unfold effortlessly in the glass. The palate is vibrant and beautifully balanced, carrying the freshness that comes naturally from Laguardia's cool climate while already offering the first hints of leather, dried herbs, and secondary complexity. This is exactly why collectors love Rioja. You don't have to wait decades to enjoy the rewards of bottle age. The wine is already entering a beautiful drinking window, yet its structure, freshness, and balance suggest another 15 to 20 years of graceful evolution. Give it a decant, and you'll watch it continue to expand and reveal new layers with every passing minute, something the great wines of Laguardia have always been known to do. The critics were equally impressed, awarding the 2017 Valdepoleo multiple 94-point reviews, confirming what we've experienced every time we've opened a bottle. And then there's the value. For around $30, you're getting a mature, single-vineyard Rioja from one of Spain's most respected modern producers, crafted from 50-year-old vines and already entering its sweet spot. There aren't many regions left in the wine world where that kind of pedigree still comes at this price. Rioja remains one of them.