2014 Valenciso Rioja Reserva 10 Anos Despues, Rioja

The latest release of 10 Años Después, deliberately released after a decade in barrel and bottle, is still remarkably youthful for its age. Grippy and firm, with notes of damson and Christmas cake, spicy Caucasian oak, an earthy undertone and a backbone of acidity.

94 points Tim Atkin MW Rioja Report

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.