Bodegas Ostatu Crianza Rioja 2022

Deep violet in color, this wine opens with aromas of black plum, Provençal herbs and tobacco leaf. Fruit-driven and elegant, it combines savory dried herbs with flavors of lightly stewed plum, blackberry, leather, balsamic, black truffle and subtle spice, all framed by gentle tannins. A cheerful, fruit-forward expression of high-altitude Tempranillo.

Ostatu Crianza is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 4% Garnacha, 3% Graciano and 3% Mazuelo, sourced from six certified-organic vineyards surrounding the village of Samaniego in Rioja Alavesa. The vines, planted between 1964 and 1989, sit at approximately 580 meters in calcareous clay and limestone soils. After a manual harvest, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel, with some lots undergoing whole-bunch, partial carbonic fermentation and others destemmed and fermented with native yeasts. The wine is then aged for 12 months in 225-liter French oak barrels and bottled without stabilization and with minimal filtration.

The Sáenz de Samaniego family has long been a leader in sustainability and regenerative farming in Rioja Alavesa. In 2022, Ostatu obtained organic certification for its entire production—a particularly demanding achievement in Rioja, where each of the family’s many small vineyard plots must be certified individually. Because Ostatu owns and farms all of its vineyards, the family maintains complete control over the process from vineyard to bottle.

All of the fruit for this Crianza comes from organically farmed, goblet-trained vineyards in and around Samaniego, one of Rioja’s most highly regarded villages. Situated at the convergence of Atlantic and Mediterranean climatic influences, Samaniego’s cool conditions, high elevation, and stony clay-calcareous and limestone soils produce wines with distinctive freshness, structure and energy.

Ostatu Crianza offers an exceptional introduction to the terroir-driven wines of Rioja Alavesa: pure Alavesa mountain wine with remarkable character and value.