2021 Valenciso Rioja Laderas de Cabama

From one of Rioja’s most thoughtful modern producers, the 2021 Laderas de Cabama is 100% Tempranillo from a single vineyard near Haro, planted on clay-limestone soils. Valenciso has always taken a fresher, more elegant path than most in the region, and this wine captures that approach perfectly – pure fruit, fine tannin and a sense of calm precision.

Fermented in concrete and aged in a mix of used French oak barrels, it’s Rioja stripped of excess – no heavy toast or flashy extraction, just clarity and balance. The 2021 season gave small, perfectly ripe berries with natural acidity, and it shows in the wine’s brightness and energy.

You get red cherry, plum and sweet spice, with a touch of tobacco and cedar from the oak. The palate is silky and vibrant, carried by fine tannins and a long, savoury finish. It’s a beautiful example of what modern Rioja can be when fruit, not oak, does the talking.