<a href="http://myplanetavino.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/rioja-reservas-arlanza-propiedad.jpg" title="Rioja Reservas Viña Arlanza Propiedad"><img align="right" src="http://myplanetavino.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/rioja-reservas-arlanza-propiedad.jpg" alt="Rioja Reservas Viña Arlanza Propiedad" /></a>Now we move on to the Reservas, both in the 18 euro price range.  Once again I picked a true classic bodega, La Rioja Alta and a fully modern one; Palacios Remondo. 

At the crianza level there is usually enough fruit in both classic and modern to satisfy the majority of palates, but at the reserva level the disparity in styles becomes more acute. 

The primary reason is the disparity in oak aging grows wider.  The modern reservas will generally have between 12 and 18 months of oak, while the classics will have at least 24, but many times much more.  I this case our modern has only 12 months and our classic has 36 months!   
Thirty six months in oak does not leave the fresh fruit taste most wine consumers today are accustomed to.

In fact our modern reserva is not a reserva at all! Though it has enough oak to be a reserva, it was released before the minimum period of bottle aging was attained…thus is merely has the “cosecha” label on the back.  A reserva must have 3 years in the winery (12 months minimum in oak) before release.  Many wineries are opting out of the traditional reserva system.  It is being done for several reasons:  it transmits a more modern image for the winery, gives more freedom to the wine-maker…it is also economically beneficial to release wines earlier.

Its dismays me that the issue of style in Rioja is not in the forefront of wine forums within Spain…never was this more obvious than in the introduction to the Rioja chapter in the Peñin Wine Guide 2007.  José Peñin is Spain’s most recognizable wine critic and he releases a very useful annual guide to Spanish wines. 

In the intro, not a single mention of the various styles comes up, yet he criticises the wineries that opt out of the reserva aging system…he says that it confuses consumers!  I could agree, but I think that not knowing whether your 18 euro reserva wine has 18 or 36 months of oak aging is much more confusing for the consumer!  Whether the label says reserva or not could be confusing but is certainly less so.

My classic reserva:
Viña Arlanza 2000 by Bodegas La Rioja Alta
Pleasant, attractive spice and dried fruit nose….lots of vanilla and cedar…quite complex.   Mouth very disappointing...acidic, volatile, dry woody notes…little of the dried fruit that was in the nose.  Very short finish.
Rating: 12 points

My modern reserva:
Propiedad 2005 by Bodega Palacios Remondo
Spicy new oak black fruit, plums and blackberry on the nose.  Quite complex and very appealing.  Big mouth, full and structured, good fruit but new oak and tannins have the upper hand.  The fruit comes back in the longish finish, but tannins need polishing. 
Rating: 15 points

Conclusions:
The modern was clearly the winner here.  Propiedad is not my favourite Rioja….serious tannin extraction here….I like mine to be more charming.  But it is a serious and complex wine…and has some nice fresh black fruit.  Though the nose of the Arlanza was both attractive and complex, the mouth was a total let down.  The shortness in mouth is a characteristic I find in many classic Riojas.  Though the nose had a nutty, dried fruit nose, this is not the kind of fruit I find attractive in not-fortified red wines.  But even if you like that kind of fruit, there was not enough of it in the mouth to give harmony.

Ratings (20 point system):  10-13 poor, 13-15 fair, 15-17 good, 18-19 excellent, 20 exceptional