Tempranillo, or Rioja, red wines explained

There is often confusion about which wines are named for grapes, and which are named for places.

For example, if you were asked to describe your last taste of good tempranillo, you might well draw a complete blank. But when someone mentions Rioja, I'll bet all sorts of flashbulbs begin to light up your taste memory. That's because tempranillo (the grape) has its identity and reputation firmly tied to Rioja (the place), where it provides the core for some of Spain's most noble and long-lived red wines.

In flavor, tempranillo's peers are wines made from the pinot noir grape (in France's Burgundy region) and the sangiovese grape (in Italy's Chianti area). These three red wine grapes, though quite distinct from each other, do share a lightness of color, a stylistic tendency toward elegance and balance over weight and power, and a range of flavors that often begins with ripe cherries and evolves to include tobacco and tea leaf, leather and tar.

But there the similarities end. Tempranillo, as expressed in so many excellent Rioja wines, is a product of winemaking practices and rules of classification unique to that region.

Read a Rioja label and you will find the terms crianza, reserva or gran reserva prominently displayed (but never together — just one at a time). These legally define the winemaking practices used for that bottle.

Wines labeled crianza may be released after just two years of aging, including one in the barrel. In flavor, these are young, fruity Riojas, emphasizing red fruits, moderate acids and light vanilla from their relatively short time in oak. Crianzas do not receive the best grapes, nor are they considered the winery's best wines, but they may offer the best value, in terms of freshness, flavor and price.

Reserva wines are not made every year. They require at least three years of aging, including at least one in barrel, though often they get considerably more. These wines often demonstrate flavors that are typically found in Chiantis of a similar age. Their cherry fruit has a tart, pie-cherry tang; there are subtle and pleasing hints of leather, leaf and earth; and the tannins have softened to a point where all the rough edges have been smoothed away.

Gran reserva Riojas are only made in the best vintages, such as 1989, 1994 and 1995. They receive a minimum of five and often as much as seven years of aging before release, including at least two years in oak. When you see a 1994 gran reserva in the marketplace today, note that it is the current release — a rare holdover from the days when many wineries cellared their wines before selling them. It enables you to purchase and immediately enjoy a well-aged wine, without having to cellar it yourself.

Rioja production is dominated by a handful of well-known wineries (called bodegas in Spain). Though tempranillo is the dominant grape, most wineries blend in others in smaller amounts, so styles vary considerably. In addition, those who favor a traditional approach use older American oak barrels rather than new French, and give the wines a bit extra aging time in bottle. These "classic" Riojas tend to be softer, lighter, leafier and overall more subtle and elegant than new-world wines, with a distinctive flavor of vanilla from the American barrels. Leading traditionalist bodegas are CUNE, Marqués de Murrieta, R. López de Heredia and Muga.

New styles are taking hold in Rioja, however. Some producers are blending in fair amounts of cabernet sauvignon, using new French oak barrels, and putting more emphasis on vibrant, jammy, youthful fruit flavors and less on the aging process. Some have gone so far as to abandon the crianza/reserva/gran reserva designations altogether, in favor of proprietary blends and winemaking practices. Among the leading modernists are Baron de Ley, Marqués de Cáceres, Marqués de Riscal, Martinez Bujanda, Palacio y Hermanos and Remelluri.

In the new world, tempranillo is still a rarity. But right here in the Pacific Northwest, on a beautiful hilltop in the heart of the Umpqua Valley, Abacela winery is making one of the best. Earl and Hilda Jones spent years researching the perfect place to grow tempranillo, and, rather improbably, ended up in Oregon. Their wines have proven them prophets, and the tempranillo, good as it is, is also joined by a lovely Dolcetto and some impressive syrah too. Abacela's pioneering efforts should rightly inspire others in Oregon to follow their trail.

Recommended wines:

Marqués de Arienzo 1998 Rioja Crianza; $10. As befits a crianza style, this is a sweetly fruity wine, showing light flavors of berries and cherries, with just a gentle hint of tobacco and leather.

Senorio de Nava 1998 Ribera del Duero Crianza; $12. Made from tinto fino, a tempranillo cousin, this rich, textured, flavorful wine is built with a Bordeaux-like elegance. Layers of fruit, wood, earth and tannin compete for your attention, with a pleasing, rustic finish showing dried fruits and roasted meats.

Baron de Ley 1997 Rioja Reserva; $13. This wine includes about 10 percent cabernet sauvignon in the blend, mixing red and black fruits with interesting flavors of apple butter and plum pudding. Concentrated and spicy, it is a fabulous wine for the price.

Mas d'Aranyo 1998 Tempranillo Reserva; $16. From the Penèdes region comes this thick, juicy, spicy young wine. Flashy and flavorful, it mixes dark layers of smoke and licorice-infused fruit with substantial tannins.

Abacela 1999 Tempranillo; $29. This estate-grown, meaty Oregon red has a lovely wild clover scent to it, tart, dark fruit, and interesting streaks of iron and mineral. Quite young and built for aging, it already shows excellent flavor and considerable depth.

Miguel Merino 1995 Rioja Reserva; $30. The first release from a new boutique, it sends up polished, older scents of black fruits and prunes. Flavors move into complex woody notes of cedar, lead pencil and charcoal, with a long, softly tannic finish.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.