Description

Alegre y Valgañón Tinto Rioja

Oscar Alegre and Eva Valgañón are part of a new generation of Rioja producers working to revive winemaking traditions that predate the more industrial “traditional” style established in the region after phylloxera. Oscar spent years in wine export, traveling through Europe’s most storied regions, while Eva grew up in a family of longtime grape growers whose fruit had supplied some of Rioja’s most historic labels. Together since 2014, they farm small parcels in the Obarenes zone west of Haro, a site long prized for the freshness and structure it lends to Rioja blends.

The couple’s approach favors old vine, bush pruned fruit farmed without herbicides or synthetic fertilizers, wild yeast fermentation, and the inclusion of whole clusters and stems, a practice that echoes both Rioja’s pre-phylloxera past and the winemaking Oscar admired on his travels through the Rhône and Piedmont. Rather than chasing modern polish, Oscar and Eva describe their goal simply: to make a wine that reflects their land and the generations of knowledge behind it.

Alegre y Valgañón Tinto Rioja Notes to Your Senses:

• APPEARANCE: A vivid, deep ruby red typical of Tempranillo based blends from the region.
• AROMA: Expressive notes of floral cherry and red fruit, layered with the earthy, savory character that comes from whole cluster fermentation with stems.
• TASTE: Juicy and vibrant on the palate, with a chalky, mineral driven texture and fine grained tannins that keep the wine feeling elegant rather than heavy.
• FINISH: Fresh and well balanced, with the wine’s ripeness carried gracefully through a long, clean close.
• ABV: 14.5%