Olivier Rivière Losares 2019
111.84₣ (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Spain
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Losares was produced with the grapes from a plot of old vines in the village of Navaridas. The blend of 90% Tempranillo and some 10% other grapes, Garnacha, Graciano, Viura, Calagraño . . . fermented with 20% full clusters and matured in 500-liter barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 26 months in 1,000-liter oak foudre. It has 14% alcohol with mellow acidity, and it's expressive, a little more floral than other vintages, with the Tempranillo dominating the blend, still a bit young and with a very lively palate with vibrant acidity and very fine tannins, elegant and balanced, with all the necessary ingredients for a nice development in bottle. The tannins of the 2019s feel very fine and chalky, Rivière told me he was able to pick each vineyard at the right time, while in the past he sometimes harvested a little early, and from 2019, he's been waiting a little more for the tannins and doing less extraction and less foot treading. 1,300 bottles were filled in February 2022.
Features
Type of wine
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
14.0%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Description
In 2006, Olivier Rivière left Bordeaux and its classifications behind to embrace the chaotic complexity of Rioja. He came to Spain with the mission of converting vineyards to biodynamics, but ended up rediscovering a diversity in Rioja soils that few in the region dare to vinify with such transparency. Olivier Rivère Losares, his most personal and ambitious wine, comes from a vineyard planted in 1930 in Navaridas, at an altitude of 500 metres. Here, in a mosaic of decomposed sandstone and calcareous clay, very old vines of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and other red and white varieties coexist, as if the vineyard itself preserved the memory of another time.
Rivière does not follow the classic ageing model; he classifies his wines as if he were in Burgundy: Losares is his Grand Cru. It is a wine that reflects the soil, the altitude and the extreme age of the vines, rather than the wood or the time in the cellar.
Winemaking
Olivier Rivière Losares is harvested by hand. The grapes are completely destemmed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks. The macerations are gentle and brief, aiming for precision rather than extraction. Olivier Rivière Losares is aged for 24 months in 500-litre French oak demi-muids, with minimal use of sulphur just before bottling. Every decision is made so that the wine speaks of the place, not the process.
Taste
Olivier Rivère Losares is sober, subtle, deeply mineral. The nose evokes graphite, damp earth, wild blackberries and black plum, with echoes of dried violets and fine herbs. The palate is precise, with polished but present tannin and a vertical acidity that keeps it vibrant. The oak ageing is barely hinted at, letting the soil mark the character. The finish is dry, long, with a slight bitterness and a saline echo that invites silence. A Rioja for those who seek elegance rather than opulence.
Shipping to Peninsular Spain
FREE shipping on orders over 188.93₣ or for 18 bottles or more in 6-bottle multiples (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60 bottles)Estimated transit time: 2-3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over 188.93₣ |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | 6.52₣ | 0.00₣ (-6.52₣) |
| 7-12 | 6.52₣ | 0.00₣ (-6.52₣) |
| 13-17 | 12.19₣ | 0.00₣ (-12.19₣) |
| 18 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 19-23 | 15.02₣ | 0.00₣ (-15.02₣) |
| 24 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 25-29 | 18.70₣ | 0.00₣ (-18.70₣) |
| 30 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 31-35 | 21.63₣ | 0.00₣ (-21.63₣) |
| 36 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 37-41 | 25.41₣ | 0.00₣ (-25.41₣) |
| 42 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 43-47 | 27.30₣ | 0.00₣ (-27.30₣) |
| 48 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 49-53 | 32.02₣ | 0.00₣ (-32.02₣) |
| 54 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| 55-59 | 33.91₣ | 0.00₣ (-33.91₣) |
| 60 | Free | 0.00₣ (Free) |
| VAT included | ||
