2010 Bodegas Hermanos de Peciña Finca Iscorta Gran Reserva 750 ml

“No Rush” Perfectly Aged Gran Reserva Rioja

Why has Rioja long been thought of as one of the most legendary red wine regions in the world? The answer is in the 2010 Hermano de Peciña Finca Iscorta Rioja Gran Reserva, Pedro Peciña’s perfectly aged, 94-point ode to traditional Rioja winemaking.

Peciña spent years as vineyard manager at legendary producer La Rioja Alta before founding Hermanos Peciña, a bodega loyal to the traditional techniques of Rioja: Peciña harvests by hand, and ages his wine over long periods in neutral American oak. Finca Iscorta is grown on 50-year-old vines planted on the Peciña’s Finca Iscorta parcel, and is produced in exceptional vintages only. Aged for a staggering three years in barrel and another three in bottle, this wine will thrill lovers of top-notch Rioja, and is bound to win new converts to the old style. Finca Iscorta’s palate “reveals a rare mix of power and elegance that only the very best vintages are capable of,” according to Wine Advocate’s unequivocal 94+-point review. That qualifies as high praise—at any price. Today on Wine Access, it’s only $42.99, shipping included on 4.

Much of Rioja has modernized, but the region still has a few well-known holdouts: Stalwarts like López de Heredia and La Rioja Alta stand as keepers of the traditional Rioja flame. For nearly two decades, Pedro Peciña was employed by La Rioja Alta, where he practiced the methods that made Rioja into a world-renowned wine region. About halfway through his tenure, Pedro spun off and founded a bodega built around his family’s 50-acre parcel near San Vicente. He called it Hermanos Peciña and, although it was brand-new, dedicated the bodega to the production of old-style Rioja.

The traditional designation is not just an idea, but a painstaking practice. Peciña sticks to a laborious racking regimen: While larger, more modern producers rack from barrel to tank and back into barrel, Peciña racks from barrel to barrel, twice per year, aided only by gravity. This practice allows the wine to breathe and develop complex flavors, and results in a gorgeous clarity.

2010 vintage is Peciña’s first to be labeled Finca Iscorta, and it stands as Pedro’s lowest-yielding, smallest-production red wine. This beauty is nearly a decade past its harvest date, and after its long stint in barrel and in bottle, truly ready for the dinner table, or for another decade or more below decks. Rustic in appearance, showing deep aromas of wood spice, cigar box, and tobacco, this is a savory beauty by one of traditional Rioja’s new standard-bearers, and represents an astounding level of quality and savoir-faire for the price. This will go fast. Do not miss out.