2015 Burgo Viejo Palacio de Primavera Rioja Reserva 750 ml

Outscoring 422 other Riojas, including icons like CVNE’s Imperial Gran Reserva, this Reserva is a wonder, full of majestic dark- fruit concentration, the powerful tension and layered, fine tannins on the palate giving way to dried violets and delicate vanilla on the nose. 

In its 97-point assessment, the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards pinned a vaunted Platinum medal on this release, calling it “round, full, generous, framed by ripe and tannins and high quality oak.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has advised that Burgo Viejo’s offerings are “impressive and merit serious interest from thrifty consumers,” providing “a hedonistic style of Rioja that sells for a song.”    

We were at the legendary—and now shuttered—La Folie in San Francisco, carving into a mouthwatering lamb rack, when the sommelier approached with a glass of something enticingly garnet-hued.

“I was just tasting with the team, and realized you needed to try this with that dish,” he said. The dried cherry fragrance, ultra-smooth tannins, and pure berry acidity marked it as an aged Rioja of the highest quality. We were hooked. That gastronomical evening on Polk Street sent us down the rabbit hole, trying to land a U.S. allocation of this wine. 

Bodegas Burgo Viejo was founded in 1987 when six winemaking families decided to combine their skills and land, and the winery has since gained a reputation for crafting exquisite Tempranillos. From among the estate’s 494 acres, which span diverse microclimates and terroirs, this bottling is focused on three vineyards outside the town of Alfaro near Yerga mountain. Rugged, alluvial soils force 43-year-old vines to work for every ounce of concentration, making for beautifully proportioned, seamlessly oak-influenced wines that can basically age forever.