2017 Bodegas de Familia Burgo Viejo Crianza Finca Vidales Rioja 750 ml

Across the globe, one word is synonymous with Spanish red wine: Rioja. 

The rich, ripe, know-it-when-you-taste it red from north-central Spain is one of the most distinctive wines in the world, and there’s no better introduction to the category than the 2017 Bodegas de Familia Burgo Viejo Crianza Finca Vidales Rioja.

Crafted from Tempranillo—the signature grape of Rioja—grown in the hottest and driest sector of the region, this is as classic as it comes. Showing the bold fruit and silky texture that the grape is known for, it’s accented by beautiful spice notes of cinnamon and star anise, with a hint of tobacco and leather that linger over a long finish.

Bodegas Burgo Viejo was founded in the late 1980s when six farming families united, combining their prime vineyard lands and an immeasurable amount of winegrowing knowledge and tradition. Since then, all their wines have been from estate-grown grapes—and this one comes from choice territory in the Rioja Oriental sub-region.

While Rioja might be the name that gets noticed, there’s as much difference between its different zones as there is between the Left and Right Banks in Bordeaux. Rioja Alta, in the west, boasts Atlantic influence and relatively high rainfall; Rioja Alavesa has the highest altitudes; and Rioja Oriental is the easternmost part of the appellation, with the hottest, driest climate and alluvial soils—the kind of environment in which heat-loving Tempranillo thrives.

This Crianza—which means it’s aged at least two years, with at least six months in oak barrels—is fantastic with red meat or poultry, and it’s equally excellent on its own. It’s the perfect bottle to beckon you into the world of Rioja.