Log in for prices and ordering

Valenciso

A Leading Light of Rioja’s Grower Movement

From humble beginnings, Valenciso has risen to become a leading light among Rioja’s small yet growing band of terroir-focused producers. The story began in the late 1990s when wine industry veterans Luis Valentín (Valen…) and Carmen Enciso (…ciso) left behind outstanding careers at Bodegas Palacio and rented a small warehouse with barely enough space to produce their first vintage of 2,000 cases.

Today, the vineyards and cellar are in the far north of Rioja Alta, in Ollauri, a small village four kilometres from Haro. Believing most of the region’s most outstanding wines derive from commune-specific precincts, Valentin and Enciso chose to focus on Ollauri and its immediate environs. Part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in their compelling book, “Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos”), Ollauri’s vineyards are noted for their excellent calcário soils, altitudes of up to 600 meters and Atlantic-influenced climate. These factors are responsible for imparting depth and finesse into the Rioja Alta’s northern Tempranillo wines.

In the manner of French Burgundy and the greatest Riojas of the past, Valenciso is all about aromatic volume rather than physical weight. To pinch a sentiment from Tim Atkin MW—“each wine commemorates its rocky, mature-vine origins rather than how long it has spent in barrel”.

Along with their 30 plots, the Domaine also farms vines in nearby villages of Briones, Rodezno, Gimileo, Zarratón and Villalba, all of which lie within five kilometres of Ollauri. Vine age plays a key role—the average age sits around 30 years, rising to 60 years for the Reserva and up to 100 years for the Rioja Blanco. While Valenciso has been working with organics since its inception—a significant challenge considering less than 3% of the vineyards of Rioja are organically managed—certification is currently in process. Several biodynamic practices are also subscribed to, including preparations of chamomile and horsetail to help invigorate the soils.

As Valenciso continues to etch out its own distinctive space in the Rioja story, year in, year out, every wine from this producer points to constant progression. A distinctive feature of Luis and Carmen’s approach is the use of concrete tanks for fermentation, which allows for a gentler extraction of fruit and colour. Aging for the Reserva takes place in French oak barriques (only one-third replaced each year), and the white wine is raised in low-toast Caucasian oak to prevent undue influence on the wine. All the Valenciso wines ferment naturally and are bottled unfiltered. In sum, these are complex, savoury, terroir-driven Rioja wines, revealing Luis and Carmen’s preference for subtlety, elegance and refinement. 

Currently Available

Valenciso Rioja Reserva 10 Años Después 2012

Valenciso Rioja Reserva 10 Años Después 2012

The 2012 is just the sixth release of this wonderful and unconventional Rioja. As before, the Tempranillo here is sourced from Valenciso’s highest parcel of vines, a 75-year-old vineyard in Villalba. This parcel produces exceptional, ripe fruit with high acidity that is perfectly bred for long aging. Fermented wild, the wine initially ages in a 50-hectolitre concrete tank for five years, then rests for 40 months in low-toast Caucasian oak (the same barrels Valenciso uses for the Rioja Blanco). It was released in 2022, 10 years after the harvest, hence the name 10 Años Después (‘10 Years After’).Interestingly, the extended aging in concrete results in no loss of colour and has only seemed to intensify the wine’s fruit purity and aromatic expression. Again, tasted in Spain this year, it looks so fresh and vibrant with radiant raspberry sweetness, pine-scented fruit, and a deep core of iodine-like complexity underpinned by silk-spun tannins and a classy, gliding finish. Sheer brilliance that—like all the wines from this exemplary estate—should not be missed.

Interestingly, the extended aging in concrete results in no loss of colour and has only seemed to intensify the wine’s fruit purity and aromatic expression. Meanwhile the striking palate is both silky and savoury—a wonderful harmony of all components. It remains incredibly fresh and youthful with blackcurrant and pine scented fruit and a deep core of iodine-like complexity. It is sheer brilliance that, like all the wines from this exemplary estate, should not be missed. A unique and very special wine.

“The subtle, elegant and complex 2012 10 Años Después (10 years after!) matured for four years in concrete followed by four more years in Caucasian oak barrels that polished it. It has an incredible 15% alcohol, which doesn't show at all, and the wine comes through as balanced and elegant, powerful too but with no excess. It finished very tasty.”
94 points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
“Ten Years After, as a British rock band was called, is a good name for a wine too. This pure Tempranillo from the hot 2012 vintage was fermented in concrete before ageing in Caucasian oak. Spicy and well-structured, with leather, tobacco and dark berry fruit flavours and a sweet, balsamic finish. Appealingly mature. 2024-35”
95 points, Tim Atkin, 2023 Rioja Report
Valenciso Rioja Reserva 10 Años Después 2012
Valenciso Rioja Laderas de Cabama 2021

Valenciso Rioja Laderas de Cabama 2021

Laderas de Cabama is 100% Tempranillo, crafted from a single plot of 40-year-old vines in Ollauri. It grows on the classic clay/limestone soil of the Rioja Alta. This single-vineyard bottling used to be made in a similar style to Valenciso’s flagship Reserva, in that it was built to age in barrel and bottle before release. From the 2018 vintage, Valenciso has sought to craft Laderas de Cabama in a younger, more fruit-forward style. The fruit is picked a little earlier and the winemaking employs a portion of whole-berry, semi-carbonic fermentation, bringing a more primary, juicy profile.No new oak is used. Instead, fermentation occurs in cool concrete, followed by 14 months in used French oak barrels. The resulting wine is spicy and rich, with blackberry and plummy fruit, some spice and tobacco leaf notes from the whole-bunch fermentation. It boasts good depth and a tea-scented, full-bodied finish. Great on its own, this will also suit a wide variety of meat dishes.

Valenciso Rioja Laderas de Cabama 2021
Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2018

Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2018

Valenciso's flagship Reserva is a selection of handpicked Tempranillo from the clay/limestone soils around Haro. The grapes are drawn from 17 plots spread across the villages of Villalba, Rodezno, Briones and Ollauri, all lie within a five-kilometre radius of the winery. Part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos), Ollauri’s vineyards are noted for their excellent calcário soils, altitudes of up to 600 meters and Atlantic-influenced climate. All the vines are managed organically and cropped well below the regional limits. The youngest vines that make the grade here are 60 years old. The Reserva naturally fermented in concrete vats, and the wine was then aged for 18 months in (mostly) low-toast Radoux French oak barriques. In recent vintages, 10% of the wine has also been raised in low-toast Caucasus oak, further lessening the wine’s already minimal wood influence. Following aging in barrel, the wine was transferred back to concrete vats to settle for a further 24 months before release. Luis and Carmen find the wine clarifies so well in concrete that there is no need to fine or filter the wine before bottling.

“‘The last cold vintage we had’ is how Luis Valentin describes 2018, a vintage that saw 600mm of rain. This Rioja Alta Tempranillo from the area around Haro is suitably fresh, refined and focused, showing graceful tannins, chalky minerality and flavours of bramble and clementine.”
95 points, Tim Atkin MW, Rioja Report 2023
“The 2018 Reserva reveals developed aromas and a polished palate, tasty, almost salty flavors and a long, dry finish. It has notes of leather and meat and felt surprisingly ripe despite the cooler year, but the longer and slow growing season ripened the grapes thoroughly to 14.5% alcohol. It matured in French oak barrels, one-third of them new, for 18 months.”
93 points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2018
Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022

Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022

This fleshy, classy white is crafted from 100-plus-year-old vines of Viura (70%) and Garnacha Blanca (30%). It is sourced from four ancient, low-yielding highland vineyards around Rodezno, Haro and Villalba. After a wild ferment, the wine was aged on lees in Russian, steam-bent, untoasted oak barrels (a fine-grained Caucasian wood that allows for excellent balance between fruit and oak) for nine months.The result is a super-aromatic wine with stone fruits, crushed citrus, mineral saline elements and a silky, fleshy and vibrant palate (racy, yet with good texture thanks to the low yields from the ancient vines). The full and slightly creamy mouthfeel is shot through by invigorating and balancing acidity and the lengthy finish is tinged with salty minerality. Since 2017, the wine has been presented in a Burgundy-shaped bottle, another indication of where its inspiration lies.

Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022
Valenciso Rioja Cemento 2020

Valenciso Rioja Cemento 2020

Organic. From humble beginnings, Valenciso has risen to become a leading light among Rioja’s small yet growing band of terroir-focused producers. The vineyards and cellar are located in the far north of Rioja Alta in Ollauri, a small village four kilometres from Haro. In part of what has been proposed as the Western Sonsierra zone (by Alberto Gil and Antonio Remesal Villar in their compelling new volume—Rioja: Vinos Silenciosos), Ollauri’s vineyards are noted for their excellent calcário soils, altitudes of up to 600 meters and Atlantic-influenced climate. These factors are responsible for imparting depth and finesse into the Rioja Alta’s northern Tempranillo.A distinctive feature of Valenciso’s approach in the cellar has been the widespread use of concrete tanks for fermentation, a practice which allows for a gentler extraction of fruit and colour. Concrete vats were once a mainstay in Rioja, yet by the 1980s the tradition of fermenting and aging in concrete vessels had largely been replaced by stainless steel and oak maturation. Today, thanks to its numerous advantages and a group of specialist manufacturers, concrete has found itself right back at the forefront of fashion.While all Valenciso’s wines see the inside of some concrete during their élevage, this new bottling, as the name suggests, has been fermented and raised entirely in concrete vats. It’s 100% Tempranillo drawn from a group of old-vine vineyards nestled in the limestone-rich hillsides of Haro and Ollauri. All up, this was aged for 26 months before bottling.

"Tasted as a pre-bottling sample, but I'm confident that this second vintage of Cemento will deliver in the bottle. Dense, perfumed and smooth, with good underlying grip, plum, rosemary and wild thyme flavours and a sappy finish. Delicious."
94 points, Tim Atkin MW, Rioja 2023 Special Report
Valenciso Rioja Cemento 2020
Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022 (1500ml)

Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022 (1500ml)

This fleshy, classy white is crafted from 100-plus-year-old vines of Viura (70%) and Garnacha Blanca (30%). It is sourced from four ancient, low-yielding highland vineyards around Rodezno, Haro and Villalba. After a wild ferment, the wine was aged on lees in Russian, steam-bent, untoasted oak barrels (a fine-grained Caucasian wood that allows for excellent balance between fruit and oak) for nine months.The result is a super-aromatic wine with stone fruits, crushed citrus, mineral saline elements and a silky, fleshy and vibrant palate (racy, yet with good texture thanks to the low yields from the ancient vines). The full and slightly creamy mouthfeel is shot through by invigorating and balancing acidity and the lengthy finish is tinged with salty minerality. Since 2017, the wine has been presented in a Burgundy-shaped bottle, another indication of where its inspiration lies.

Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2022 (1500ml)
Show All

“Valenciso is one of the most modern of the traditional producers, or the most traditional of the modern producers. I love their wines, which offer good typicity and drinking pleasure, and I think they deserve more attention than they get.” Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

Country

Spain

Primary Region

Rioja Alta, Rioja

People

Winemakers: Luis Valentín & Carmen Enciso

Availability

National

While you're here