Señorío de P. Peciña Rioja Reserva 2014 – Bodega Hermanos Peciña.

Rioja, the first region in Spain to receive the D.O status, and later also the first to receive the DOCa status. A region with a rich history, creating beautiful wines loved by many wine enthusiasts. In this review we discuss a 2014 Rioja Reserva by Bodega Hermanos Peciña. This wine is imported and sold in the Netherlands by Vida del Vino.

About the Grape

Although the most dominant grape in Red Rioja wines is the Tempranillo grape, the classification allows some other grapes to be used as well. Mostly used other grapes are Garnacha Tinta (also known as Grenache), Graciano, Mazuela (also known as Carignan), and Maturana Tinta.

The blend of today’s Rioja Reserva is 95% Tempranillo, 3% Garnacha Tinta and 2% Graciano, all grown and harvested in 2014 which was a very good year for the Rioja Region according to WineEnthusiast.

Tempranillo, a Spanish indigenous grape variety, which is the backbone of a red Rioja wine. It brings structure, depth, and finesse to the blend. The grape has a thick skin, bringing the beautiful dark color and tannins to the wine. Garnacha Tinta, adds softness, warmth and a touch of red berries, and gives it a rounder structure. Graciano brings some more acidity to the wine, enhancing the freshness, but also contributing to the aging potential and therefore adding complexity and structure to the wine.

About the Region

About 100 km south of Bilbao, in Northern Spain you will find the river Oja. Or in Spanish, La Rio Oja. This river is where the history of Rioja as a wine region started from, and has gotten its name from. After being the first Spanish Region to receive the D.O status in 1926, Rioja was also the first to receive the even stricter classification DOCa, in 1991.

The Rioja region in total is about 65.000 acres big, and is divided into 3 sub regions:

Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental (formerly known as Rioja Baja).

Rioja Alta lies the highest way up and is the coolest of these regions. The grapes keep some more acidity than the other regions, increasing the aging potential in the wines. Rioja Alavesa, lies closer to the Atlantic Ocean, having the sea cool down the temperature around the vineyards a bit, putting the balance between fruitiness and structure. Rioja Oriental, which lies more land inwards, has a warmer drier climate, and is able to grow the grapes with intense fruity aromas.

Bodegas Hermanos Peciña is located in the heart of Rioja Alta. Sonsierra Riojana to be more specific. The banks of the Ebro River, cool down the area a bit, which creates a microclimate where Atlantic and Mediterranean climates come together.

Rioja Classifications

Even though Rioja wines often do have aging potential, Rioja will always only put their wines on the market that are ready to drink. There is a classification system that tells you how the wines have been aged before they are sold:

• Joven: A wine that had no or only a short period of aging on oak barrels. These wines can be brought to market one year after harvest.
• Crianza: A red Rioja Crianza has had at least 24 months (2 years) of aging, of which at least 12 months on oak barrels. A white or rose Rioja Crianza needs at least 12 months (1 year) of aging, of which 6 months on oak.
• Reserva: A Rioja Reserva has aged for at least 36 months (3 years) before being brought to the market. From these 36 months, at least 12 (1 year) need to have aged on oak.
• Gran Reserva: A Rioja Gran Reserva needs the most patience, as it needs to age for at least 60 months (5 years), of which it needs to age on oak barrels for at least 24 months (2 years).  

About the Winery

Bodega Hermanos Peciña was founded in 1992 by Pedro Peciña Crespo. Back then it was a small winery, that he ran with his 3 children. In 1997 the firm expanded. Besides ‘cosechero’ wines, they now started to make white wines, and aged red wines; Crianza’s, Reserva’s and Gran Reserva’s. The wines are all aged using a traditional ‘racking’ method, where wines are moved from barrel to barrel, using gravity only. No pumping, no machines. And even though this method requires heavy manual labor, is time consuming and is expensive, the winery believes that nothing else is good enough to get the natural result with the highest quality.

Besides owning 50 hectares of vineyards, and having the capacity to handle 1 million kilos of grapes each year, they receive guests for free tours, and have a dining room that can carry up to 30 guests for a delicious meal.

About the Wine

The wine in this review is a Rioja Reserva, and has had its full 36 months of aging on American oak barrels, using a different barrel every 6 months. Moving from barrel to barrel is called ‘racking’. It is a traditional method, achieving natural decantation. After these 36 months, the wine has aged for another 18 months on the bottle, before being brought to the market.

Time to taste! Pouring the wine in the glass shows a beautiful cherry red color, with a slight orange rim. Just like we are used to from Rioja Reserva wines. Be careful soaking up the smell in the wine! The nose is very intense, and needs some time to balance out once the genie is out of the bottle. Once it got some air, you’ll find elegant fruity aromas. Dark and red fruits such as cherry and blackberry, but also softer tones such as vanilla.

Also, for tasting, we recommend to give the wine some minutes to get used to its environment. It will balance out acids and tannins, leaving you with a powerful, full bodied, but smooth wine, with softened tannins and acids being the backbone of this bottle. Again, red fruits and vanilla, accompanied with aroma’s like leather and oak.

Conclusion

That leaves us to the verdict of this wine. It comes from a beautiful winery with a unique story using ancient traditions. A wine that would be on its best shared with friends and food. Give the genie in the bottle some time to balance out and get used to its new environment, and you will be able to enjoy a classic Rioja Reserva, full bodied, and smooth.

This leads us to 89 DWA points, but we are throwing in an extra bonus point for the great value for money ratio for this wine. Concluding it with a solid 90-point DWA score.

This wine is reviewed by our own Michelle van de Vosse. Bodegas Hermanos Peciña is imported and sold in the Netherlands by Vida del Vino.

Price:                          €19,95

Taste date:                September 2023

Score:                         90/100 DWA Score

Website:                    Bodegas Hermanos Peciña