From: Rioja, Spain
Blend: 93% Tempranillo, 2% Mazuelo, 5% Garnacha
Taste & Critical Acclaim: “The 2019 Bodegas Lan Crianza is heady and driven on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows aromas and flavors of dried earth, wood, savory spices, and black fruits. Try it with grilled game birds.” (Tasted: July 23, 2023, San Francisco, CA) - Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Intense red cherry color. Aromas of red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, and cranberry framed by fine nuances of vanilla and toffee. Silky and structured on the palate, it has a long-lasting and satisfying finish.
Pairing: This is the quintessential “backyard BBQ wine”: versatile and food-friendly, great for warm or cool weather, tends to please most groups regardless of wine preferences, and pairs well with a wide range of dishes. We’ve listed some pairing suggestions below!
Grilled or roasted meats, such as beef, lamb, pork, or game, seasoned with herbs and spices.
Spanish dishes, like chorizo, paella, or roasted vegetables with Romesco sauce.
Rioja-style dishes, such as grilled lamb chops with red pepper sauce or
Tapas or pinchos, such as patatas bravas, croquetas, or jamón ibérico.
Moroccan/Mediterranean cuisine, almost any sausage. Merguez sausages are our favorite with Rioja (check out the recipe below)
Roast beef with potatoes and carrots
Grilled pork tenderloin with mustard sauce
Grilled or roasted vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms or bell peppers with a balsamic glaze or tomato sauce.
Lentil soup with smoked paprika
Lentil or chickpea stews seasoned with paprika or cumin.
Grilled eggplant with tomato sauce and basil
Homemade Merguez
By Melissa Clark
About. Founded in 1972, Bodegas LAN lies in the heart of Rioja Alta. The name LAN comes from the initials of the three provinces of the Rioja Designation of Origin: Logroño, Álava, and Navarra. María Barua has been the head winemaker and technical director since 2002 and brings both scientific expertise (with an academic background in chemistry in addition to her enology degree) and local knowledge (having been born and raised in Rioja). With her young and energetic team, María focuses on using the latest advances in winemaking to ‘express the virtues of the land.’
The estate sustainably farms its Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano, and Garnacha vineyards. The Viña Lanciano vineyard is one of the most spectacular vineyards in the region, located on a bend of the River Ebro. The vineyard’s poor, stony soils and the average vine age of 60 years are conducive to low yields. The vines are divided into 24 plots of soils, grape varieties, and aspects to be hand-picked at perfect ripeness. The winery has a rigorous selection process to ensure that only perfect bunches are used. Bodegas LAN also painstakingly selects and tests their oak barrels and has even pioneered a hybrid barrel - American staves with French oak heads - which they feel imparts the best characteristics of both types of oak to their wine.
This wine, at a glance.
LAN Crianza has been one of our most loved wines for years
LAN is legendary for paying growers “more” for top level fruit – With this release you are guaranteed a Rioja that punches way above its humble “Crianza” designation
LANs most famous wine, the one that best reflects their innovations in ageing, as they started to use hybrid oak barrels (with French oak bases and American oak staves) for LAN Crianza as long as two decades ago, contributing to its unmistakable character. Produced from selected vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, aged between 10 and 20 years. Chalky-clay soils located on well-drained slopes with good sun exposure.
Elaboration: Produced from traditional winemaking with destalking and crushing. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, 15 days' maceration, with continuous pumping-over to optimize color extraction. Aged for 14 months in hybrid oak barrels, followed by 9 months bottle conditioning.
If you saw the note above regarding hybrid American and French barrels and needed clarification, this excerpt is for you! Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher of the Grape Collective writes about this development, and Bodegas Beronia’s technical director gives an excellent description of the inspiration for and process of this hybrid approach.
It’s a French Barrel. No, It’s an American Barrel. It’s Both! A Rioja Story
Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher, Grape Collective
July 19, 2018
