Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta
By David Keck
Happy February! For today’s wines of the week, we turn to one of the most hallowed regions in the world: Rioja. Rioja in the modern era forces us to think long and hard about what tradition means and how that is demonstrated (or not!) in grape growing, winemaking, and aging of wines before they are released.
To understand Rioja we need to wrap our heads around a fascinating moment in viticultural history. With the outbreak of phylloxera (that horrible louse that devastates the roots of vitis vinifera) in France in the late 18th century, France turned to Spain to fulfill its wine needs—much as it had during the oidium (powdery mildew) outbreak in the 1840s. Rioja was the major region providing wine to the French, and along with wine crossing the Pyrenees, French winemakers crossed the other direction to work in Spanish wineries. French winemakers brought with them the use of oak aging in winemaking, yet Spain had more lucrative trade agreements with the Americas, thus began the creation of what we now consider ‘traditional’ Rioja: wines made with Spanish grapes (mostly Tempranillo), with French winemaking techniques (extended time in oak), and American materials (American oak).
Vineyards were planted aggressively to fill the void at the end of the 19th century, then rapidly abandoned after France imposed tariffs in 1892, then during the World Wars and in the Franco regime. Following the democratic election in 1977, Spain has rapidly climbed the ranks again and not only has the most planted vineyard acreage in the world, but is 3rd in wine production (some of the vineyard land being low-yielding, or for brandy production).
VT Wine Shepherd is very excited to announce the addition of Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta to our portfolio. In Rioja there are very few producers that have continued to abide by the techniques established in the 19th century, but Don Félix Martínez Lacuesta founded the winery in 1895, and his family has continued the traditional production to this day.
Don Félix was a lawyer, politician, marketing guru, and also the first president of the National Association of Wine-growers and Wine-producers as well as president of the Rioja Wine Union. In 1906, Emiliano Martínez Lacuesta traveled the Americas (with a Sherry producer and organ salesman) to bring samples to shops and restaurants across Mexico, the U.S., and 30 other countries.
Today, the family still runs the business with the estate vineyards in Haro, the heart of the Rioja Alta region. We currently have the wines listed below, but look for the Reserva and Gran Reserva in the future! The wines are beautifully made, with just the right amount of that classic American oak character (vanilla, smoke, coconut), bright beautiful fruit driven by Tempranillo, and just enough time in oak and bottle to round out the wine in classic Rioja fashion.
Martínez Lacuesta Tinto Cosecha 2018
Martínez Lacuesta Crianza 2015