Wine by the winery LAN

Bodegas LAN is full of meaning, starting with their name of choice, which has to be written in capital letters. This is because it is based on the initials of the three provinces that form D.O.Ca. Rioja: Logroño, Álava and Navarra.
Bodegas LAN is situated in Fuenmayor and was opened for the first time in 1972 by a group of industrials from northern Spain. Among some names and companies like Rumasa or Marcos Eguizábal, soon appeared Gabriel Celaya (Grupo Celaya) who also acquired the winery Santiago Ruíz in Rías Baixas.
These were years of renovation, effort, studies and strong investments, where Grupo Celaya and a young and dynamic team, lead by Javier Echarri in the General Management, and Víctor Leiva in the oenology branch, set the foundations of what is today an established winery. Here, wine combines the necessary commercial appearance with the expression of the traits of humanity, capability, of a constant search for perfection, of passion for wine and a vision of future.

Despite all of this, their profit was still quite low, so in 2002 they sold 80% of Bodegas LAN and Bodega Santiago Ruíz to the venture capital company Mercapital.
Ten years later, in 2012, the Portuguese group Sogrape Vinhos bought the two wineries of the group, which has currently been extended with Bodegas Marqués de Burgos, in Ribera del Duero, and Duquesa de Valladolid, in Rueda.
Sogrape Vinhos is the most important winemaking group in Portugal. It belongs to the Portuguese family Guedes, who founded the company in 1942. This company is recognised worldwide by its brands Mateus Rose and many other wines, among which we can highlight Offley and Ferreira, and the labels Callabriga and Pena de Pato, also in Portugal, and Jerez Sandeman, which is marketed in Spain.
Currently, the company is present in Mendoza, Argentina, through the farm Finca Flichman, which produces quality wines under the same name; New Zealand, with the purchase of Viña Framingham; and Chile, through Chateau Los Boldos.

The property and their work philosophy

Bodegas Lan, located in the industrial estate outside Fuenmayor, has 72 hectares of vineyards, called Viña Lanciano, and they also control another 400 hectares. They monitor them closely with the suppliers of their vines during the entire growth cycle, plot by plot, and they help them make decisions when it comes to viticulture, pruning, manure, ... And the most important thing of all, determining the right time for the harvest.

In 2002, María Barúa joined LAN. She has a BA in Chemistry and Oenology by the University of La Rioja, and she is currently the oenologist leading the technical management of the firm, with a team that has great experience and youth, passion for wine and the technical know-how to produce wines that reflect the profile of the terroir. Respect for the land and the balance of nature have become the distinguishing marks of LAN, which advocates for sustainable viticulture, caring for the raw materials and handling the land without using any chemical manure.

Viña Lanciano is a spectacular farm located on a meander of the river Ebro, which is a natural border between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, protected by the mountain range Sierra de Cantabria, where we can find small plots for the production of their high-range wines. It is divided into 24 plots, with Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Grenache vines that are over 60 years old. Here, they use sustainable and balanced viticulture, encouraging the self-defence of plants. They begin the harvest when the grapes are at their optimal ripening stage. Harvest is carried out manually in the entire farm, controlling the situation in each of their plots. Once they arrive at the winery, they select each bunch and each berry, so that only the ones that are in perfect condition can pass on to the next production stage.

In the winery, they are stored in stainless steel, at a controlled temperature, in barrels made from American oak, French oak from Allier, Limousin and Nevers, and Central European, Hungarian and Bosnian oak. They all have a 225-litre capacity, and they are stacked in threes, in 14-story pyramids. An exclusive and patented system allows each barrel to carry only its own weight.

Each type of oak has been meticulously studies. Therefore, the French oak that comes from different woodlands provides soft aromas and vanilla, clove and chocolate tastes. The American oak, which comes from Ohio and Missouri, offers aromas of coconut and aromatic herbs. Russian oak, which comes from the Caucasus and the Republic of Adygea, is less odorant and more respectful with the raw materials, while mixed barrels with American oak staves and French oak bottoms give the wines a unique personality.
And the ageing warehouse, a diaphanous space with 6,400 m2, is an incredible sight. Each one of the wines contained in the barrels is identified and controlled through a microchip that is embedded in the wood. This microchip informs at every second and with accuracy the status of every barrel and every wine. It provides the origin of the barrel, the type of oak it is made from, its toasting level, the variety and the source of the grape or the wine, the date it was filled, the number and date of each racking, etc. To do this, two astonishing computerised gantry cranes automatically locate the barrel rack and carry out the precise movements. This ensures that the racking of the wines and the stacking of the barrels is done carefully, avoiding sudden movements that would make it impossible for the lees to settle in the bottom of the barrel during the ageing of the wine.

Then, wine is filtered and bottled in conditions of total asepsis to achieve the microbiological balance of the product and to prevent the wine from suffering any alterations during its ageing time in the bottle or during the reductive ageing process. The wine achieves its fullness, roundness and finesse in the winery's bottle racks during the necessary time so that it can offer its best features when it is tasted.
However, before it gets to this point, it has also gone through an exhaustive control and cleaning process. All its materials, like corks, bottles, capsules, etc. are thoroughly cleaned. Bodegas LAN requires all of its suppliers to be certified by ISO 9002; another of the winery's quality conditions.

The results are wines designed under an ageing process that has been thought through, always balanced and measured, where the wood plays an important part from the backstage, giving its wines a new and different Riojan style.

Wines from Bodegas LAN

The range of wines from Bodegas Lan is quite a complete one. On the one hand, it gathers the most traditional style of Rioja with the LAN Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, and on the other hand, it provides a more modern line with single-vineyard or high-range wines: LAN D-12, Viña Lanciano, Culmen and LAN a Mano.

LAN Crianza is made from Tempranillo (85%), Grenache (10%) and Mazuelo. It is aged for 12 months in oak barrels. It is full-bodied, immersive and fine on the nose, with fresh and ripe fruit aromas and some minty balsamic hints, all well blended among spiced vanilla, toasted and white wood notes. In the mouth, it is tasty, with an acidity that freshens the sweet and fine tannins, which boost its vanilla spiced, slightly-toasted red fruits.

LAN Reserva is made from 92% Tempranillo grapes and 8% Graciano, from selected vineyards in the subarea of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, of an average age of 20 to 25 years. It is aged in mixed American and French oak barrels for 16 months. It has an aroma with good intensity, nuanced by ripe red fruit spiced with vanilla, nicely wrapped up in toasted, smoky and fine wood notes. In the mouth, it is structured, with honest fragrant tannins which back a broad range of aromatic notes of black fruit jam and spices.

LAN Gran Reserva is made from 90% Tempranillo that comes from selected vineyards in the Rioja Alta region (Haro, Villalba, Foncea) and 10% Mazuelo, from the farm Viña Lanciano. It is aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels. On the nose, notes of black fruit, plum, figs and compote fruit prevail, all of them wrapped in cacao, balsamic and black pepper notes. With great structure and volume in the mouth.

Viña Lanciano is a Reserva made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. It comes from a selection of vines that are over 30 years old located in the farm Viña Lanciano. It is aged for 12 months in Tronçais French oak and 6 months in barrels made of Russian oak from the Caucasus. Its intense aroma boosts the ripe fruit notes that transmit the rich varietal character of the Tempranillo, ennobled with vanilla and oak spices. In the mouth, it presents an excellent tannic structure and an acidity that gives it a full sensation on the palate. Ripe fruit notes and soft wood that give its vanilla toasted finish a touch of velvet.

LAN D-12 is a wine that comes from deposit no. 12. Traditionally, this deposit hosted wines that stood out for their organoleptic properties. It is mainly made from Tempranillo, and some Mazuelo, that comes from a selection of vines that are between 18 and 20 years old. These are located in a 4-hectare plot in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa). They also come from other 30-year-old vines located in two plots in Haro (Rioja Alta). It is aged for 12 months in new barrels, 70% American oak from the Apalachee and 30% French oak from the woodlands of Chateauroux and Loches. The extra-fine grain wood is selected and dried naturally for 36 months to get rid of the astringent tannins of the wood. On the nose, it is complex and intense, with the presence of red fruits and liquorice, characteristic of the Tempranillo. It has nuances of cacao, bakery, and smoke, combined with aromas of red fruits in liquor, with flowery hints, mainly of violet. Ample and velvety palate, with good balance. It has a lingering and persistent finish, where the liquorice and black pepper notes remain.

LAN A Mano is a limited edition red. It is made from 80% Tempranillo, 8% Mazuelo and 12% Graciano, from a selection of vines that are between 35 and 40 years old, from the vineyard area El Rincón, located in the farm Viña Lanciano. It is aged for 7 months in French oak barrels and then 6 months in new oak from the Caucasus. It is bottled without filtering or clarifying.  It offers aromas of very ripe fruit: plum, blackberry, currant, balsamic notes, with a touch of spices and tobacco, and mineral notes. In the mouth, it is very structured, powerful, meaty, with great volume, and a pleasant, long finish.

Culmen is a limited edition Reserva, and it is only made in excellent harvests. It is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano, from a selection of vines that are between 40 and 60 years old, cultivated in Viña Lanciano. It is aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels with very fine grain, originating in the woodlands of Tronçais and Allier. On the nose, it is very complex and elegant, with prevailing notes of red fruit in liqueur. Blackberries with bakery and balsamic notes, with spicy hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, and some smoky hints. In the mouth, it is very complex and clean, with several sensations, velvety, with a lot of body, and long-lasting.