Luberri Rioja "Biga" '19

Florentino Martínez Monje and María José, his wife, established their family winery in 1991, in the village of Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa. They farm 35 hectares of old-vine Tempranillo, as well as some Viura and Malvasia, and the vineyards are located primarily between the wine-growing villages of Elciego and Laguardia. After working on other winemaking projects, Florentino wanted to make wines that best expressed the terrain and gastronomy of his native Basque region, and he became known for reviving and improving the traditional style of semicarbonic, whole-cluster maceration of Tempranillo that dates back more than two centuries in the Rioja Alavesa region, before the changes that came with the arrival of phylloxera. 

All the plots are farmed ecologically, with each individual vineyard site fermented and vinified separately. Florentino is also responsible for inventing his own trellising system, a modified bush-vine system with higher trellising, designed specifically for the conditions of Rioja Alavesa. The system produces grapes with great concentration and flavor, as well as remarkable freshness and acidy. The next generation at Luberri is led by Florentino’s two daughters Miren and Laura, with Laura’s husband Carlos taking on a key role in the cellar, 

“Biga” is the name of Luberri’s Crianza, the second wine in the Luberri line. It is one of the producer’s most popular wines, lively, and delicious to drink. “Biga” is made from estate-owned Tempranillo vineyards located around the town of Elciego at 520 meters, grown in clay-calcareous soils. The juice is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with a maceration period of ten days. The wine is then racked into French and American oak barrels for 12 months of aging.

“Biga” shows quintessential Rioja aromatics with black cherry, mocha, and spice. On the palate, it is medium bodied, with soft tannins, red and plum fruit, and lingering oak spice. “Biga” is an ideal pairing for simply grilled lamb chops or a rib eye. This is a lot of wine for the money!