WTN: Bodegas Ontanon Crianza 2005

DOCA Rioja

A blend of Tempranillo (90 per cent) and Garnacha.

Dark cherry red in the glass.

A lovely and rich nose with berry fruit, smoke, tangy, a little sweet, chocolate.

Light weight, floral, rich raspberry and cherry fruit, good acidity, cedar, drying, red licorice, spicy, refreshing, slightly tart.

Berry fruit, spicy, red licorice, drying on the long finish.

A classy wine.

Purchased at $16.95 (Canadian).

Ontañón, in a modest way, shows how good a traditionally made wine can be from oft-overlooked Rioja Baja. This is one of the many wineries going about their business with good results while some loudmouths keep proclaiming on (usually US-based) wine discussion boards that traditional Rioja is dead, and that, except for those wines made by the usual couple of well-known, revered wineries, everything coming from Rioja is now crap or offensively New World-styled fruit-and-oak bombs...