It’s often a challenge to find a great wine from Rioja at a great price.  One of my favourite producers is Finca Valpiedra, a winery that has only ever offered a single reserva wine.  Finca Valpiedra is a great reserva that is a hybrid between modern and traditional styles, a style that can appeal to every wine aficionado!  It has a slightly longish oak aging time, 18-22 months, but largely in new French oak.  The fruit has all the bright exuberance of a modern Rioja yet has the silky texture and elegance of a more traditional reserva.  Love the current 2004 vintage, but at around 20€, it’s not for everyday drinking.

Starting with the 2005 vintage, the Martinez Bujanda Family is offering a second wine, Cantos de Valpiedra.  This gives them more flexibility in blending their wine and will enable them to make the Reserva even better!

Wine:  Cantos de Valpiedra
Winery:  Finca Valpiedra
Vintage: 2005
Denominacion de Origen (DO): Rioja
Alc: 13.5%
Grape variety: 100% Tempranillo
Oak regime:  aged 12 months in French and American oak
Price:  about 8€ around Madrid (Bodega Santa Cecilia)

Tasting notes
Visual:  Medium intensity ruby
Nose:  Fresh, sweet cherry fruit.  A touch of vanilla, but mainly attractive, medium intensity fruit
Mouth:  Fresh cherry fruit with touches of vanilla oak…good acidity, silky texture and soft, attractive tannins.  Despite the sweet fruit, a very elegant balance in the mouth. 
Food:  What I love about most Riojas, is that they have a bright acidity that allows them to pair with a lot of food.  They also tend to be less alcoholic and more elegant than many Spanish wines, which makes them perfect for everyday food. 

Conclusion:  This is an attractive, appealing Rioja at a great price.  The balance between the oak, fruit, acidity and ripe tannins give a totally smooth mouthfeel.  It’s only its first vintage, but Cantos de Valpiedra has become my new standard in the under 10€ Rioja crowd. Too bad it’s a small production wine…could be hard to find in restaurants.