Rioja

Campillo El Sueno Rioja Blanco is not standard-issue Spanish white wine.  Our vendor called it a "gem", which it should be, considering its twenty dollar suggested retail; and since we now have it in the store (with a much better price), we thought this post might work to promote it.  The only problem is there is little information available about the stuff.  So rather than floundering in futility, we thought we would expand our probe to provide an overview of Rioja as a whole.

Rioja is acclaimed as the Bordeaux of Spain...with reservations.  While the wines may be Bordeaux-ish in style, the red Tempranillo grape is a far cry from Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon and the white Macabeo/Viura is a far cry from Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc.  Moreover, things have gotten competitive over there with other Spanish wine regions making claims to the Best-of-Spain mantle.  

Rioja is a 210 square mile wine district in northern Spain lying at the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains and bisected by the east-west Ebro River.  Three subregions make up the Rioja wine country: Rioja Alta is the greatest of the three and lies in the western half; Rioja Oriental is the least of the three in quality and lies in the eastern half.  On the map these two roughly resemble side by side horizontal rectangles with the smaller Rioja Alavesa, another superior wine region, pancaked on top.  

Most Rioja wines are blends using juice from Rioja Oriental to supplement what is produced from the two better entities.  Our Campillo El Sueno is located in Rioja Alavesa but its 75% Viura/25% Chardonnay grape composition betrays a Rioja Oriental origin. 

Both Alta and Alavesa are higher altitude and continental climate wine regions.  Winemaking is the major difference between the two. Alta maintains its historic old world winemaking style while Alavesa has been modernized in style using the technological improvements of our times.  

Rioja Oriental, also modernized, has a more Mediterranean climate meaning the grapes have accentuated color and alcohol but lack aroma and acidity.  The higher elevation regions with the Atlantic Ocean influence have the acidity, fuller body and brighter fruit that makes them better vineyards.  Rioja Oriental just nicely supplements them.

Only five percent of Rioja Alavesa vineyards are Macabeo grapes so that's why we think the Campillo El Sueno gets its fruit from the Oriental subregion.  Being barrel fermented the wine is oaky from start to finish with bright, juicy lemony fruit and moderate wood spice.