Bodegas La Horra is the Ribera del Duero project of Rioja producer Roda. Having spent four years researching the land in Ribera they settled on the best land they could find, much of which was already planted with old vines. Rather than buy it, they formed a new company with the landowners, which saw land management pass entirely to La Horra and its team. The first vintage to be commercialised was 2008 when quantities were very small. Production has since increased incrementally and will peak in 2014. In the meantime the winery is undergoing substantial development and the growth will result in much needed new jobs for the region.

In selecting Ribera over other Tempranillo dominated Spanish regions, Roda wanted to express the elegance of that grape variety. They also desperately wanted to avoid the three mistakes that we so often experience tasting wines from the region - and indeed other places. These are overextraction, over-ripe fruit and overoaking. They have succeeded masterfully in all these, letting both the vine and teh terroir express themselves elegantly. (CW 22/07/14)