Tentenublo

Tentenublo


Once upon a time, Rioja was all about the relationship between wineries and growers. Most bodegas didn’t have vineyards of their own and depended on growers to supply grapes, which meant that in two consecutive vintages a wine might be made from fruit from entirely different sources. Things have moved on since then. Most wineries now consider ownership of vineyards and full control of viticulture essential, and the cutting edge is all about site specificity and named vineyards.

Roberto Olivan is one of the most exciting young Riojan winemakers on this cutting edge. As the owner and winemaker at Tentenublo, he also farms 10 hectares of vines around the hamlet of Viñaspre, in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria. He seeks freshness in his wines, and eschews lengthy oak aging. He also has a thing about provocative photos - see above. But his remarkable wines are all about letting the fruit and the terroir speak. (NT 22/02/18)