2020 Jose Luis Ripa Saenz de Navarrete, Rioja Rosado, Ripa
Ripa built a long career at Bodegas CVNE before moving to López de Heredia in 2010, where he met and eventually married María José López de Heredia. While his day job is still commercial director at Tondonia, the Ripa label is a personal endeavor. Built with the support of his wife and her family, the project explores a single question: what does an aged Rioja rosado look like when it receives the same patience and seriousness as the region's great reds? The fruit is sourced from 30-plus-year-old bush vines on a single hectare in the Najerilla Valley of Rioja Alta, where the calcareous clay soils carry a high iron content. After a brief saignée, the wine ferments and ages for 30 months in 500-liter oak barrels. That extended oxidative time threads a savory depth through the fruit that most rosados never achieve. Wild strawberry and dried orange peel open the nose, followed by notes of quince, dried herbs, and a long finish with distinct yet subtle structural grip. At the table, the elevated iron in the soil and the oxidative barrel aging create a backbone that stands up to rich, savory flavors. It pairs exceptionally well with grilled branzino, aged Manchego, jamón ibérico, or anything off the plancha with a real char on it. With highly limited production, with only 30 cases coming to the US, it is a rare and worthwhile find.