Spain’s darling duo since 1998

Image taken from lariojapremium.com

Since the inception of Valenciso in 1998, Luis Valentin and Carmen Enciso have garnered a formidable reputation built on the foundation of their sole, flagship red Rioja. With the wealth of experience between them, they are traditionalists with a firm handle on contemporary viticulture and winemaking in Rioja. We have curated a mixed selection of six bottles to showcase what makes Valencisco so special. In addition, there are a limited number of three-bottle wooden cases of the ”ten years later” Rioja red 2012.

Dear Reader,

Made exclusively from old vine Tempranillo, the grapes for the Reserva come from seventeen parcels, all located in Rioja Alta and within a 10km radius of the winery. Following fermentation in concrete tanks, the wine is racked off into French oak barrels to mature for around 18 months, before being racked back into concrete tanks where it remains for two years. The Reserva is bottled and matured for a further 18 months before it is released to market.
*The 2015 vintage was released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and we ordinarily would have received the wine last year. The wine also carries no official wine journalist review as none would have been travelling to Rioja, nor did Valenciso send any samples abroad.*

The Rioja blanco (white) is a blend of Viura and Garnacha Blanca (Grenache Blanc), and the grapes are sourced from the north of Rioja Alta from old vines located in Ollauri, Haro and Villalba. The grapes undergo a gentle pressing before being racked to oak barrels for fermentation and maturation. Annual production of the blanco is relatively small at around 10,000 bottles.
94 points, Luis Gutiérrez for Wine Advocate (RP).

The Rioja rosado (rosé) is made exclusively from Tempranillo which is sourced from a vineyard named El Calvario in Briones. The colour in the wine is achieved by ‘bleeding off’ the juice from the skins, following just a few hours of contact. Following fermentation, the wine is kept on the lees (dead yeast cells) for nine months. Very little rosado is made at a mere 4,000 bottles each vintage.
92 points, Tim Atkin MW (TA).

The Rioja 100% Graciano is relatively new and this is the first time we are getting it, which is very exciting. The pressed juice undergoes fermentation in cement tanks and is then aged in oak. Just 2,800 bottles were produced, so there really isn’t a lot to go around. It comes beautifully packaged in wooden cases of three bottles.
93 points, Luis Gutiérrez for Wine Advocate (RP).

Introduced in 2011, Laderas de Cabama is a wine crafted from the estate’s younger vines, from the single-vineyard of Cabama in Ollauri, Rioja Alta. It’s naturally fermented, vinified in concrete vats and aged in low-toast French and Russian oak for 12 months. Bottled unfined, it’s a juicy, structured and delicately oaked Rioja.

Rioja 10 Años Después
2012 vintage

”The subtle, elegant and complex 2012 10 Años Después…balanced and elegant, powerful too but with no excess.”
94 points, Luis Gutiérrez for Wine Advocate

As the Spanish name alludes to, this is a limited edition wine that is released ten years after the vintage. Only 4,500 bottles of the 2012 vintage were made. As pictured above, the wine is packaged in wooden cases of three bottles.

The Tempranillo for this wine comes from two old (85+ years of age) bush vine blocks, located in Ollauri, Rioja Alta. The grapes are picked by hand and vinified in the very same manner as those that are destined for the Reserva. Maturation, however, is a different story. Following fermentation, the wine is racked off into concrete tank where it ages for four years. It then spends a further four years in oak barrels, before being released to market after a further two years in bottle.

Browse all Valenciso wines on our website