Blame it on Rioja

Bodegas Palacio, a fifteen-minute walk (or five-minute tumble) downhill from the once-fortified village of Laguardia, which sits sentry over the Rioja Alavesa like a permanently anchored frigate, was the first winery in Rioja to age its wines in French oak.

Still dominated by American oak, to be sure, Rioja nevertheless spends several million Euros each year on the almost-double-the-price French barriques, which leave young wines silky and accessible in youth, with tell-tale aromas of baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc.) and creme brulee.

This was my second visit to Palacio, and, unless my palate is calibrating itself to a more ecumenical appreciation of Rioja’s diversity, which is probably also true, I found myself liking this bodega’s lineup of product quite a lot more than I remembered, especially in the middle price points.

Glorioso is the bodega’s more classic line, whereas  Cosme Palacio tend towards a more international style.

All Palacio wines are 100% Tempranillo, and the Gloriosos are blended from lots aged in both French and American oak. The Glorioso Reserva 2004 (about $18 retail) showed just a hint of sulfur at first whiff, but after that blew off a few minutes later, the wine became an astonishingly easy drinker. I think I am beginning to really like the ‘04 vintage—not as generous at the ‘05,  a little funkier maybe, a bit harder to put your finger on, should age well.

The Glorioso 2001 Gran Reserva ($22) was also super-quaffable. Wines from ‘01 are really starting to shine.

But I reserved my highest praise (relative to price) for the Glorioso Crianza 2006.  Spot-on, red Alavesa fruit focus, surprising length. My notes are few but clear: “I quite like this wine. Easy going but nice structure and length. Just under $10 retail? Crazy.”

I’ve never been a huge fan of Glorioso packaging. Labels shouldn’t mean that much, but let’s face it: they do, in the American market at least. Which is why I was glad to see that the bodega tweaked its design for Glorioso somewhat, switching from a Bordelais bottle to a Burgundian one, and updating (or rather, making more classic) ever so slightly its graphic sensibility: color balance, shading choices, edge textures.

It was a good move, I think—the drabness is gone, the label pops. I know if I were in a wine shop and I didn’t know the wine, I’d surely stop to take a peek more readily with the new label than the old.

That this just-under $10 wine also delivers where it really counts—on your nose, tongue, and throat—will make this one of the regions most satisfying buys in the months to come.

Photo: Bodegas Palacio Glorioso Crianza, old (left) and new (right). The 2006 vintage will be the first to introduce the bodega’s new bottle and label design to the U.S. market.