La Vicalanda 1994 Gran Reserva

Wine: La Vicalanda 1994 Gran Reserva

Winery: Bodegas Bilbaínas (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 100% Tempranillo
ABV: 13% vol. 

Winemaking
Grapes are sourced entirely from estate vineyards in Haro (Vicuana Alto, Cuervo 4, and Zaco), with a minimum vine age of 30 years. The soils are calcareous and gravelly, yielding low production. Hand-harvested in 18 kg crates. Following alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine is transferred to new, medium-toast Allier French oak barrels (split wood, 225-liter) to complete malolactic fermentation and stabilize on its lees for 12 months. It is then racked into the same barrels for 24 months of aging. A minimum of three years of bottle aging in the winery’s underground cellars is required prior to its commercial release.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Garnet-ruby color of medium-high depth; dark, highly extracted, and clean, with no sediment. Brilliant, showing reddish and coppery reflections and a wide, tawny rim.

 

Nose: Powerful, concentrated, and clearly excessive. It is full of challenging registers; neither pleasant nor the opposite. Initially, aggressive toasted notes dominate (pitch, coal, charcoal, tar), reminiscent of peat and caulking. These are followed by hints of black tobacco, burnt coffee, smoke, and ash. Beneath this thick haze, one can discern mentholated nuances of balsam, camphor, incense, and spices. Unusual, with a profile that leans more modern than classic. The only thing this wine shares with Viña Pomal is the name in small print on the label. Motionless, it does not progress—as stubborn as a mule.

 

Palate: Somewhat better on the palate. Fleshy, solid, and endowed with a formidable structure and intense concentration. Little of the winery’s identity can be found here, though technically it is a very well-crafted wine. Modern Rioja? Boring Rioja! Technically proficient but little else. A wine of enormous pretensions that remains just that: pretentious. 45 euros poorly spent.

 

Commentary
This 1994 Gran Reserva represents the "modernist" shift of the 90s, prioritizing extraction and new French oak over the ethereal elegance of traditional Haro. While it possesses the muscle of a great vintage, it lacks the soul and territorial expression expected from such a historic house. A technical exercise that feels static and disconnected from its origins.

 

Personal Score: 86
Tasting Group Average: 89