Bodegas Lan Rioja Culmen Reserva 2017 (750ml)

 

Rated 94 Points by James Suckling

 

A deep and ambitiously structured Rioja with an array of fresh blue and black fruit, as well as classy oak spices and sandalwood.  Full bodied and juicy, loaded with polished tannins, but the fruit core remains dry and elegant without superfluous sweetness.  Ending long and spicy.  A little tight and monolithic now, so give it a year or two to evolve and soften more.  Heavy bottle!  Drink from 2024.

 

Bodegas Lan Rioja Culmen Reserva 2017

 

The jewel in our crown comes from an exclusive selection of old vines that produce very low yields of superb quality grapes.  An exclusive pleasure that is only released in exceptional vintages.  LAN's greatest achievement: the wine that represents the culmination of our work.

 

Culmen

 

This wine represents the outmost expression of our know-how.  Elegant and balanced, it pairs perfectly with red meat, game dishes and spicy recipes.  Ideal for long after-dinner conversations accompanied with dark chocolate-based desserts.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Bright cherry red color with a deep intensity.  Predominant notes of liquorised red fruit, and spiced hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.  A multitude of textures and flavours burst in the mouth.  Balsamic notes as well as mineral nuances characteristic of the soil of the “Viña Lanciano”.  Silky and full-bodied in the mouth with an intense and long enjoyable finish.

 

Vineyards

 

El Rincón parcel - a 5.34-hectare parcel – is located in the southern part of our Viña Lanciano estate (El Cortijo – Rioja Alta) next to the El Rincón mountain.  491 metres altitude with gently sloping terrain.  North south facing with a slight incline towards the northwest - southwest.  Traditional Riojan bush vines with three arms, each with five spurs of two buds in length.  Yield of 3,500 kg/ha.

 

Winemaking

The grapes were hand-harvested in small crates and then selected by bunch and berry on sorting tables so that only grapes in perfect conditions of health and ripeness are allowed to continue to the next phase of vinification.

Alcoholic fermentation in small truncated cone shaped tanks to maximise colour extraction.  Malolactic fermentation in new French oak barrels made from very fine-grained oak from the forests of Tronçaise and Jupille.

 

Ageing

During 25 months in new French oak barrels made from very fine-grained oak from the forests of Tronçaise and Allier.  Afterwards it was left in the bottle for 22 months to refine the aromas and round the palate.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

This wine comes from an exclusive selection of old vines that produce very low yields of superb quality grapes.  An exclusive pleasure that is only released in exceptional vintages.  LAN's greatest achievement: the wine that represents the culmination of their work.

 

Barrel Cellar

 

Our barrel cellar, where tailored ageing takes place

 

Our wines are a faithful reflection of the vineyard, the parcels and the grape varieties that they come from.  In the barrel ageing we aim to respect the grape variety and terroir, allowing them to express themselves fully.  Care for the raw material remains our key maxim, down to each and every detail.

 

A system of stacking, racking

and climatization that is unique in the world

 

Fitted with an automatic stacking and racking system that is unique in the world, we are able to work with a wide range of different types of oak in our barrel room.  French, American, Russian, Hungarian, Pyrenean oak and hybrid barrels (American oak staves and French oak bottoms), with different types of toast, selected and renewed periodically.  We tailor the ageing to each variety on a separate basis, arranging pyramids of barrels by parcel, in order to extract their maximum potential.

 

 

Viña Lanciano

 

The Soul of LAN

 

Viña Lanciano has been - and continues to be - the essence and the origin of Bodegas LAN and the umbilical cord that links our wines to the land.  A vineyard in a meander of the River Ebro, which represents our pioneering commitment and respect for the raw materials, with the active practice of sustainable viticulture.  Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha vines grow across each of the 22 parcels, with vines aged between 40 and 60 years of age.

 

Viña Lanciano

A story linked to the land

 

Once upon a time there was a bend in the River Ebro.  Once there was a land loaded with legend and history.  Once there was Viña Lanciano.

 

Viña Lanciano is the name of this spectacular setting, 72 hectares embraced by a curve of the River Ebro, on the natural border between the Rioja Alta and the Rioja Alavesa.  A privileged location, sheltered by the Cantabria Mountains, which creates a different microclimate in each of its 22 parcels, where we respect the logical balance of nature to the maximum through sustainable vine growing.

 

A terroir with a character of its own

 

Time, the legacy of nature and the increases and decreases in the level of the river throughout the years, mean that Viña Lanciano enjoys conditions that confer a character all of their own.  The Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha vines - as old as sixty years of age - have to dig their roots deep into the soil to find nutrients to survive on this pebble-strewn former riverbed.  An almost legendary effort by nature, which is transmitted to the grapes and reflected in the wines’ mineral profile.

 

A climate that leaves its mark

 

A terroir marked by its location, sheltered by the Cantabria Mountains, with the El Rincón hill on the southern limit of the vineyard and a meander of the River Ebro surrounding it completely.  As such it is naturally protected from frost and extreme summer heat.

 

Viña Lanciano throughout the four seasons

 

Winter

 

We start pruning when the vineyards are at rest.  For the plant's wellbeing, this is a task that it is carried out by hand and late; we wait for a key moment when the sap starts to flow again, known as sap rise.

 

Spring

 

At the end of winter, or the start of the spring, budbreak occurs in our vineyard.  The vines start to grow.  Towards the end of spring, the vine is covered in tiny flowers, which will become the bunches of grapes.  It is time for trimming and suckering to take place.

 

Summer

 

This is the time for canopy management, tipping the shoots and leaf thinning.  The fruit develops.  Veraison, the moment when the bunches of grapes change colour, tells us that the countdown to harvest has begun.

 

Autumn

 

After the fruit has been harvested, the leaves of the vines change colour before falling, colouring the vineyards yellow, red and ochre.  Autumnal colours dominate in this singular setting, offering a multisensory experience.

 

Sustainable Viticulture

 

We actively practice sustainable viticulture in our vineyards, in order to achieve balanced viticulture, developing the plants' own immunity and creating a microclimate for the bunches where air and sunlight can flow freely.

 

Viña Lanciano Estate

 

22 Parcels

 

From the outset, we set pioneering standards that we assert through our claim that "winemaking starts with viticulture," in which the vineyard is given the starring role, along with the art of respecting its natural cycle.  The modest work of men and women who hold the secrets to each of the parcels; understanding their timings and needs.  The everyday tasks of pruning, fertilizing and thinning the vines preserve our terroir sustainably, until the day comes to hand harvest the fruit.

 

Hand Selection & Harvest

 

Our way of understanding winemaking starts with viticulture.  And it is in the vineyards where we very carefully select our raw material.  We harvest completely by hand, bunch-by-bunch, in small crates, when the grapes have reached their peak of ripeness.  Upon their arrival in the winery, the grapes that come from the Viña Lanciano estate undergo a double sorting process, firstly by bunch, and secondly by berry.

 

The Mantible Bridge

 

The Legend Behind LAN

 

Legend has it that Charlemagne himself crossed the Mantible Bridge, which was enormous in size - almost 170 metres long, 5 metres wide and up to 30 metres high - with seven semi-circular arches.  Now, just two of the arches remain, used as an illustration on the label of our most iconic wine, Viña Lanciano, from its inception.