The 2007 Valenciso Reserva is pure Tempranillo from argilo-calcareous soils around Haro cropped at 38 hectoliters per hectare, fermented in cement vats with native yeasts, and aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, one third of which are new. 2007 was a cold, wet, Atlantic and difficult vintage, where the date of the harvest made a big difference. At Valenciso they started on October 14 and the wine is quite tight at the moment, with subtle and elegant notes of red and black fruit, cedar wood, nutmeg and vanilla. The characteristic that strikes me as more important here is the balance, something that Valenciso seems to be quite good at, producing classically proportioned wines with the right amount of extraction, acidity and wood. It should age very well. This wine represents the bulk of the 100,000 bottles produced by the winery. Drink 2014-2022. Valenciso is one of the most modern of the traditional producers, or the most traditional of the modern producers. It was created as recently as 1998 by Luis Valentin and Carmen Enciso after working together at Bodegas Palacio. The name is a contraction of both surnames. They own or rent a total of 20 hectares of vineyards in Rioja Alta. Everything is fermented in concrete vats and only French oak barrels are used, one third of which are renewed every year, except for a small quantity of white, which is barrel-fermented. I love their wines, which offer good typicity and drinking pleasure, and I think they deserve more attention than they get. Nothing seems to be complicated here, starting with the wines offered: one white and one red. That’s it! Imported by Classical Wines, Seattle, WA; www.classicalwines.com