Bideona Rioja, Las Parcelas | 2021

Founded in 2018, Bideona is a project from MWs Andreas Kubach and Sam Harrop that brings to life an exciting new wave of Rioja wines. The focus is Alavesa, the smallest and northernmost of Rioja’s three sub-regions with prevalent limestone soils. Here, tiny, old vine parcels of native grapes evoke the beauty of a bygone era, one of pre-industrial winemaking, where the place (not the process) was the star. Pushing the limits of ripeness, these are wines for the terroir enthusiast, those who gravitate to places like Burgundy, Etna, Piedmont, the Northern Rhône, or Willamette Valley. The aromatics are off-the-chart, the textures are sublimely silky, and the oak is an afterthought.

Las Parcelas is a great introduction to the Bideona style. Made from select hillside parcels in the villages of Villabuena de Álava, Samaniego, Laguardia, Leza, Baños de Ebro, Navaridas, Lanciego, and Elciego, the average age of vines is 50-years, including many plots planted almost 100-years ago. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed, and placed into stainless-steel tanks for fermentation; then the wine was pressed off the skins and was sent to a mix of stainless-steel, concrete, new oak, and used oak for 6-12 months. Bottled with slight filtration and a conservative use of sulfur, the results in the glass will alter your view of stodgy, old-school Rioja. Lifted and refined, dark cherry, blackberry, fennel, dusty violet, white spice, cocoa, and clove fill the glass. Like a red Burgundy, the tannins are svelte but sturdy, and texture fills in all the crevices of the mouth. Exotic and pretty, and somewhere between medium body and full, Las Parcelas is uniquely Alavesa. It just happens to, also, be Rioja. ~Allegra A