This is no ordinary Rioja. It's part of the newer generation of Rioja wines that looks for greater freshness and purity of fruit. The Anza "Especial" is truly special, sleekly textured with fine chalky tannins that coat the edges of the mouth, and a deep core of vibrant floral-tinged dark-red fruits like red & purple plum. The limestone soils and altitude contribute to the juicy acidity that makes the wine feel like it soars into the long, tapered finish. This quickly rising star of the "new Rioja" didn't come out of the blue. Diego is the son of Juan Magaña of Viña Magaña Estate in nearby Navarra who has spent time around superstar winemaker Raul Perez. He loved the vibrant, pure and concentrated wines of Rioja Alavesa, and was finally able to buy a small vineyard there of 75 to 90-year-old bushvines in the area's famous white limestone soils. Since the old vineyards are mixed-variety, the Tempranillo-driven wine is accompanied by Garnacha, Mazuelo (aka Carignan), and around 10% white varieties (Viura, Malvasia Riojana). Diego's winemaking, in line with many in the new generation of winemakers, looks much like the old-school model in Burgundy. If opening this soon, let it sit in the decanter for an hour. Collectors will want to put this away for 5 to 10 more years! Diego named the winery "Anza" for his mother, Esperanza Tejero.
WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "There is great finesse and elegance in the 2020 Anza Especial. Even if the wine is still extremely young, the palate already shows a complexity and depth that is breathtaking, with a lively mouthfeel, a spark of freshness and very pure and clean, defined flavors. This is a traditional Rioja in the making with elegance and complexity, nuance and subtleness. 2,900 bottles were filled in February 2022, after 14 months in barrel."
"I finally visited the vineyards of Diego Magaña in Rioja, most of them in the village of Elvillar and Laguardia, and his tiny and functional winery in the outskirts of Laguardia. He owns 3.1 hectares of vineyards and buys grapes from growers to complete some 18,000 bottles and hopes to reach 40,000 to 50,000 bottles in the future. The wines are excellent, among the best of the newer projects in Rioja. There is a new wine from the village of Cordovín, but he cannot use the name because he doesn't have a winery there... I was very surprised by the elegance of the 2019s, and the 2020s are very young and tender." - LUIS GUTIERREZ, WINE ADVOCATE
WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "There is great finesse and elegance in the 2020 Anza Especial. Even if the wine is still extremely young, the palate already shows a complexity and depth that is breathtaking, with a lively mouthfeel, a spark of freshness and very pure and clean, defined flavors. This is a traditional Rioja in the making with elegance and complexity, nuance and subtleness. 2,900 bottles were filled in February 2022, after 14 months in barrel."
"I finally visited the vineyards of Diego Magaña in Rioja, most of them in the village of Elvillar and Laguardia, and his tiny and functional winery in the outskirts of Laguardia. He owns 3.1 hectares of vineyards and buys grapes from growers to complete some 18,000 bottles and hopes to reach 40,000 to 50,000 bottles in the future. The wines are excellent, among the best of the newer projects in Rioja. There is a new wine from the village of Cordovín, but he cannot use the name because he doesn't have a winery there... I was very surprised by the elegance of the 2019s, and the 2020s are very young and tender." - LUIS GUTIERREZ, WINE ADVOCATE
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