VINA BUJANDA 2019 RIOJA CRIANZA

This Spanish red has a lot of character for the price! It's a quintessentially dry, savory, youthful Rioja, Spain's version of a daily-drinking Bordeaux. This 100% Tempranillo was aged for just a year in American oak, imbuing the fruit with a complimentary woodsy quality and giving it its "crianza" designation. Warm aromas slowly drift from the glass, of dark red fruits like cherry and plum, woven together with light baking spices and the earthy, woodsy accent of "forest floor." In the mouth, you find classic Crianza drinkability: medium-bodied with a light, vinous warmth, filling the mouth with an intriguing tension between savory and fruity sensations. It comes to a dry, clean finish thanks to the light tongue-coating of fine, powdery tannins, the mouthwatering, tangy acidity, and well-worn oak flavors, which help rein in the lingering echoes of those rich, sunbaked fruits. For the tastiest experience, serve this at a cool 62F with hearty, savory appetizers, or cured meats and moderately-aged sheep cheeses.

While the family-run Viña Bujanda winery was only established in 2009 by brother and sister, Carlos and Pilar Martinez-Bujanda, they have other projects in the region, and the family has been making wine in Rioja since 1889. Viña Bujanda still echoes the traditional Rioja style, with a lot of old-school attention in the vineyards, but with modern advances in the cellar for crafting tastier, higher quality wines for the price.

WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "The textbook 2019 Crianza was produced with Tempranillo from Rioja Alta, trying to showcase the freshness from their La Grajera vineyard with 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.66. It's medium-bodied, with fine, polished tannins and has a gentle mouthfeel with good balance and freshness. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in used oak barrels for one year."