Sarah Jane Evans MW, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW and Pierre Mansour tasted 53 wines with 23 Highly recommended.
Premium Rioja crianza: Panel tasting scores
53 wines tasted
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 0
Highly recommended 23
Recommended 28
Commended 2
Fair 0
Poor 0
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit red wines classified as Rioja crianza available in either the UK or the US market priced £15/$15 upwards. A maximum of two different wines per producer were allowed.
Crianza is one of Rioja’s classic categories, successful because it is easy to understand. Basically, it is a wine that has been aged (crianza = ageing, nurturing) in oak. As it is made in Rioja, the oak comes in 225-litre barrels, most likely American or French. The wine must be aged for two years: reds for a minimum of one year in barrel and the rest in bottle, and white or rosado wines for a minimum of six months in barrel and the remainder in bottle.