Rioja Alta

The Rioja Alta, the section of Rioja along the southwest bank of the upper Ebro and its tributaries, is one of the world’s great wine destinations, with the planet’s largest concentration of century-plus old wineries. A sublime conjunction of terroir, wine, art and architecture make this a bucket-list district.

Wines of the Rioja Alta’s poor, stony soils are elegant and delicate much like their cousins from the Rioja Alavesa across the river.

Bodegas Cantoebro

Cantoebro - “the song of the Ebro” is a trade name for Bodegas Alianzas, one of the most important modern-style wineries in La Rioja Alta. Their aim is to make modern, fruit driven wines while retaining the best of Rioja’s classic traditions.

Cantoebro makes two lines of wine- one in a more traditional style, and Reto, a modern take on Rioja emphasizing clean, fruit-forward winemaking with the cellar-work providing backup notes.

The Wines

Reto Rioja Reserva: Sourced from Vineyards in three villages: Cenicero - Bordering the Ebro River 440 feet above sea level with chalky clay soils; Fuenmayor - Beside the Ebro River 430 feet elevation and on alluvial deposits; and Badaran, further south on the slopes of the Sierra de la Demanda at about 2,050 ft on ferrous clay soils.

Fermented in stainless using native yeast from the vineyards, then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels followed by 3 months in gigantic 22.000 liter French oak vats. Complex and well-balanced Rioja wine, it has a well-layered nose of black raspberry and liquorice accompanied by smoky and spicy notes coming from the oak. Lively garnet with ruby highlights. Rounded and elegant on palate with easy tanning and long aftertaste, the perfect balance between a good structure and acidity.