A couple of years ago I visited Rioja and the relatively new estate of Dinastía Vivanco. I recently had the chance to taste through the latest line-up of Vivanco wines when winemaker Rafael Vivanco visited London with his UK agent, Bibendum Wines. All of these wines are available from Bibendum. The tasting included the varietal Graciano and Garnacha, and a new top of the range blend called ‘Quatro Varietales’.
See all stockists of Vivanco on wine-searcher.com.
The wines
Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Blanco 2007
This blend of Viura and Malvasia has a lovely nose, very punchy and vibrant with some grassy verve and plenty of lemon and lifted, more tropical fruit. More of the same on the palate with a really fresh, orangy crunch. Crowd-pleasing, and lovely. 86/100. £5.13
Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Rosado 2007
Very nice, gentle redcurrant and strawberry-fruited blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha. Delicate and vibrant, this is fruity yet dry and has lovely crunch and crispness. 85/100. £5.13
Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Crianza 2004
100% Tempranillo, this has a very attractive nose, with a hint of bloodiness to good black fruit. Refined and racy palate, sweet black fruit to the fore, and just an elegant rounding out with vanillin oak. 86/100 £6.90
Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Reserva 2001
A blend of Tempranillo and Graciano, this has quite a big, welcoming, cedary nose, with a hint of leafy undergrowth and some refined berry fruit. The palate has plenty of life and zest about it, with very juicy cherry and blackcurrant fruit and a nice smokiness to the oak. Fine, modern style Rioja. 89/100. £9.00
Dinastía Vivanco Coleccion Vivanco Parcelas de Garnacha 2005
Very fine, quite aromatic, with plenty of toasty and incense-like French oak that is very appealing and a suggestion of copious sweet, ripe black fruit. The palate has really nice juiciness, the tart cherry skin acidity racing through the dense, sweet black fruit. Very fine. 92/100. £24.98
Dinastía Vivanco Coleccion Vivanco Parcelas de Graciano 2005
Nose of firm, very juicy blackcurrant, with the focus firmly on the purity of the fruit. Background of creamy, cedary oak. The palate has lots of vibrancy and vivacious quality; the fruit sings in this one, with plenty of sour cherry acidity and just a supporting layer of chocolaty but firm tannic structure. 93/100. £29.67
Dinastía Vivanco Quatro Varietales 2005
This wine spends 24 months in oak and is a blend of 70% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, blended post fermentation. Very solid, creamy, svelte nose with dense black fruit and chocolate. Quite charry and smoky. The palate has masses of concentration. Really grippy and mouthfilling, with a lovely juiciness cutting through the solidity of the fruit. Long and pure. 92/100. Price TBA.
Dinastía Vivanco
Carretera Nacional 232
26330 Briones – La Rioja
Spain