In the second part of my report I present the tasting notes of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva riojas. See my earlier explanation of the Rioja categories, both the official ones and my personal ones, in Part 1.
Crianza is the category where the greatest diversity of styles is to be found. Most of the Crianzas might be considered 'integrated' or even 'modern' in style, transferring the old-fashioned style to the Reserva and Gran Reserva category. It is noteworthy that very traditional wineries such as Solabal or Valoria produce a notably modern Crianza wine. For instance Ricardo Peciña, the...