Oliver Riviere El Cadastro Arlanza 2014

If you’ve been following the career of French-born transplant Olivier Rivière, you know he’s not one to stick to the script. After making waves in Rioja by applying a Burgundian sense of terroir to Spanish soil, Rivière headed into the rugged, high-altitude vineyards of Arlanza—a region nestled between Rioja and Ribera del Duero—to see what these ancient vines could really do.

The 2014 “El Cadastro” is the stunning result of that curiosity. Sourced from small plots of vines planted as far back as the 1930s, this is a blend dominated by Tempranillo with a supporting cast of Garnacha and a few field blend surprises. Because these vineyards sit at 1,000 meters above sea level on stony, gravel-rich soils, the wine possesses a lift and elegance that you rarely find in the sun-baked plains of central Spain.

This isn’t your grandparent’s Rioja. Rivière avoids the heavy-handed oak and oxidative style of the past, opting instead for a profile that is vibrant, mineral-driven, and deep. The 2014 vintage is in a beautiful spot right now; it has shed its youthful aggression, revealing a core of black cherry, wild berries, and a distinct “stony” quality that reflects the rugged landscape of Covarrubias.