Winemaker Notes
Very bright, ripe cherry red with a reddish rim. Aromas of ripe red fruit with floral hints of violets, blended with notes of oak, such as spice, cinnamon and a touch of minerality. Expressive and intense, very fruity and balsamic on the aftertaste, with a long-lasting, persistent finish.
Blend: 89% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano, 2% Mazuelo
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Reserva Viña Lanciano is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano from the Lanciano vineyard along the Ebro River. Aged for 16 months in French oak barrels followed by 9 months in concrete vats, it's garnet-hued, with liqueur-like notes, ripe fruit, wild herbs and a barrel-driven backdrop. Creamy in the mouth with a plush texture and juicy freshness, this is dominated by the oak and slightly concentrated, but still achieves good balance.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2020 Bodegas LAN VIÑA LANCIANO RESERVA RIOJA exhibits a deep ruby with a purple hue and layered with bold ripe berries and subtle barrel notes, shows a medium- to full-bodied, well-packed palate of black fruits and a rich, structured finish, making it a natural partner for classic Spanish lamb chops (chuletillas de cordero), where the savory depth and gentle smokiness of the dish echo the wine’s richness while its structure keeps everything in beautiful balance. (Tasted: March 30, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
This shows ripe blackberries with a touch of tar and toasty oak. The palate is full-bodied and juicy with firm tannins and a chewy finish. Better from 2027.
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Wine Spectator
A lively, well-oaked red, with lavish notes of graphite, licorice and vanilla accenting the saturated blackberry and boysenberry fruit flavors. Sculpted by sinewy tannins, this is chewy on the palate but shows good overall integration. Herb and mineral hints play on the finish. Tempranillo and Graciano. Best from 2027 through 2035.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.