Luberri Rioja Blanco Zuri 2021
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Zuri, which means white in Basque, the native language of the Monje family, is a fresh, mineral-driven, unoaked Rioja Blanco from traditional Rioja grapes Viura and Malvasia. Crisp, but substantive, fruity, yet dry and with a notable minerality in the finish.
Zuri is a complete and satisfying medium-bodied white designed to pair well with food and remain crushable by the glass.
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Passion fruit, lemon zest and sage aromas set the stage for grapefruit, mango and orange blossom flavors with a sophisticated hint of mint tea. This wine is vibrant on entry and offers a soft floral note in the bright finish.
Florentino Martínez Monje, the incredible force behind Luberri, is a jovial and mercurial spirit with a heart the size of Rioja. He is also a serious winemaker, a self-made cosechero who is so talented he often makes his craft look easy. In reality, Florentino is one of the most respected farmers in Rioja because he grew up in the vineyards and understands his landscape better than almost anyone alive.
Authentic, direct, and passionate. I always go straight in life and wine. This is how our wines are: honest and true. We try to convey something very simple yet deep: our very own personality. Luberri wines are land, climate, work, and tradition, captured in the moment – Florentino Martínez Monje
The Luberri winery is located in the village of Elciego, in the heart of Rioja Alavesa where they farm 35ha of old-vine tempranillo, along with some white viura and malvasia. Their vineyards are located principally between the important wine-growing villages of Elciego and Laguardia. Along with his wife María José, they started their family winery in 1991. Florentino comes from a family of farmers from San Vicente de la Sonsierra who moved to Elciego when he was eight. There he worked with his father and brothers in the vineyards, learning every nuance of the terruño of Rioja. Building on these formative experiences, Florentino was part of the original Artadi project, where he made wines that were instrumental in the development of modern Rioja. These were the first wines that made the press take notice of Rioja’s greatness.
Despite the success of his previous wines, making wines to gain favor with critics was not for Florentino: "You cannot drink points." Florentino wanted to make his wines; wines which expressed the truth and gastronomy of his native Basque region. Wines that make people happy. He became famous for resurrecting and perfecting the traditional style of semi-carbonic, whole-cluster maceration of tempranillo that is historic to Rioja Alavesa. This style of fermentation dates back more than two hundred years in the region, before the changes which came with the arrival of phylloxera and the importation of French winemaking techniques.
In the winery, Florentino participates in all aspects of the production, but his true passion lies in his work in the vineyards. All the plots are farmed ecologically, with each individual vineyard site fermented and vinified separately. All of the cuvées at Luberri are well-considered blends of specific neighboring parcels that yield a certain individual personality for each wine. Essentially all of the wines from Luberri are single-vineyard expressions. Florentino is also responsible for inventing his own trellising system, designed specifically for the conditions of Rioja Alavesa. His trellising system, which is a modified bush-vine system with higher trellising, allows for them to keep yields low while protecting the grapes from the frosts which can collect at the lower part of the vineyard. The system produces grapes with great concentration and flavor, as well as remarkable freshness and acidy, due to his inventive canopy management. At Luberri, the wines are truly made in the vineyard.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is 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 and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.