Bodegas LAN & Viña Lanciano

It's unusual to see an "Organic Wine", so I jumped at the chance to taste the Crianza Xtrème Ecológico. (It is not so uncommon to see wines made from "organically grown grapes".)  

Additionally, both of these 2015 releases come from the original LAN vineyard, Lanciano, which sits along the Ebro River on the border between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. While LAN's overall quality is extremely good, including the wines made from grapes outsourced grapes, the wines from Viña Lanciano are always a particularly nice treat.

94
Bodegas LAN 2015 Rioja A MANO Edicion Limitada 13.5% $39.99
Pure and lusciously thick with viscosity, this gutsy, muscular wine impresses with its seamless, curvy tannins and remarkably mouthwatering refreshment. It's a wine whose flavor components seem to go on and on. There are mulberries, blueberries and black plum compote laced with dark chocolate, ganache, savory spice and flint. Incredibly harmonious and finessed, this bush vine-trained, hand-harvested blend of Tempranillo with 9% Mazuelo and 4% Graciano from the El Rincón pago, or vineyard, of the Lanciano estate is already showing well, even with its seven months of aging in new French oak, followed by another four months in new Caucasian oak. This benefits from several hours of decanting but is equally delightful when poured straight from the bottle.
Drink: 2020-28 

91
Bodegas LAN 2015 Rioja Crianza Xtrème Ecológico 14.5% $17.99
Hailing from the Mantible parcel (named for the Roman bridge crossing the Ebro) on the Viña Lanciano estate, this pure Tempranillo explodes onto the palate with toasty oak and exotic spices. Incredibly broad and saturating in mouthfeel, flavors of lushly ripe blackberries and perky red plums are so fresh and concentrated that they almost sting the palate. Though full-bodied and hefty, the vinous and harmonious creaminess of the palate is lifted with vivid acicidty and lightly biting tannins. The solid finish unfolds delightfully pure fruit complexity. Killing it right NOW, this stunner is very nice on its own but would be even better with a platter of mole negro-rubbed skirt steak. The wine is just as head turning the day after opening. This wine sees 14 months of aging in new, French oak barrels, followed by at least nine months' bottle conditioning. Barrels used in this organic wine's production must be new or have been used solely for the storage of organically certified wine.
Drink: 2020-25