Rioja, Spain’s capital of fine wine, is a region where wine and history have long been intertwined. Situated in northern Spain where the cool, damp Atlantic climate of the north meets the hot, arid Mediterranean climate of the south, Rioja’s rolling hills are defined by ideal viticultural conditions. Although many exceptional white wines are produced in Rioja, the region is best known and loved for its red wines made from the tempranillo grape.

Bodegas LAN, one of the younger wineries of Rioja, was established in 1972. Since the beginning, the winery has sought to promote and protect the land. Even their name pays homage to the three provinces where Rioja’s grapes grow: Logroño (now La Rioja), Alavá, and Navarra. But, more importantly is how the winery takes care of the environment. By eschewing the use of chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers in the vineyards, LAN maintains the health and vitality of the soils, the air, and the people who live and work there.

In addition to sustainable farming techniques, LAN is recognized for an innovative approach to winemaking. The winery’s unconventional use of French, American, Russian, Spanish, and hybrid barrels (American staves with French oak bases) is unique in a region known for lengthy barrel aging in American oak. Technical Director and Chief Winemaker María Barúa says that she carefully selects the best barrels for each wine, aiming for the perfect balance between fruit and oak.

After tasting several samples of Bodegas LAN’s wines, from the youthful crianzas of the “classic” line to the finest estate wines, I can attest to the wines’ sublime equilibrium — more subtle than splashy. These are wines that, due to their balance and bright acidity, pair extremely well with all kinds of food and are readily available at your local wine shop or on wine.com.

The winery’s innovative approach to winemaking can also be seen in their flagship Viña Lanciano wines that hail from one single vineyard. In a region that traditionally blends wine from several properties, LAN is one of the pioneers of a more terroir-driven style of Rioja.

Barúa, highly respected for her technical expertise, is not only a wonderful ambassador for LAN, but for the entire Rioja region. In April, she was happy to share her insights by email with The Wine Chef. The following interview was edited for clarity.

**Maria Baruá in the Viña Lanciano vineyard.**

TWC: How are you and your neighboring winemakers being affected by and coping with the coronavirus pandemic?

MB: The winemaking process continues, the land and the wine are alive and we need to take care of them as usual. The vineyard and the winery need to follow up with the process, adapting and following the health security recommendations for our workers in both areas.

We are now at the time for the suckering (removal of all unnecessary shoots which grow on vines) in the vineyard. At the winery, this is the time of the year when we need to take wine from casks, have the blending and bottle it. As our wines are aged wines, they need 1, 2 or 3 years in the bottles, and that cannot change. The winemaking process goes on, always taking into account the health measures. For any other aspects of the business, we need to see how this evolves with bars and restaurants beginning to open in Spain.

Can you tell me a brief history of LAN?

Bodegas LAN was founded at the beginning of the 1970s and was named after the initials of the three provinces in the D.O.Ca Rioja: Logroño (now La Rioja), Alava, and Navarra. An essential asset for LAN is our own estate, Viña Lanciano, origin and symbol of our identity from the beginning. Viña Lanciano has a privileged location: 72 hectares in a meander of the Ebro River, just within the border between Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa.

Another of LAN´s distinctive characteristics is the dedication to research and innovation, with regards to the different types of oak and how they influence each wine. The wines age separately, according to their origin and provenance, having a tailor-made aging process for each wine. We select the type of barrel that suits the profile of the wine, from its level of toast to the source of the oak: Russian, American, French and Hybrid (American staves with French bases), which we pioneered the use of. Our most recent project is the Quercus Pyrenaica or Spanish oak. Since 2012, the Group LAN belongs to the Portuguese Family Guedes, owners of Sogrape Legacy Wines.

Tell me a little bit about your background and how you got into winemaking.

I have always thought that my decision to dedicate my professional career to wine has a lot to do with my father and his passion for Rioja. He taught me to appreciate the Rioja classics week after week. The selection of wine for the Sunday family meal became one of the moments of the weekend that I remember most fondly.

I first studied chemistry and then enology. When I was about to finish my degree in enology, I was awarded a training grant for researchers in enological chemistry at the Rioja government´s research center. I spent two years there as part of an investigation project related to the color of Rioja red wines and their evolution during the oak aging process.

This experience led me to become part of the technical team at Bodegas LAN in 2002, where they had started to study and pay special attention to the influence of the oak in the wine and in its balance with the fruit. In 2007, I became the Technical Director for the whole Group LAN, with presence in Rioja, Rias Baixas, and, more recently, in Rueda and Ribera de Duero.

What is your philosophy of winemaking?

My motto has always been that small details make the difference. Our philosophy is that everything starts in the viticulture, therefore, the origin of the grapes must be shown in the wines. The process of aging needs an oak treatment tailor-made for each wine, depending on its origin, that would enhance the unique characteristics of the grape (a fruit after all) rather than overwhelm it. The balance between the fruit and the oak is essential.

Traditionally, winemaking in Rioja was a man’s job. Over the years, have you noticed any changes regarding women winemakers in Rioja?

It is true that in 2007 there were not that many female Technical Directors and even more, young females. Nowadays, the number of women at that responsibility level has increased. The sector of enology has seen the same evolution as we find in society and other professions in general, and there are more female lawyers, doctors, judges, etc.

LAN sources grapes for the crianza, reserva, and gran reserva wines. Can you tell me about the vineyards they come from? How do you keep the quality consistent for these wines?

**LAN Crianza, a popular choice at tapas bars throughout Spain.**

The vineyards we source from are located in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. We have a very close relationship with the growers we worth with, many of them have their vineyards very close to our own estate. We have been working with them for a long time and they know us well enough to understand that we are looking for quality and not quantity. Our technical team follows the growing cycle of the vineyard the whole year and suggests any actions that we find are needed during the year. We follow their vineyards the same way we do with our own. Being that each vineyard is different, we recommend the specific vineyard labor needed, (prune, plague control, remove lateral shots, green harvest, etc.) during the whole year, but above all, we determine the right time to harvest. I always say that a critical point to keep the consistency is defining the optimal time for harvest.

In 2017 Rioja’s regulatory board introduced a “Viñedos Singulares” designation. This terroir-driven classification is contrary to Rioja’s traditional way of defining a wine’s quality by the length of time spent aging in barrels. What are your thoughts on this topic?

We think it is a positive approach because what the terminology “Viñedo Singular” is putting into value is the grapes from small plots, recognizing their differentiation and quality. It is what Bodegas LAN has historically been doing in Viña Lanciano and the 22 plots that comprise this privileged estate.

Can you tell me about LAN’s signature estate vineyard, Viña Lanciano?

It is a single vineyard of 72 hectares altogether in a meander of the River Ebro. This is a favored location, being surrounded by water, protected from frost and extreme summer heat. The Cantabria Mountains in the north are a barrier to strong winds. The poor soils, formed naturally by the River Ebro sediments and from flooding over thousands of years, are composed of pebbles, gravel and sand. All this creates a unique microclimate that favors the balanced ripening of the grape.

What are Vina Lanciano wines like?

Viña Lanciano Reserva was the first wine coming from the single vineyard in the ‘70s and it was named after the vineyard. The average age of the vines for this wine is 35 to 40 years old. After the malolactic fermentation in new French oak cask, the wine spends 18 to 22 months (depending on the vintage) in oak. Out of those, 12-14 months are in French oak cask and 6-8 months in Russian oak. Following the cask aging, there is a period of 18-20 months rounding in the bottle. Viña Lanciano is always a Reserva wine.

About two decades ago we added LAN Edición Limitada and Culmen de LAN Reserva. There is one plot located in the southern part of the vineyard called Pago El Rincón as it is next to “El Rincón” mountain. This is the oldest plot in the Viña Lanciano estate, planted in the traditional Riojan way, as bush vines that have very low yields (about 3.500 kg /ha). LAN Edición Limitada, after the malolactic fermentation in new French oak cask, ages about 8 months in new French oak cask followed by 5-7 months in Russian oak cask. It is bottled unfiltered and unclarified. The first vintage of this wine was 2000 and it was a good example of how Tempranillo can also result in bolder, structured, fruit forward, concentrated wines.

Culmen de LAN Reserva comes from an exclusive selection of old vines in Pago El Rincon that produce very low yields of superb quality grapes. This wine is always a reserva and it is only released on exceptional vintages. The malolactic fermentation is done in new French Allier oak barrels. Then it ages for about 26 months in new French oak barrels crafted from very fine-grained oak from the forests of Tronçaise and Jupille, followed by 20 months in the bottle to refine its aromas and round the palate. Culmen, from the Latin, represents the culmination of our work in excellent years from the oldest part in the vineyard.

The last project we have developed in the vineyard is an organic wine, LAN Xtrème. It comes from 5 hectares of a certified organic parcel called Mantible Ecológico because of its proximity to the Mantible bridge. It is a 100% organic tempranillo that seeks to show the evidence of LAN´s extreme respect for the raw materials. The wine ages for 14 months in new French oak barrels, followed by at least 9 months’ bottle conditioning.

Can you tell me more of your thoughts on organic farming. Do you have plans to expand LAN’s production of organic wines?

We have always actively practiced sustainable viticulture in our vineyards. To mention a couple of actions, we promote the vines’ natural balance with minimal intervention, encouraging self-defense and microclimate for an airy and bright cluster. Besides, the soil is managed by intervines cultivator (an alternative to chemical control) and hand hoeing. This way, through primarily manual practices, we reduce soil erosion and improve its fertility, reduce environmental pollution, limit the use of water and favor the balance of flora and fauna in our vineyard. We do not apply any chemical herbicides, nor any insecticides.

This has been taken to the extreme in the 5 organic certified hectares, hence the name of the wine coming from this parcel, Lan Xtréme. I believe that leaving the soil and vine to the minimal intervention allows a more natural and unique environment, keeping the useful fauna to fight in a natural way against the plagues in the vineyard, with soils full of microorganisms for the mineralization of organic matter. We are now working on certifying 10 more hectares in Viña Lanciano within 3 years.

What are the differences between traditional and modern styles of winemaking in Rioja and where does LAN fit in?

I have been asked about traditional and modern style for the past years and, to be honest, it is not easy to answer. First, what is traditional and what is modern? If you come to Rioja, you will see that local people tend to drink younger wines. If a family had vineyards, they would just harvest, ferment and put the wine in a bottle, there was no cask aging there.

In the past not that many wineries exported wine. We are more than 500 wineries in Rioja now and thus there are many different winemakers. Sometimes when I get this question I wonder, do we have the same cuisine we used to have 40 years ago, the same palate, the same likes as when we were 20 years younger, wear the same clothes? The evolution and change are a constant in every aspect in life. I encourage everyone to have an open mind. I have heard American people are very keen to try so that is already an advantage, to have a broader vision of the different possibilities in a region like Rioja.

What makes your wine unique from other wines of Rioja?

I don’t know if I would say unique but what I look for in each wine, and I hope that people will see it reflected, is for them to show the origin they come from. For that, I have always sought the aging process to be a complement, one that highlights the grape of each vineyard and achieves the balance between the fruit and the oak. Each wine is different and that is why each one has a tailor-made process, in order to feature what each origin can offers us.

Our big advantage is having a unique terroir in Viña Lanciano that, combining the soil, climate, vines, age of the vineyard and its handling, provides unique grapes. With this and the specific aging process, I look for each wine to reflect and show the origin they come from.

Wine tourism has become an important part of Rioja. What types of experiences does LAN offer visitors?

With a name that ties us to our origin we use our three letters, L-A-N, to shape our visitor program, revealing a story behind the three of them. L for Legend and Lanciano. Legend has it that the Emperor Charlemagne passed through the lands where our vineyards are located, crossing the Ebro River via a huge bridge known as the Mantible. This bridge is shown on the label of Viña Lanciano Reserva because Viña Lanciano is both a vineyard and a wine. We explain the characteristics of the vineyard and its spectacular setting, located in a meander of the River Ebro. The wine, Viña Lanciano, is made in homage to this vineyard that sums up our philosophy and expertise.

A for Architecture and Art. The architecture of our barrel cellar is home to an advanced stacking, racking and climatization system that is the only one of its kind in the world. Walking around pyramids of barrels we explain our oak approach for each wine and the research and innovations done with different oak origins. Besides, Viña Lanciano estate is one of the sites selected by Concéntrico (Logroño’s International Architecture and Design Festival) to host the only architectural installation that is created outside the city’s historic center.

N for Numbers and Names. A number marks the winemakers’ favorite tank – vat number 12 – where we keep the oldest viticultural traditions alive. Names guide us to the people who are part of LAN and uphold our philosophy based on the respect for the land and care for the finer details. This walk through our home, located in Fuenmayor, in the heart of the Rioja Alta and just a few minutes from Logroño, the capital of La Rioja, culminates in our LAN Bar, where visitors can taste and enjoy our wines. We host people from all over the world and, precisely, American visitors are leading our international visits! At this moment we are working in new experiences which will be released soon. More info (groups size, hours, etc.) can be found at Bodegaslan.com.

What do you like best about your job?

The most fun, and at the same time, most complex is the harvest. It is a challenge since you have to make quick decisions, and not everything depends on you, since each year has different characteristics (production, climate, health status, etc). You have to be day-by-day in the vineyard observing, tasting, and deciding the harvest date of each plot and how it should be made. This is crucial to minimize the vintage effect and get the best quality from each plot.

What are some of your favorite food pairings with LAN wines?

We have lighter wines, such as LAN Crianza, that can be paired with any type of food or even enjoyed by itself. When we move to more elaborate wines such as LAN Gran Reserva or estate wines such as Viña Lanciano, perhaps I would go to typical local dishes such as lamb, chops or suckling pig. We also have to get used to the fact that everyone has a different palate and that it is not necessary to follow that of red with meat and white with fish. A LAN Crianza or LAN Reserva may well accompany more fatty fish such as tuna or salmon. A wine like LAN Edición Limitada is perfect for desserts with chocolate and what we Spaniards call “sobremesa,” just enjoying the wine and the conversation. What is clear is that a wine is always better enjoyed in good company.

Other than Rioja, what wines do you enjoy drinking?

As per white varieties, I love the dry Rieslings from Alsace and I also like how they work the Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire. For reds, I enjoy the classics from Bordeaux: Medoc, Saint Emilion, and Pomerol.