Rioja, Gabaxo, Olivier Rivière - 2020

We have been following Olivier Rivière's work and production for almost ten years now. And we have finally taken the plunge! It must be said that the boy's CV is impressive and helps to explain, at least in part, his sense of wine and the singularity of the wines he signs: originally from Cognac, he trained with great winegrowers and estates, such as Elian Da Ros, the mythical Domaine Leroy in Vosne-Romanée, but also the Domaine de Chassorney of Frédéric Cossard, in Saint-Romain. In 2004, he gave up his project to buy vines in Fitou because Telmo Rodriguez, a star of the Spanish wine industry, invited him to Rioja to help him convert his vineyards to biodynamics. Conquered by the terroirs and the old vines of the region, it was in 2006 that he decided to go it alone. He now cultivates 10 hectares on his own property, which he complements with leased vines and the purchase of grapes. In the cellar, the vinification is not very interventionist, the grapes are more or less destemmed and the fermentations are done without any input, except for sulphur at the start. While the wines of the region are hierarchical according to a more or less long ageing process, Olivier's wines are inspired by the Burgundian model and reveal geographical identities and different qualities of terroir. And if they are singular for Rioja, they are nevertheless built on great tannins, extracted with tact....