Why it matters
The producer
Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina sits in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, a village perched on a limestone ridge above the Ebro plain in Rioja Alta. The family has farmed vines here since at least 1945. They did not bottle under their own name until 1973, and did not fully commit to the name they carry today until 1987, when the winery relaunched as Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina, a designation drawn from medieval aristocratic lineage and a 12th-century church in the Sonsierra hills above town.
Every bottle in the core range is 100% Tempranillo. The winery climbs the full DOCa Rioja classification ladder from young carbonic reds through Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, and both the Crianza and Reserva are hand-harvested from old vines. The Crianza comes from parcels at least 25 years old. The 2022 Reserva was selected as one of eight institutional wines of DOCa Rioja 2026, chosen through blind tasting from across the whole appellation.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Rioja Alta is the westernmost and highest of the three DOCa Rioja subzones, where Atlantic weather from the Cantabrian coast moderates the growing season and slows ripening compared to the warmer Rioja Baja to the east. San Vicente de la Sonsierra occupies the Sonsierra zone, a band of upland vineyards running along the Sierra Cantabria foothills on the north bank of the Ebro. The altitude and the cooler airflow off the sierra give Tempranillo from this zone a more pronounced spice and dark fruit character than wines grown on the warmer valley floor below.
The DOCa Rioja classification system governs how long wines spend in oak and in bottle before release, and those periods determine what the wine can be called on the label: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva represent increasing ageing commitments and, at Ramírez de la Piscina, a deliberate shift in sensory register from fruit-forward spice to deep balsamic savory depth.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Harvest is done by hand for both the Crianza and Reserva. Hand-picking in the Sonsierra foothills allows selective harvesting across the gradient of ripeness, so the winery controls what enters each cuvée rather than accepting whatever a mechanical harvester collects. Old vines, at 25 years and beyond for the Crianza, produce smaller bunches with thicker skins and more concentrated juice, which translates in the cellar to wines with more aromatic weight and greater tannin density per litre of must.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range at Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina runs from young carbonic maceration reds and rosés through the three oak-aged tiers that define traditional Rioja: Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. All confirmed bottlings in the oak-aged tier are 100% Tempranillo.
The Crianza is the most immediate wine in the oak-aged range. Hand-harvested from vines of at least 25 years, it shows intense ruby red with a slightly violet rim, which indicates youth and primary fruit still at the foreground. Red fruit aromas characteristic of the Sonsierra zone lead the nose, layered with spiced wood. On the palate it is flavorful and structured, with vanilla and coffee nuances from oak ageing and a long finish with retronasal character.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Crianza. It is 100% Tempranillo from old Sonsierra vines, hand-harvested and aged in oak long enough to show what the region and the barrel do together, without requiring the additional patience or price of the Reserva. The nose is straightforward and inviting: red fruit from the Sonsierra zone, spiced wood from the barrel, a clean integration of both. On the palate it is structured but not heavy, with vanilla and coffee adding depth to the fruit and a firm acid line keeping the whole thing from going soft. The finish is long. This is Rioja Alta Tempranillo in its most approachable form: oak-touched, spice-driven, and clear about where it comes from.