Olivier Rivière 2008 Rayos Uva Rioja

*Bottle #85: Olivier Rivière 2008 Rayos Uva Rioja
*Price Tag: $18
*Running Tab: $1,179
*Retailer: Champion’s Wine Cellars, Seattle

When a eno-enthused Frenchman suggests a bottle of vino (regardless of its origin), you willingly accept. Even if the vintage isn’t listed, the varietals are unknown and the label is bland, you willingly accept. Especially when he is a client of yours…

Four hours later, with a failed cheese sauce (Harvati was a bad idea) for Trader Joe’s gnocchi that were accidentally boiled to a lovely soggy texture (don’t underestimate the recipe), any wine was needed.

Enter the Frenchman’s Spanish Rioja rec: the 2008 “Rayos Uva” from Olivier Rivière, Rioja made by a Frenchman… Getting the connection here…

Olivier Rivière is multi-dimensionally French. He is originally from the Cognac region of France, studied enology in Montagne St-Emilion, worked in Côtes-du-Marmandais, Vosne-Romanée, St-Romain and Pommard. Uh, where? Deep breath: Bordeaux, satellite region of Bordeaux in southern France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune of Burgundy and Burgundy, respectively.

The man then began to devote himself to biodynamic wine practices, learning how to produce unsulfited wines, managing some vineyards under those standards then transferring out to do the same at an estate in the Rioja Alavesa region of Rioja.

With his first harvest in 2006, Rivière has been producing three specific wines, one being the “Rayos Uva,” translating into “Ray’s Grapes.” Whoever Ray is, I’m still unsure. I have decided he must be Rivière’s lover. Or father… Whichever!

Tempranillo and classified as simply “Rioja,” this is the youngest of the four categories for Riojas. This level spends less than a year in oak typically, where the others move on up to multiple years in oak and bottle.

The funny thing about slapping the Rioja title on this wine is the fact that Rivière seemed to disregard the classification system altogether and call it what he wanted to call it – not a shred of oak touched this juice. Ray’s Grapes spent their entire time in stainless steel vats.

However, there was no proof of that in the initial interrogation of the wine.

The nose was bright with red fruit of currants and dark berries, but hearty and beef-stewy warming up in the bowl, with sweet baking spices and cedar rounding the non-fruit tone edges.

The palate was medium-bodied and filled with red and black currants, backed by ripe black cherry with sweet spice. Fine tannins gripped complimentary as the acids spiked the fruit in the finish.

Simple yet refined, exotic and tasty. Ray’s Grapes was an all-around interesting take on a Spanish winemaking tradition, where the oak is usually the most distinct characteristic to a Rioja wine. Thanks to his vineyard usage, Rivière’s fruit from Rioja Alavesa is typically higher in acid and fuller in body, where he used it to fill in where the oak would be. It’s also rumored this wine is blended with Graciano, a varietal that adds oak-like qualities such as spice and tannin.

“Tempranillo,” “Rioja,” “Ray’s Grapes” – call it what you want to call it, but Frenchie-abroad Olivier Rivière put a new-age spin on his Old World wine and finished with a result that was going down swinging.

Score: 7.