Roberto Oliván is one of the most exciting names among the new generation of young producers in Rioja that started in the turn of the century. He works 16 hectares of family vines and others he has gradually acquired in Viñaspre and Lanciego, two villages on the foothills at the eastern end of the Sierra Cantabria mountains. The area stands out of its high elevation (around 620 metres) and replanos, a term used to describe tableland areas with distinctive calcareous marl and sandstone soils which are found in this area and provide a unique character to his range of wines, always ripe and fresh.
His most popular wine is Tentenublo, the name given to the ringing of bells aimed at fighting off hailstorms in some Rioja villages. Under this brand, he produces a fresh, lively and persistent red (around 20,000 bottles, €14-15 in Spain) as well as 5,400 bottles of a Viura and Malvasía barrel-fermented white blend (€14-15). White grapes are usually mixed in or planted on the higher parts of his old vineyards.
Another village-style wine in his portfolio is a fruit-driven red called Xérico (8,000 bottles, €15). It pays homage to his grandfather whose photograph appears on the label. Other vintages carry the picture of family members. This wine comes from limestone soils and includes some Viura grapes in the blend.
The Escondite del Ardacho range, with prices ranging from €35 to €55, is named after a native lizard species that appears dressed as a human on the label. He has launched four wines so far, all of them from identified old plots with tiny productions which do not exceed 1,800 bottles.
The most representative wine in the range is El Abundillano (a plot of less than one hectare, 1,600 bottles) an extremely juicy Garnacha blended with 9% Tempranillo and some Malvasía). Las Guillermas comes from a 70-year-old vineyard in Lanciego planted with Tempranillo and Viura (up to 40% of the final blend). The resulting red wine is extremely original with remarkable acidity and great cellaring potential.
Launched in 2016, Veriquete (1,700 bottles) is sourced from a 0,41ha sandy plot in Viñaspre with vines aged between 50 and 110 years old. It is a blend of Tempranillo (80%), Garnacha (10%) and white varieties (10%) with 60% destemmed grapes and aged in 500-litre barrels for nine months. The wine is fresh, subtle and with captivating minerality.
The latest Ardacho is San José (995 bottles), first released with the 2022 vintage. It comes from a beautiful vineyard in Lanciego planted in 1952 and combines 60% white grapes (equal parts Viura and Malvasía) with Tempranillo, all fermented with stems. The result is an expressive, vibrant wine, even in a warm year like 2022.
Keen to revive the character of traditional wines, Roberto launched Custero, a cosechero-style wine made from young vines planted with a carefully selected massal mix from his own vineyards. With Garnacha as its backbone (60%) and Tempranillo (20%), it also includes both white and red grapes such as Calagraño, Garnacha Gris and even Monastrell.
Roberto is entirely focused on his Rioja project and that is the reason why he stopped making his zesty, much-missed Údico Txakoli in Álava, which he fermented in chestnut barrels. Having some extra time has allowed him to spend more time in the small plots that he gradually purchased in Viñaspre. He used these grapes to make a small, limited production range called Los Corrillos, on a similar price range to the Ardachos.