Bodegas Ollauri, Rioja (La Rioja, Spain) 2016

 This historic property was acquired by Bodegas Muriel several years ago, and after a period of restoration, is evidently on track to regain a place of prominence based on wines such as this.  Made entirely from Tempranillo sourced from several old plots, it is very modern in style.  What that means in the glass is a very ripe style with low-ish overt oak, resulting in a ready-to-drink wine that offers tremendous pleasure as soon as the cork is pulled.  I love many styles of Rioja, including renditions that are utterly different than this one, benefitting from (and, indeed, requiring) years of patient cellaring to prove broadly appealing.  This wine may never quite hit the heights of some wines fitting this other type, but what it accomplished is still very important:  It shows how Rioja can make marvelously appealing wines in a medium-bodied style that can be enjoyed immediately upon release.  True, this is from 2016, but it is indeed the current release of the wine, and the proprietors were wise to release it only after giving it time to absorb oak and achieve its current level of deliciousness.  Priced like a 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape and every bit as broadly enjoyable (or more so), this is the sort of wine that can help Rioja become a first choice for those choosing wines from restaurant lists.