Telmo Rodriguez, Rioja (Spain) 2010

 Telmo Rodriguez always thinks outside of the box.  He eschews the conventional Rioja classification of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, which refers to the amount of aging the wine receives before release.  Rather, he prefers to highlight the site, the origin of the grapes, in this case from the village of Lanciega. LZ is a delightful, ready to drink wine with good depth and plenty of spark.  Clean and lively, it delivers an ever so slight tarry element that complements the bright red fruit character.