Queiron Mi Lugar Vino de Quel, Rioja 2019

Rioja's rulebooks have been having a bit of an overhaul, and wines like this — a 'Vino de Pueblo' — are starting to appear alongside the more familiar likes of Crianza and Reserva. These come from specific vineyard locations, the village of Quel here, so the wine is linked to a specific area rather than the region as a whole, so having a more individual character. A decent proportion of Garnacha in this blend puts the emphasis on ripe dark fruit, with the Tempranillo backbone bringing oak-edged structure. Plums, dark cherries and warm spice, with a rounded, generous texture. A more fruit-forward version of a good Reserva.

It's drinking well now and will keep for another five to eight years should you want. The more fruit-forward character of this suits the likes of lamb cutlets, beef short rib or a good chorizo-based stew.

Queirón isn’t exactly a 'boutique' bodega, more a quality-focussed small producer and certainly no large-scale behemoth. Their roots are in Quel, a village in Rioja Oriental that’s been home to the Pérez Cuevas family for several generations. Their winery sits in Quel's historic bodega quarter, with the fruit for their wines coming almost entirely from family-owned parcels on the high-altitude slopes surrounding the village. Their wines sit at the more premium end of the scale, from Mi Lugar upwards to small-production single-vineyard bottlings. And to emphasise the provenance of their fruit, rather than using the familiar Crianza and Reserva type designations, they tend to make use of Rioja's Vino de Pueblo classification — in their case, Vino de Quel — which allows them more latitude in winemaking and puts the village and its vineyards front and centre.