Tim Atkin Visit Bodegas Urbina La Rioja (Wine Tasting)

TIM ATKIN VISIT BODEGAS URBINA LA RIOJA (WINE TASTING)

Tim Atkin (Master of Wine, Writer and Photographer), recently spent a few weeks in La Rioja rediscovering the best traditional wines and discover the latest wines and styles emerging from around the Region. In this trip, he met with many of Rioja's top winemakers and experts for private tastings in several wineries and vineyards.


Tim Atkin, is one of the best-known journalists and commentators in the world of wine. This is one of those persons whose CV (curriculum vitae resume) is truly impressive. He is not only a Master of Wine, he has won over thirty prizes for his wine journalism and photography, has written for all the top specialist magazines (Decanter, The World of Fine Wine, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Imbibe) as well as popular publications like Jamie Magazine and is also the co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge, one of the top wine competitions in the world.


Now days, Tim Atkin works for numerous international publications and has his own website where he publishes reports and articles. We look forward to getting Tim's impressions on Rioja wine soon!!

Tim Atkin Special Rioja Report 2017 



TIM ASTKIN RIOJA CLASSIFICATION (BODEGAS URBINA REPORT 2017)

(94 Points) 1996 Urbina Gran Reserva: Urbina is not as well known as bodegas like López de Heredia, but it deserves to be. This is another mature, bottle-aged triumph that will have Rioja lovers purring with pleasure. Sweet, seductive and well balanced with classic red berry, game and balsamic notes. 2017-21


(94 Points) 2001 Urbina Reserva Especial Reserva: If you’re a fan of traditional, oak- and bottle-aged Rioja and Urbina is not on your radar then you’re missing out. This fresh, mature, savour, sweetly oaked red from Cuzcurrita is an amazing bottle of wine for only £20. Such balance, such poise, such downright enjoyment. 2017-24


(93 Points) 1999 Urbina Selección Crianza: No, I didn’t make a mistake with the vintage. This is indeed a Crianza from 1999, made by one of the very best traditional producers from Tempranillo with 5% Graciano and Mazuelo. It’s a silky, mature, gamey, hedonistic style with lovely balance and the acidity of a cooler area. 2017-22

  
TIM ASTKIN RIOJA CLASSIFICATION (BODEGAS URBINA REPORT 2015)

(95 Points) 1994 Urbina Gran Reserva  Especial: Showing the benefits of blind tasting, this remarkable blend of Tempranillo with 5% Mazuelo and Graciano from a family-owned winery in Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón showed very well at the 10 x 10 tasting in London. Amazingly fresh for its age, it has savoury, dried fruit notes, fine tannins, good structure and the intensity and acidity to age further. 2015-21



(91 Points) 2014 Urbina Garnacha: Why aren’t there more varietal Garnachas made in Rioja, given how delicious they can be? This has a vibrant, strawberryish rose with juicy gluggable spicy red fruit, and good structure. All about fruit and youth, rather than oak and age. 2015-20


- Urbina Gran Reserva 1994. Score: Red 95
- Urbina Gran Reserva 1996. Score: Red 94
- Urbina Reserva Especial 2001. Score: Red 94
- Urbina Selección Crianza 1999. Score: Red 93
- Urbina Garnacha Genérico 2014. Score: Red 91
- Urbina Crianza 2009. Score: Red 89
- Urbina Rosado Genérico 2015. Score: Rosé 87
- Urbina Viura Genérico 2014. Score: White 87


2017 TIM ATKIN RIOJA REPORT

Rioja is in on the verge of seismic changes, as it prepares to introduce a new tier of Single Vineyard wines to complement its more traditional Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas. This second in-depth Tim Atkin report on Spain's most famous wine region tells you everything you need to know about what's happening in Rioja right now, based on three weeks of visits and tastings last year and three decades of experience.


This comprehensive, 112-page guide includes:
- The Ten Things You Need to Know about Rioja
- Top wines of the year (by style)
- Winemakers of the year
- Scores for nearly 900 wines
- 500 tasting notes (including drinking windows) for wines scoring over 90 points
- My second, controversial classification of Rioja's best producers
- Evocative photos of the region and its winemakers
- Recommendations for restaurants and further reading
- All this for £15, €20 or $25

  
2015 TIM ATKIN RIOJA REPORT

Welcome to Tim Atkin´s first ever in-depth Rioja report. Whether you like your Rioja in the modern or traditional style, whether you like minerally whites or single vineyard reds, there's something for you here. There's also something for fine wine lovers these days. Discover what makes Rioja rock, learn about the changes afoot in Spain's most famous wine region, meet the young guns and the old hands.





This comprehensive and ground-breaking guide includes:
- Top wines of the year (by style)
- Winemakers of the year
- Scores for over 500 wines
- 400 tasting notes (including drinking windows) for wines scoring over 90 points
- Tim Atkin controversial classification of Rioja's best producers
- Evocative photos of the region and its winemakers
- Recommendations for restaurants and further reading
- All this for £15, €20 or $25


BODEGAS URBINA IN RIOJA: DESCRIPTION, VINEYARDS AND PHILOSOPHY

- Family Winery: Bodegas Urbina is a family winery with four generations since 1870 dedicated to grape growing and winemaking. The present winery designed, built and run by the family Urbina since 1986 has been created solely to facilitate the mission of the winemaker at the time of producing fine wines. The winemaking for commercialization dates from 1870 and performed in ancient underground Cuzcurrita drafts.

  
- Own Vineyards: Bodegas Urbina has 75 hectares of native varieties of Rioja, whose sole purpose is the quality of their wines. The wines are a combination of grapes from Cuzcurrita, the westernmost part of the DOC Rioja; It produces wines with great aging potential, fit for the Gran Reserva and Uruñuela vineyards located in the heart of the appellation produce wines of great consistency and body, very nice.

  
- Limited Production: Bodegas Urbina has the capacity to produce 200.000 bottles of red Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva and 25.000 bottles of White and Rose grapes from their own vineyards, which are grown under traditional practices, not using herbicides and limiting use of pesticides and fungicides. The cultivation is done in low-trained (vignes basses) and trellis, and does not force the production, not exceeding the 4,500 Kgrs. / Ha. Within the production capacity, wines are selected in order to be labeled as Urbina.


TIM ATKIN "WINE EXPERT" AND "MASTER OF WINE"

Tim Atkin is a British Master of Wine, and an award-winning wine journalist, broadcaster and commentator. He is also a judge of several international wine competitions and a photographer. As a wine journalist he has an international following. He writes for Harpers, Decanter, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Jamie Magazine and Imbibe and has own, award-winning website, timatkin.com. He also has a second career as a photographer whose photos have been published in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the World of Fine Wine and exhibited in London, Provence, Poland and Lebanon.

  
- Education: Atkin holds a BA from Durham University in Modern Languages and a master's degree from the London School of Economics in European Studies. He became a Master of Wine in 2001, winning the Robert Mondavi Award for the best theory examination. He is a Caballero del Vino, a Chevalier du Tastevin and a member of the Ordre du Bontemps.

  
- Career: Atkin writes for a number of publications, including: a monthly column in Woman and Home, the Wine List Inspector for The Economist's Intelligent Life and Wine Editor at Large at Off Licence News. He also regularly contributes to: The World of Fine Wines, Imbibe, and Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine. On television, he appears regularly on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen as one of the programme's wine experts. In September 2012, Atkin appeared on a BBC One Inside Out programme about the English wine industry. On radio, he does interviews on Radio 4's Today Programme and Eddie Mair's PM show, among others.


Atkin judges several international wine competitions: he is as co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge and chairman of the New Wave Spain Awards, the South African Top 100 and the Vins de Pays Top 100. He speaks and teaches at wine conferences, wine associations, consumer, corporate and charity events.


Atkin is one of the Three Wine Men (together with Olly Smith and Oz Clarke), which holds events around the UK to bring wine consumers together with wine and food retailers and producers. Atkin's have been published in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The World of Fine Wines and exhibited in Beirut, Gigondas and London.


Previously, Atkin published a column in The Observer, Observer Food Monthly, and his interviews were published in The Guardian and The Observer (such as this account of the wine interests of David Ginola or this interview with Gérard Depardieu).


In early 2010, Atkin's weekly column in The Observer was reduced to two or three wine recommendations and he moved to The Times the following month, where he had a weekly column for a year. Atkin commented: "I am sad that The Observer has decided to reduce the scope of its wine coverage at a time when people need reliable advice more than ever. I will miss the challenge of writing what was (I hope) an engaging, informed and entertaining piece each week". In protest, a Facebook group called "Save the Wine Column" was formed and quickly amassed considerable support. At the time several newspapers had slashed their wine columns, for example The Sunday Times (Joanna Simon), The Independent on Sunday (Richard Ehrlich), and The Wall Street Journal (Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher).

  
TIM ATKIN AWARDS

1988, 1990, 1993, 2004, 2006: Glenfiddich Wine Writer of the Year
1991, 1992, 1994, 1996: UK Wine Guild Wine Correspondent of the Year
1994: Wines of France Award
1995: The Bunch Award for Wine Journalism
1995: Waterford Crystal Wine Correspondent of the Year
1999, 2002, 2003, 2004: Lanson Black Label Award
2005: Wines of Portugal Award
2007: International Wine & Spirit Communicator of the Year
2007: World Food Media Awards Best Drink Journalist[4]
2009: Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist of the Year
2011: Born Digital Award for www.timatkin.com and Louis Roederer Wine Website of the Year


TIM ATKIN INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORTS

Welcome to www.timatkin.com. I hope you like his wining award site and find lots to read and enjoy, especially the in-depth reports he has published on Rioja, the Rhône, South Africa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Argentina, Chile, Brunello, Washington State, Napa and Oregon. There are also monthly columns by Ron Washam (aka The HoseMaster of Wine), Matt Walls, Sarah Abbott MW and Andrea Frost and Tim Atkin MW.



Read these special reports to get the inside track on some of the world's most important wine regions. I've walked the vineyards, talked to the producers and tasted the wines to provide you with unique advice and insights.


2017 Cape Classification: This is his fifth attempt to classify the Cape's best producers, an annual exercise that has stimulated considerable debate in South Africa. This is very loosely based on the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, although quality rather than price is the sole criterion that Tim Atkin uses. There are six different bands: first, second, third, fourth and fifth growths, consisting of 20 wines each, and a larger group...  £Free


2017 South Africa Special Report: In his sixth annual guide to South Africa, award-winning British journalist and Master of Wine Tim Atkin argues that the Cape is making the best wines in its 358 year history and that its industry is “dynamic, exciting and still evolving”. South Africa, he says, is “a match for any other New World country in terms of quality and ahead of the field on value”. Yet he warns...  £20


2016 Bordeaux Special Report: The 2016 Bordeaux vintage is very good to excellent for reds and good to very good for dry and sweet whites. The growing season was complicated, but serendipity, hard work, investment and no little talent have enabled the Bordelais to triumph over the elements.In my view, this is the second best vintage of the last decade behind... £20


2017 Argentina Special Report: This is his fifth annual guide to Argentina. With over 1,300 wines tasted and rated, it is the largest and most comprehensive yet. Based on three weeks spent visiting vineyards and wineries earlier this year, it is an in-depth portrait of a dynamic industry. Having visited Argentina almost every year since the early 1990s, I can comment on what's happening there with a measure of... £20


2017 Chile Special Report: In his first annual guide to Chile, award-winning British wine writer and Master of Wine Tim Atkin praises the country as a "South American success story" and highlights the changes that have occurred since his last visit in 2010. "Chile is finally beginning to make the most of its diverse range of climates and soil types," he says, "thanks to the initiative and investment of the... £15

  
2015 Burgundy Special Report: His annual Burgundy report is a labour of love. This is his seventh overview of the world's best wine region and it's his most comprehensive yet. The 2015 vintage is the most hyped of my professional lifetime. But is it any good? The reds are mostly very good to excellent, with impressive quality from generic to Grand Cru level. The... £20


2015 Rhône Special Report: This is an independent guide for wine lovers who want to know what to buy from the outstanding 2015 Rhône vintage that will bring them pleasure now, next year, and into the future. Not just wines for investment, but also smart buys for weekday drinking and those on a budget. It highlights wines with balance, finesse and drinkability, not just concentration and power. This report will... £15

  
2016 South Africa Special Report: In his fourth annual guide to South Africa, award-winning British wine-writer and Master of Wine Tim Atkin says the 2015 vintage is “the best I’ve tasted in 26 years of writing about the country’s wines” and should be a springboard to global recognition. "A winning combination of better viticulture, the development of new wine regions and the emergence of a young generation... £15


2016 Cape Classification: This was his fourth attempt to classify the Cape's best producers, an annual exercise that has stimulated considerable debate in South Africa. This is very loosely based on the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, although quality rather than price is my only criterion. There are six different bands: first, second, third, fourth and fifth growths, consisting of 15 wines each, and a larger group of 75... £Free