Uncorked: Ramón Bilbao masterful at sourcing fine grapes

Rodolfo Bastida wanted to keep the fruit.

The winemaker at Spain’s Ramón Bilbao has led the winery, which was founded in 1924, in an ambitious new direction since he was hired in 1999. Still true to its heritage, Ramón Bilbao has pulled off a delicate balancing act: maintaining the customers it has cultivated over a near century of existence, while transitioning to different practices to entice new consumers and respond to growing seasons that are hotter year after year.

It’s an overall trend in the D.O.C., a Rioja region, and the expressive wines with more fruit and spice than the past are making impressive debuts. The 2016s are an outstanding entry point for anyone who hasn’t ventured into Spain’s Old World wines.

“Ramón Bilbao played a fundamental part in the foundation of D.O.C. Rioja,” Bastida said. “We wanted to establish a reputation for crafting traditional Spanish wines with a fresh, youthful twist.

“In 1999, the winery reinterpreted the Old World region by tweaking the winemaking process,” he said. “From the ’70s to ’80s in Rioja, people made interesting wines if they had the knowledge. It was the era of the winemaker. In the ’90s, people got more technology and had a style with their fermentation process. From the ’90s to today, this is the period of the winemaker who spends more and more time in the fields. It’s our only mission now to produce beautiful grapes. We have the technology now to make that happen.”

That fruit character is showcased in Ramón Bilbao “Mirto” Rioja D.O.C. 2016 ($79.99), a medium-bodied wine with juicy cherry flavors, hints of leather with cherry and sweet tobacco aromas.

“We use traditional ingredients with a new twist,” Bastida said. “We take a big focus on the growing process. So that the moment when the grapes arrive at the winery, they are perfect. We want to keep the fruit character; it’s the queen in the perception of the wine.”

Because Ramón Bilbao doesn’t have control of all the vineyards from which it purchases fruit – it covers about 25% of its Rioja production – there’s an added layer that wineries that own estate vineyards don’t encounter.

It’s up to Bastida and staff to foster solid relationships with growers. There’s a lot of trust placed into the hands of someone that doesn’t work directly for the winery. Yet, Ramón Bilbao has pulled off the feat, which is shown in its wines.

Mirto is grown in the small village of Cuzcurrita located on a plateau with sandy soil loaded with pebbles. Because vineyards can be split among family members when they are passed down, it’s possible an owner has just a small plot on which they farm grapes.

Ramón Bilbao has some long-term contracts that extend over 30 years with growers, and also has some that are as informal as a handshake.

“People know we will buy the grapes, and they know our style,” Bastida said. “Everyone meets at the table. We help them, and they help us. It’s a good relationship. If we have a problem with one of the producers, we can go with our team and work with them. It’s under control – it’s tradition – everyone in Rioja works like this. We have 143 suppliers, and we need grapes from all of them.”

What Bastida has done with grapes from 143 suppliers has been remarkable.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.