A Century of Curiosity: Ramón Bilbao Tasting at Sam’s Riverside
There are few better settings for a tasting than Sam’s Riverside, with the Thames flowing past the restaurant windows and light bouncing off the water in soft, reflective tones. It made a fitting backdrop for a portfolio that celebrates both tradition and evolution at Ramón Bilbao, now marking its centenary, and has long been a symbol of Spanish wine’s confident modernity.
Leading the tasting was Rodolfo Bastida, a man whose quiet authority and enthusiasm for experimentation have defined the winery. Originally trained in agricultural engineering, his route into wine was almost accidental, though perhaps inevitable given his Rioja roots. Since taking the helm as Wines Director in 1999, he has helped transform Ramón Bilbao into one of Spain’s most admired producers, blending respect for origin with an unrelenting curiosity about what might come next.
The first wine we tasted was the Verdejo Sobre Lías 2022. The grapes come from Finca Las Amedias in Rueda, grown at 770 metres in gravelly, well-drained soils. Fermentation in concrete tulips and aging on lees for ten months gives the wine its distinctive texture, rounded yet fresh.
Next was the Finca Las Amedias 2020. Here, Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc are blended to give a wine that balances tension with generosity. Both varieties ferment separately before aging for two years on fine lees in French oak foudres, followed by another two years in concrete. The result is a wine of understated complexity with ripe fruit, mineral length, and a saline edge that recalls the high, dry plateau from which it comes.
Moving north to Rioja, the Límite Norte 2021 revealed the freshness that defines the cooler reaches of Cuzcurrita. Fermented in concrete and aged in a mix of amphorae, vats and barrels, it shows how the winery plays with materials to shape texture rather than flavour. The north winds that sweep across the plateau preserve acidity and bring a fine, lifted structure, making it a contemporary Rioja without losing its sense of place.
If Límite Norte speaks softly, Lalomba Finca Lalinde 2024 is loaded with elegance. Produced at Ramón Bilbao’s dedicated Lalomba winery in Haro, this rosado comes from vineyards on the Yerga slopes in Eastern Rioja. The wine has benefited from the grapes being picked by hand, cooled, and then pressed gently before fermenting and ageing in unlined concrete. The result is a rosé of great finesse that is creamy, loaded with fruit and is gastronomic.
The Límite Sur 2021 is from Rioja’s warmer, eastern edge. The vineyards, planted in 1977 and 2014, sit at 500–600 metres on loamy soils scattered with stones that store heat during the day and release it slowly at night. The wine’s partial whole-cluster fermentation adds freshness, while ageing across amphorae, concrete, and barrels gives layers of texture. It is perfectly balanced, with dark fruit, fine tannins and lovely texture.
Viñedos de Altura 2022 followed, a blend of Tempranillo from Ábalos and Garnacha from Monte Yerga. Both sites sit between 650 and 700 metres, representing the extremes of Rioja. Aged for 15 months in French oak and blended in concrete, it unites the density of Tempranillo with the lifted perfume of Garnacha. It’s a wine that embodies Ramón Bilbao’s mission to reinterpret Rioja through altitude, purity, and precision.
The Reserva 2019 brought us back to classic territory but with a contemporary touch. Made from vines over 40 years old in Rioja Alta, it was aged for 20 months in American oak, allowing the fruit’s brightness to lead. It remains unmistakably Rioja with red fruit, spice, gentle tannins, but more agile and expressive than its predecessors.
Then, to close, the Gran Reserva 2001. Time has lent this wine an almost meditative quality, aided by the fact this was from a magnum. Made from Tempranillo with a small percentage of Graciano and Mazuelo, it spent ten years in barrel, five in concrete, and another five in bottle before release. The result is a rare combination of concentration and poise, still vibrant, still alive and utterly brilliant. Sadly this is not available to buy, as only a few hundred bottles were made to bring out at special occasions. Sorry!
