The 2009 A Mano Edicion Limitada comes in a heavy bottle and with a hefty dose of wood that takes the foreground in the nose, while the ripe black fruit stays in the background. It has the intensity and power of old-vine fruit with (at the moment) an excessive amount of oak which makes it end quite dry. A post-modern Rioja that will require a couple of years in bottle, but seems to have enough stuffing to overcome its upbringing. Drink 2015-2020. LAN was created in 1972 and their wines have seen some ups and downs through the years. The company has been recently purchased by the Sogrape Group from Portugal (April 2012) who is expanding its presence in Spain with this 3.5-million bottle winery in Rioja. It’s still too early to see if the change in ownership will bring any change in the wines. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection, New York, NY; tel. (212) 255-0674

The 2008 Lan A Mano Edicion Limitada is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano selected from 35-year-old vines from “Pago El Rincon” and “Vina Lanciano” vineyards, aged in new French oak for six months and then four months in new Russian casks. That oak influence dominates the aromatics, but underneath that carapace are dark plum, boysenberry and licorice notes that will surface with bottle age. The palate is certainly more modern in style compared to the rest of Lan’s portfolio with sumptuous, decadent dark plum and cassis fruit and an unashamed voluptuous finish. Yet it is still very well-crafted and will appeal to those that like a silky sheen to their Rioja wines. Drink 2014-2020. Bodegas Lan was established in 1972 and after a number of itinerant owners, they settled with an investment group, Mercapital, in 2002. Their winery is based in the town of Fuenmayor in Rioja Alta. They own 70 hectares of vineyard, the remainder out-sourced and the wine is raised in a combination of different oak regimes in their barrel cellar that can accommodate some 25,000 barrels. I was impressed by the consistency of these wines that are well-crafted and with a propensity to age. Importer: Well Oiled Wine Company, Leesburg, VA; tel. (703) 771-1477