Lazarus Wine Winery Profile | Spanish-Wine-Exclusives Wines & Wineries

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Lazarus "Green Label" label
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Lazarus "Orange Label" label
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Antonio on Sensorial Winemaking (video)

Blind Winemaker Trainees (photo)

Lazarus Wine vineyard (photo)

Syrah vines (photo)

Alejandro on
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Antonio on
Batonnage
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Syrah in Spain
Newcomer on the Rise

International grape varieties have a long history in Spain. The 19th century saw the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenère and Petit Verdot make there way to a few of the great houses, but primarily on an experimental basis. From that migration the only grape that had significant staying power and was used in more than small percentages of commercially released wines was Cabernet Sauvignon, and mostly in Rioja.

While experimentation has taken place in pockets here and there over the years, the 1960s and 1970s saw another influx of Cabernet Sauvignon as a monovarietal at Torres and also Jean Leon in Penedès—with significant international acclaim for Torres's Mas La Plana Black Label—along with Chardonnay. Marqués de Riscal brought Sauvignon Blanc to Rueda and it has become a mainstay in Rueda, although the indigeneous Verdejo has mounted a comeback and continues to gain increased respect.

While indigenous grapes like Tempranillo, Garnacha and Monastrell continue to be mainstays among red varieties, and Palomino (for Sherry), Verdejo, Viura and Albarino for whites, another wave started in the late 1980s and 1990s, when the Priorat pioneers brought in Bordeaux varietals again, along with Syrah.

Additionally in the start of the 1990s there were efforts to forge stronger identities in a mix of regions that had long labored under the shadow of the Rioja model. Such regions included other parts of Catalunya, Navarra, Somontono, La Mancha and others. And they sought in different ways to distinguish themselves from Rioja and its traditional of long barrel aging of Tempranillo based blends.

Those efforts included experimentation with revived and overlooked indigenous plantings, and also with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and even Pinot Noir as alternatives that were perhaps better suited to each respective region than Tempranillo. Or at least varieties with better name recognition in international markets than local varieties.

While Pinot Noir has not caught on, even in cooler, higher altitude locations, Syrah has proven a runaway success in terms of hectares of vineyards planted. 25 years ago there was very little Syrah planted in Spain and today, Syrah has become the 10th most planted grape in the country out of more than 600 varieties.

Given Syrah's longstanding success in the south of France, and more recently in hot viticultureal zones of Australia and California, it makes sense for this noble grape to do well in the warm climes of Spain. The styles of Syrah found in Spain range from the more austere and meaty styles of Syrah closer to those found in the Northern Rhône to the jammy, fruit-packed styles of Australia.

Five years ago I attended a blind tasting comparing Spain's emerging Syrahs and Syrah blends with those from the top regions in the world. While the Spaniards included some nice wines, as a group they didn't really stand up to standard barers from around the world.

Earlier this year I attended a reprise of that tasting theme, and the quality level of the Spanish Syrahs was markedly up, showing well and even besting some international standouts in the group's blind rankings. While the Spanish Syrahs clearly held their own, consensus on preferences was split more along the lines of style, traditional/elegant styles versus modern/fruit-packed, than in favor of one region or country.

Spain's Syrahs have come a long way in a short time and now compete with established Syrah regions in quality. Although personal preferences may vary more by style than specific Spanish region, each region has its own character and features.

While Lazarus "Orange Label" is 50% Syrah and 50% Merlot, its rich Syrah character shines through, as do the iron and stoney mineral tones of the terroir. Stylistically, Lazarus "Orange Label" is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, with excellent ripe fruit and hints of bacon fat, but moderately extracted with balanced acidity and chewey, slightly rustic, but well integrated tannins. It's an excellent opportunity to sample how far Syrah has come in Spain, and enjoy one of her best.

Lazarus Wine
Jump to wine!


	Antonio Tomás Palacios explains details of the winemaking process, including batonnage technique with the metal stirring rod he holds in his left hand. See videos at left for more.

Lazarus Wine is one of the most exciting and interesting winemaking projects we have encountered in Spain. Lazarus Wine has pioneered a new winemaking method, Sensorial Winemaking, which incorporates the extraordinary sensitivity of blind winemakers into the process. The result is some of the best Syrah and Merlot made in Spain today.

The genesis of Lazarus Wine began with the tireless passion of Antonio Tomás Palacios, Professor of Enology at the University of La Rioja, and his time working with a blind winemaker in 1999. Antonio found that his blind colleague was able to detect changes in aromatics and taste earlier than he and other highly skilled, but sighted winemakers. The acute sensitivity of this blind winemaker and his ultra-low threshold for discerning aromatic changes allowed them to react more quickly to promote positive developments in the process and prevent negative developments. And this is how the idea for Sensorial Winemaking was born.

In 2000 Antonio undertook a number of studies at the University, investigating different scenarios of aromatic development of Syrah and Merlot during the winemaking process, and different ways to act on them with the help of blind winemakers. Further studies were started in 2002 on additional grape varieties. The research led to devising more codified ways to build the sensitivities of the blind into the ongoing decision making process of elaborating wine.

In order to make Lazarus Wine a reality Antonio needed additional help and to find the right terroir and a state of the art winery in which to work freely on a small scale. Antonio's former oenology student, Gonzalo Gonzalo Grijalba of Orgullo joined the project as a collaborator. And Bodegas Edra, where Antonio works as consulting winemaker, proved to be an ideal place to launch the Lazarus Wine project.

Bodegas Edra is located in the town of Ayerbe in the province of Huesca near the Somontano DO, which is in the North of Spain, south of France and west of Catalunya. The vineyards are 500 meters above sea level with soil composed of large alluvial stones and calcareous clay, and are subject to a continental climate.


The stony calcareous clay soil of Lazarus Wine

Blind people learning the Sensorial Winemaking method take two courses. The first is a course of viticulture, winemaking and wine tasting, given by Gonzalo Gonzalo at the Provincial Delegation of ONCE (The Spanish National Organization of Blind People) in La Rioja. The second is a Sensory Course, taught at the University of La Rioja by Antonio Tomás Palacios.

The Sensorial Winemaking method is adapted to each type of wine, and the blind winemakers are constantly tasting wines to identify key compounds of microbial metabolism throughout the process. Detected substances affect decisions on fermentation temperature, degree of aeration, time of maceration with skins and seeds, as well as assessing the quality of the lees and the time and type of barrel to use.

The same methods are also used for tasting grapes to determine the optimal time of harvest and crio-maceration treatments prior to fermentation. Amazingly, as Sensorial Winemaking is practiced today blind winemakers are able to detect incipient problems even before they are discernible through chemical analysis.

Although the process is fascinating and quite technical, the end result is very pleasurable: rich, well-made wine that expresses the terroir and character of the region and the noble varieties of Syrah and Merlot. We are happy to report that Lazarus Wine is also a boon to the blind community in Spain and we suspect eventually across in the wine producing world. We urge everyone to try and enjoy this special wine.

WINE FROM LAZARUS WINE

Lazarus Wine "Green Label" 2010 White, VT Ribera del Gállego - Cinco Villas $18

We find this wine to be one of the Spain's finest Viogniers, showing world class quality while offering a distinctivly Spanish character. Made specially for Spanish-Wine-Exclusives this rich floral white is a clear, pale straw color. The nose is fragrant with white flowers, honeysuckle and mulberry leaf scents. The crisp, ample palate offers honeydew melon flavors with touches of soft mint, beechnut and white pepper. The finish is long, floral and refreshing, and closes with lingering honey and melon tones. An outstanding Spanish take on Viognier.
Serve with arugela or watercress salads, poultry, herb roasted pork tenderloin or aged chesses.

Tech Details:
225 cases produced. Blend: 100% Viognier.
Eloaboration and aging: Malolactic fermentation took place in new French oak barrels, at a lower temperature than usual, taking extra time complete (2-3 months). One additional month ageing in barrel. Then aging for one year in stainless steel tank to integrate the wood aromas and flavors.

Lazarus Wine "Orange Label" 2007 Red, VT Ribera del Gállego - Cinco Villas $26

The 2007 vintage of this rich, distinctive red blend is super fragrant, offering an effusive nose of ripe blackberry and creamy raspberry scents much like the 2006 edition. On the palate it is chewy, ripe, and balanced—but a little brighter and more intense than 2006. Raspberry soufflé flavors cover the tongue and are accompanied by nuances of iron, slate, black dirt, bacon fat and black pepper. The overall feel is an appealingly rustic medley of flavors with a rounded, harmonious blackberry pie infused finish.
Serve with a rustic pork sausage spiced with black pepper and fennel, grilled pork chops, game meats, roasts or steak au poivre.
92 Points —Wine & Spirits

Tech Details:
Less than 460 cases produced. Blend: 50% Syrah, 50% Merlot.
Oak Treatment: Malolactic fermentation in a mix of 2–4 year old American and French oak barrels; 3–4 additional months in barrel.

Lazarus Wine "Black Label" 2005 Red, VT Ribera del Gállego - Cinco Villas $38

This captivating red blend is a wild mix of deep red and black fruit flavors combined with terroir driven nuance. On the nose ripe black cherry scents immediatly come to the fore, followed by red currant and raspberry notes with touches of vanilla spice. The palate offers and encore of black cherry, currant and raspberry flavors, accompanied by nuances of menthol, tobacco leaf, iron, black dirt, licorice and black pepper. Good acidity keeps its full-bodied flavors lively and harmonious into a long, raspberry soaked finish.
Pair with peppery sausages, lamb chops, steak frites or even bacon wrapped filet mignon.

Tech Details:
85 cases produced. Blend: 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 40% Syrah.
Oak Treatment: Aged in mixed age (3-4 years old barrels, never new) oak barrels (60% French, 40% American), for 18-24 months with extra time on lees. The help of blind winemakers trained in Sensorial Winemaking to decide when to take out the lees is critical. After barrel aging there was an additional year ageing in bottle prior to release.