Check our events page for the weekly selections
Specialty Cellars
The Wine
This age-worthy wine is just beginning to enter its prime drinking window. A classic Rioja Alta blend - mostly Tempranillo with a bit of Graciano, sourced from the estate’s higher‑elevation vineyards in Rodezno and Labastida.
These parcels sit on clay‑limestone soils, the signature of Rioja’s finest sites, giving the wine both supple red fruit and the refreshing acidity and fine tannins that limestone naturally contributes.
The 2017 season was warm and uneven across Rioja, but Rioja Alta’s higher, cooler sites delivered balance and freshness. After long aging in American oak - La Rioja Alta’s hallmark - the wine shows red cherry, plum, tobacco leaf, vanilla, coconut, warm spice, and a gentle herby note. The finish is long, silky, and classically Rioja.
Pairings: roast pork, grilled chicken, paella, and dishes with paprika or saffron. Cheese‑wise, reach for our Roncal, Mahón Reserva, or a nutty Alpine like Bergkäse.
The Winery
Founded in 1890 by five families, La Rioja Alta is one of Rioja’s most storied producers and a guardian of traditional age-worthy Rioja.
Their cellars in Haro’s historic Barrio de la Estación are renowned for meticulous barrel craftsmanship (like only a handful or Rioja estates, they maintain their own cooperage), shaping American‑oak barrels to achieve the texture and spice that define their style.
Generations of growers and winemakers have focused on high‑altitude vineyards in western Rioja Alta, where cooler nights preserve acidity and aromatic detail. “Barquito” (Little Boat) is the winery's first-ever wine crafted under a specific label exclusively for the export market. Like Mark Tarlov's domestic wines under the "Little Boat" Label, this wine remains true to La Rioja's house style: elegance over power and patience over haste in wines crafted as an homage to the classic Rioja tradition La Rioja Alta helped establish.
Just like his domestic wines, Barquito was built for the on‑premise fine‑dining world, especially chef‑driven tasting‑menu restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Tarlov’s earlier projects (Evening Land, Chapter 24, Maison L’Envoyé) were heavily adopted by Michelin‑starred programs, and Little Boat follows the same distribution model: tiny allocations, sommelier‑focused placements, and wines crafted for pairing flexibility. Sommeliers often cite Little Boat’s restrained alcohol, clean fruit, and subtle oak as reasons it fits tasting‑menu service.
