The 2011 Martinez Lacuesta is a classical blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo aged for six months in oak barrels, keeping a fruity and aromatic profile and a soft palate. An honest wine that delivers what is expected; clean, well made and easy to drink. Drink 2014-2016. Martinez Lacuesta is one of the classical names from Haro, which was created in 1895 and now, 118 years later, is a one-million-bottle operation still run by the same family. Some stray bottles from (extremely) old vintages can be found in shops or restaurants and are well worth drinking (I’m thinking of a superb 1928 here). On top of their current (mostly) classical wines that are quite consistent if not terribly exciting, they also produce delicious vermouth, which after all is nothing but aromatized wine. Various American importers: Serendipity Wines (Texas), Dionysis Wines (Washington), Arborways Imports (Mass.) and Spanish Wine Collection (New York).

The 2010 Consecha is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo that is aged for five or six months in American oak. It has an uncomplicated, creamy bouquet with touches of blueberry jam that is slightly overworked. The palate is simple with crunchy black fruit and a tobacco-tinged, conservative finish that offers commercial appeal. Drink now. Straight after my marathon tasting at Finca Allende, I headed towards the much larger winery of Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta just outside Haro. This traditional bodega was founded in 1895 by Felix Martinez Lacuesta and subsequently outgrew its original facilities. In 2009 they completed construction of their own impressive, tailor-made winery that became operative the following year. Tasting through their portfolio, I found the Crianza and Reserva wines a little conservative for my liking: competent and commercially sound, yet needing greater expression of personality and place. But they do come with a wallet-friendly price tag. More interesting are their special releases that are imbued with more elegance and complexity. Importer: various US importers including Serendipity Wines (Texas), www.serendipitywines.com; Dionysis Imports, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 550-2250; Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 863-1753; and Spain Wine Collection, Congers, NY, www.spainwinecollection.com