Crianza Origen 2022, Bodegas Ochoa

Bodegas Ochoa’s Crianza Origen 2022 is a classic Navarra red with a modern, organic-minded touch. Made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, Merlot, and Graciano, it offers the comfort of a traditional Spanish Crianza without feeling heavy or overworked.

Expect ripe blackberry, dark cherry, plum, cocoa, cinnamon, and a gentle thread of spiced mocha from 9 months in used French and American oak. Tempranillo gives the wine its dark-fruited core, Garnacha adds juiciness, Merlot softens the middle, and Graciano brings freshness and savory spice.

The result is polished, approachable, and built for the table. Pour it with grilled lamb, pork tenderloin, mushroom paella, chorizo and white beans, burgers, roasted vegetables, or a plate of Manchego and jamón. It’s the kind of red that works just as well with dinner as it does while dinner is still “almost ready.”

About the Winery

Bodegas Ochoa is a family winery in Olite, Navarra, a medieval town long tied to castles, crossroads, and wine. The Ochoa family’s roots in the region stretch back generations, but the modern story begins with Javier Ochoa, one of the key figures in Navarra’s late-20th-century wine evolution.

Javier took over the family winery at just 20 years old after the death of his father, Adriano. He helped move Ochoa from a traditional local producer into one of Navarra’s most respected estates, while also shaping the region beyond his own cellar. From 1981 to 1992, he led EVENA, Navarra’s Viticulture and Enology Research Station, playing an important role in the area’s modernization, vineyard research, and quality movement.

That next chapter became a true family project. Javier’s wife, Mariví Alemán, helped build the winery’s export presence, bringing Ochoa’s wines to a wider world. In the 1990s, the family expanded its vineyard holdings in Traibuenas, giving the estate deeper control over its farming and fruit quality. Today, Ochoa works from estate vineyards across Navarra’s varied landscape, where shifts in soil, elevation, and climate make the region especially dynamic.

The sixth generation is now led by sisters Adriana and Beatriz Ochoa. Adriana serves as winemaker and technical director, while Beatriz oversees the business side of the winery. Under their leadership, Ochoa has leaned further into organic farming, biodiversity, research, and climate-conscious viticulture—respecting tradition without treating it like a museum piece.

That balance is what makes Ochoa such a compelling Navarra producer. The winery is deeply rooted in family and place, but its outlook remains modern, practical, and curious. Our Blanco Lías selection offers one bright snapshot of that larger story: six generations, one region, and a family still asking what Navarra wine can become.