90% Tempranillo from 60+ year old vines in Brinas, Labastia and Villalbe. 10% Graviano from Montecillo. 4 years in American oak barrels made by their in-house coopers. Hand racked every 6 months. Over 3 years bottle aging prior to release. 13.5% alcohol

www.riojalta.com

On July 10,1890, five Basque and Rioja-based vine growers created "Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta" in what is known as the Haro Station District. This was the beginning of a fascinating business venture in which the only dream of the five founders was to craft and age high quality wines. The European spirit which is so popular today was present in La Rioja and in our winery from the very beginning. Mr Vigier, a French expert, was hired as technical manager and we were soon familiar with what is now known as “classic” production. In 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, when Leandro Ardanza Angulo was chairman of the board, we registered the brand name to which we most owe our fame and renown: "Viña Ardanza". At the time, casks were manufactured entirely in the winery by a team of five coopers. In 2002, we returned to this tradition and now manufacture our own casks with wood imported from the U.S. and dried for 2 years in our coopery.

In 1970, a new cask hall was built and we started to increase our vineyards, buying several estates. This was the time when new brands were introduced, such as Viña Arana and Viña Alberdi. This was when the Club de Cosecheros was created, a new and daring way of conceiving the relationship between our clients and the winery. The Harvesters’ Club was created and continues to grow based on one thing: trust.

In 1985, we registered a brand name which was to become very popular in the future: "Marqués de Haro". At the same time, we stopped making the last young wines supplied by the winery, searching for a white wine with a great personality and different than other Spanish wines. On January 16, 1996, work started on the new Labastida winery, located on our own estates just 1,500 metres from the Haro winery. This new facility enabled us to considerably improve the quality of the wines made by La Rioja Alta SA, especially with regards to the fermentation process.

1997 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting note 1997 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting note

2000 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting note 2000 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting note

2001 Gran Reserva 890 SE Tasting note 2001 Gran Reserva 890 Seleccion Especial Producer Tasting note

2001 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting note 2001 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting note

2004 Gran Reserva 890 Tasting note 2004 Gran Reserva 890 Producer Tasting note

2004 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting note 2004 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting note

2004 Vina Ardanza Reserva Tasting Note 2004 Vina Ardanza Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2005 Gran Reserva 890 SE Tasting note 2005 Gran Reserva 890 Seleccion Especial Producer Tasting note

2005 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting note 2005 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting note

2006 Vina Arana Reserva Tasting Note 2006 Vina Arana Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2007 Vina Ardanza Reserva Tasting Note 2007 Vina Ardanza Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2009 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting Note 2009 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting Note

2009 Vina Arana Reserva Tasting Note 2009 Vina Arana Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2009 Vina Ardanza Reserva Tasting Note 2009 Vina Ardanza Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2010 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting Note 2010 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting Note

2011 Gran Reserva 904 Tasting Note 2011 Gran Reserva 904 Producer Tasting Note

2012 Vina Arana Gran Reserva Tasting Note 2012 Vina Arana Gran Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2012 Vina Ardanza Reserva Tasting Notes 2012 Vina Ardanza Reserva Producer Tasting Notes

2014 Vina Arana Gran Reserva Tasting Note 2014 Vina Arana Gran Reserva Producer Tasting Note

2015 Gran Reserva 904 SE Producer Tasting Note 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Seleccion Especial Producer Tasting Note

2015 Vina Ardanza Reserva Tasting Notes 2015 Vina Ardanza Reserva Producer Tasting Notes

• Graciano

  Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja. The vine produces a low yield that are normally harvested in late October. The wine produced is characterized by its deep red color, strong aroma and ability to age well. Graciano thrives in warm, arid climates.

• Tempranillo Alternate: Tinto Fino

  A high quality Red Wine Grape that is grown all over Spain except in the hot South - it is known as Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepenas and Ull de Llebre in Catalonia. Its spiritual home is in Rioja and Navarra where it constitutes around 70% of most red blends.
  Tempranillo based wines tend to have a spicy, herby, tobacco-like character accompanied by ripe strawberry and red cherry fruits. It produces fresh, vibrantly fruit driven "jovenes" meant for drinking young. However Tempranillo really comes into its own when oak aged, as with the top Riojas where its flavours seem to harmonise perfectly with both French and American oak, producing rich, powerful and concentrated wines which can be extraordinarily long-lived.
  
  In Ribera del Duero it generally sees less oak - the exception being Vega Sicilia where it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and then aged for an astonishing 7 years in oak and is unquestionably one of the world`s greatest wines.
  

Medium-high depth, cherry–red with a garnet rim. Very intense in aromas.
Complex, with notes of plums and ripe grapes, jam of blackberries and red raspberries that give way to spicy and balsamic notes of tobacco leaves, cedar, liquorice, vanilla, chocolate and ground coffee. Good entry. Fresh and balanced, with polished, silky tannins and a gentle, delicate finish. Long aftertaste, with balsamic notes of coffee and toasted caramel, candied fruits and liquorice.

Who	Score	Start	End	Notes
Michael Schachner The Wine Enthusiast Aug 2020	91/100	2020	2030	Earthy aromas of dried red fruits are spicy and leafy, with no overt ripeness whatsoever. A mix of racy acidity and pulpy fruit makes for a balanced palate with La Rioja Alta's patented elegance, while this tastes of earthy cherry and dried red currant. Only on the finish does one catch a touch of berry ripeness and raisin. Drink through 2030.
Thomas Matthews Wine Spectator Aug 2019	91/100	2019	2030	This light, polished red offers woodsy flavors of forest floor and loamy earth, with a core of cherry and berry fruit and vanilla and spice accents. Graceful and harmonious. Tempranillo and Graciano. Drink through 2030.
Luis Gutierrez www.eRobertParker.com Jun 2019	96/100	2019	2035	It seems like yesterday when the superb 2001 was released, and now I already have the 2010 Gran Reserva 904 in my glass. It has to be among the greatest modern time vintages of this mythical bottling, where they aim for a wine that has a long aging potential. This is mostly Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 13.5% alcohol, and it matured in fourth-used American oak barrels for four years, during which time the wine was racked every six months. It has the combination of elegance and power only the best vintages are capable of, with the classical aromas, great detail and nuance, very good balance and persistence. They consider 2010 among the best years of this century, and maybe future generations will talk about 2010 like we talk about the great classical vintages of yesterday today. The palate is polished but shows plenty of energy and tension, the tannins are very fine and elegant, and the flavors are focused and clean. This has to be one of the greatest wines from the vintage. A legend in the making.
Tim Atkin MW www.timatkin.com	97/100			A step up on the memorable 2009, this shows just how special the 2010 vintage was. Marrying fruit from Briñas, Villalba and Rodezno, it's a perfectly judged marriage of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano. Savoury wild herb notes segue into a palate that's focused, balanced and graceful with the concentration and backbone to age.