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Wine Description
The Story
This Gran Reserva is only made with the best quality fruit, painstakingly selected by hand. The wine is aged in American oak barrels for six years and racked twice annually. The nose is reminiscent of tobacco, spice-box and red berry fruit with the characteristic creaminess and vanilla character elegantly integrated. The palate is firm but the tannins are silky and the acidity is lively, ensuring that the wine will endure for some years to come.
The Domaine
La Rioja Alta continues to be one of the benchmarks for traditionally produced Rioja wine. Established in 1890 at the same spot where their head office sits today, their three Reserva Wine brands, Alberdi, Arana and Ardanza are named after the founding families, all three of which remain shareholders. The company still maintains traditional Rioja winemaking practices whilst embracing many of the new technological advances.
It is unusual for a great bodega of Rioja to own vineyards, but La Rioja Alta own 360ha from which they can source top-quality grapes, resulting in excellent fruit and richness throughout their wines. Tempranillo dominates the plantings, complemented with a small proportion of Garnacha and Graciano vines.
The company is renowned for the quality of its Reservas and in particular for its Gran Reservas, the 904 and the 890. The latter are produced only in exceptional years, are amongst the finest wines being produced in Rioja today.
