La Rioja Alta2015 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta
Rioja, SpainVintage: 2011
The Gran Reserva 904 from La Rioja Alta is an iconic red wine from the Rioja region of Spain. The 2011 vintage was officially rated “Excellent” by the Rioja Consejo Regulador and that makes this 2011 904 Gran Reserva a must-have wine!
In the glass, it has an intense, deep cherry-red colour with a garnet-red rim. Intense and complex aromas, dominated by fruit (blackberry jam, raspberries and orange zest) that reveals underlying spicy and balsamic notes of cigar box, cedar liquorice, cloves, chocolate mints and toasted wood. Elegantly refined entry. Fresh and lively in the mouth, nicely balanced with polished, silky tannins and a gentle, delicate finish. Very long aftertaste, with citrus and balsamic notes that provide long, complex final sensations. A classic Rioja which stands out for its freshness and great bottle ageing potential.
Made from Tempranillo (90%) grapes from vines over 60 years old planted in Briñas, Labastida and Villalba, and Graciano (10%) from the Montecillo vineyard in the municipality of Fuenmayor.
Why we love it
It’s 904 baby!
Notable Awards
95 points and one of the ‘Wines of the Year’ – Tim Atkin MW
94 points Vinous – “The 2011 Rioja Gran Reserva 904 has been one of my go-to cuvées since my earliest days as a wine lover. This latest release is a blend of 60-year-old Tempranillo from Briñas, Rodenzo and Villalba (89%) and the remainder Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard. Fully de-stemmed and aged for 54 months in American oak, it was bottled in November 2016. This is more reticent and less forthcoming on the nose compared to the Viña Ardanza, gradually unfolding to reveal enticing scents of raspberry, crushed strawberry, warm leather, terra cotta and a touch of meat juice. This needed more decanting than the Ardanza. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, and ultra-smooth in terms of texture. Layers of red fruit laced with clove, sprigs of fresh mint and blood orange dovetail into a soy-tinged finish that you expect to fan out, though it declines; it needs maybe another 12–18 months to really show what it is capable of. Magnificent.”
Whats in the bottle
Tempranillo 89% and Graciano 11%
12 Mixed Bottles *
£71.10
Save £7.90
* As part of a mixed case of any 12 bottles
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Tel : 02922 337454
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Description
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.
The grapes were collected in boxes and transported to the winery in refrigerated vehicles to preserve all their integrity. After destemming and light crushing, the grapes were put in tanks where they underwent alcoholic fermentation for 17 days. Batches were selected and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation naturally over 75 days. In June 2012, the wine was transferred to four-and-a-half-year-old American oak barrels (made in-house), where it stayed until March 2015. During aging, the wine was racked eight times using traditional barrel-tobarrel methods. The final blend was bottled in November 2016.
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