La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2016

La Rioja Alta S.A. Vina Ardanza Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2016

Grapes: 80% Tempranillo (30 year old "La Cuesta" & "Montecillo" vineyards in Fuenmayor & Cenicero) and 20% Garnacha ("La Pedriza" vineyard in Tudelilla, Rioja Oriental), hand picked, optical sorting, 36 months' ageing in used American oak barrels for the Tempranillo and 30 months for the Garnacha before blending and bottling.

Producer Tasting Note:

Intense garnet red colour, with a clear rim. Outstanding aromatic intensity on the nose, with spicy and balsamic liquorice, clove, nutmeg and black pepper notes, enveloping a subtle hint of ripe red fruit: brandied cherry and raspberry jam. The palate is well-balanced, fresh, with a broad range of flavours and soft, round tannins, leading to a spicy, balsam-like aftertaste on the finish. A Viña Ardanza in its prime and with a long life ahead of it.

Critics' Tasting Note:

"Huge tropical fruit, coconut, vanilla spice and black fruit aromatics with a superbly concentrated palate and long, grippy, velvety finish. Superb!"

94/100 points, Decanter World Wine Awards, 2022

"Colour, dark-red cherry, garnet rim. Aroma, ripe fruit, fruit preserve, aged wood nuances, tobacco, sweet spices, scrubland. Flavour, spicy, round tannins, long, flavourful, elegant."

95/100 points, Guia Penin (Spain), July 2022

Also rated 94+/100 points by Wine Advocate and 95/100 points by James Suckling.

Pair with roast lamb, red meats and stews, barbecues, large game, spicy fish casseroles, smoked and aged cheeses, as well as chocolate-glazed desserts. Ideal as an after-dinner drink.