La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2017

La Rioja Alta S.A. Vina Ardanza Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2017

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 cherry red colour, marking the garnet on the edge of the glass. Of great aromatic power, first of fruity character (cherry, currant, red plum) giving way then to balsamic and spicy notes (pepper, licorice, clove, vanilla, toasted caramel and nutmeg). Fresh and balanced in the mouth, with fine and silky tannins. Ample aftertaste that combines red fruits and spices with a fresh and long character.

Critics' Tasting Note:

"2017 was not an easy harvest, but it produced some beautiful and classical wines, like the 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, which shows a little more advancement and polish and is ready to drink. It was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyard La Pedriza in Tudelilla. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 for the Garnacha (that was harvested 15 days later), with six rackings. It's ripe and aromatic, tertiary, with 14.5% alcohol and mellow acidity, a medium-bodied palate and sleek tannins. It has a pungent note of clove and pepper, some licorice and ink and the cherries in liqueur from the Garnacha. An updated classical Ardanza." Drink 2024-2034

94/100 points, Luis Gutiérrez, WINE ADVOCATE, February 2024

Also awarded 94/100 points by Tim Atkin MW (January 2024) 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.