2017 Rioja Reserva Viña Ardanza

Tasting notes:

Their benchmark Viña Ardanza is the little brother of iconic Gran Reserva 904. Made with 80% Tempranillo sourced from 30-year-old vines and 20% Garnacha sourced from an old vineyard sitting on pebble stones, similar to Rhone. Hand-harvested, only perfectly ripe grapes are included in the blend. Tempranillo is aged for 36 months in used American oak barrels while Garnacha spends 30 months in it.- Vibrant and aromatic with notes of spice, balsamic, liquorice, clove, nutmeg and black pepper notes, this is a joyful wine well-balanced, fresh, with soft tannins. Outstanding value.

Producer description:

Rated within the top 50 ‘World’s Most Admired Wine Brand 2023’ from Drinks International, La Rioja Alta S.A. is one of Spain’s most prestigious wineries and has always strive for perfection through both traditional and innovative processes. This is one of the best addresses in Rioja and one of the rare wineries to release their wines late. In addition to the century-old winery in Haro, they have a state-of-the-art winery in Labastida, where they grow their own grapes. They also manufacture their own barrels (they own 30,000 of them) which they constantly monitor individually during the maturation process.