At a dinner earlier this week, a vertical tasting of Reserva 904 Riojas demonstrated that La Rioja Alta, a winery founded in 1890, makes superbly crafted wines that age magnificently. The business was founded in the old railway quarter of Haro by five families including the Aranas, the Ardanzas and the Alberdis - each of these names now appear on the Reserva wines.
Alongside the starter of Serrano ham with figs, was lined up the 2010, 2009, and 2007. With the main course of roast lamb, the 2005, 2004, and legendary 2001, were a perfect match.
Each vintage showed subtle differences and every guest around the table had preferences for one or another, but the overall feedback was immensely positive. Even the three wines hovering around the twenty year mark clearly demonstrated that they could easily go on for another five to ten years.
La Rioja Alta’s ‘entry-level’ wine is Viña Aradnza, that has featured in these missives a number of times over the last few years. They have two flagship Gran Reservas: the 890 and the 904, the first being created in 1890, and the second in 1904. They are only made in the finest of vintages. Stylistically, the 890 is the richer brew, with the 904 possessing delicacy, finesse and elegance. Those characteristics were very clearly demonstrated over dinner.
Also within the stable are Viña Arana, launched in 1974, and Viña Alberdi, launched in 1978. In the years when no 890 is produced, the fruit goes to Viña Arana, and in the years where there is no 904, the fruit goes to Arana or Alberdi.
The company announced new vineyard plantings earlier this year, at a highish altitude: 800m. With a changing climate, the company has decided to move production to areas of higher elevation in the mountains of the Sierra de Toloño. This will help the company to make wines with higher acidity and lower alcohol levels.
Oak is at the heart of the ageing process at Rioja Alta. There is an in-house team of coopers producing their own barrels from wood imported from the US and air-dried on site in Haro.
Rioja sits in northern Spain. It is 100 km long running in a north-west to south-east direction straddling the River Ebro, and has a maximum girth of around 40 km wide in certain sections. The area is protected from the Atlantic weather by the Sierra de Cantabria, and the strident heat of central Spain by the Sierra de la Demanda to its south. The River Ebro flows towards the Mediterranean and this brings an influence along the valley.
The Tempranillo grape is the bedrock varietal for Rioja, accounting for nearly 90% of all plantings. It is ofter mixed with over permitted varieties: Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo (known as Carignan in France), Maturana Tinta, and minuscule plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gran Reserva 904 2010, La Rioja Alta
It is a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, aged . The Graciano is a tannic grape that produces wines with an intense red colour with violet hints and high aromatic intensity with a large, ample and silky taste. The harmonious balance that is created in the 904, with the Tempranillo and Graciano, provides the refinement for this Gran Reserva.
The 2010 vintage across Spain was excellent, and the Regulatory Council in Rioja awarded the 2010 vintage the official rating of “Excellent”. The harvest was completed just before the October rains and the resulting wines were a tremendous success.
Plums and blackcurrants dominate the nose with a hint of vanilla from the oak ageing. The palate has a complicated structure with fine tannins sitting alongside maturing vibrant fruit that has an ease and length that makes each glass a delight. This is classical, old-school Rioja that demonstrates polish, craftsmanship, attention to detail, with a dedication to produce a wine that will sit in the memory for many years. If you like Rioja, then it does not get any better.
With only 12,500 cases being made from this vintage, about the same as an average harvest at Château Margaux, then this could comfortable sit in your cellar evolving for at least another decade and much more. However, decanting the wine about an hour before consuming, it is drinking exceptionally well today. Will it still be lively by mid 2040s? Probably. Legendary status? I’d put money on that.
The 2010 is available from Berrys, Lay & Wheeler, and Hedonism. L&W are selling it, Duty-Paid, for £104.01 per bottle, and Berrys have it listed In-Bond at £300 for 6 bottles, that equates to approximately £62.00 per bottle once Duty and VAT have been settled: that seems very good value. If you would like to sample a single bottle to assess this wine, Hedonism are selling it for £75.00.
Next in line is the 2015 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 ‘Selección Especial’, and it looks very promising but from the notes I have seen. It will probably be a somewhat richer vintage than 2010. However, it will almost certainly be another wine that will age gracefully and provide many years of drinking ahead.