Their Greatest Vintage Since 1964
"One of the finest vintages." -Parker
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"Very impressive... Juicy, creamy finish lasting a minute. Really elegant and layered. It goes on and on. A real Rioja Gran Reserva and I recommend buying a case!" 98 Points, James Suckling
PLUS Their Reserva Ardanza Stunning Value:
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Dear Artisans,
One of the world's most iconic collectibles released what is likely one of their finest vintages to date with the 2015 vintage - and we still have a few bottles left. This is the first time they have ever labeled the Gran Reserva 904 with their coveted 'Seleccion Especial’ designation, and this wine is absolutely deserving.
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La Rioja Alta is one of Spain's the world's greatest and most beloved wineries. For 132 years (since 1890) they've made classically elegant and polished Rioja wines that are always released after many years aging in their cellars. They do all the work, you don’t pay the price. It’s a perfect arrangement.
Regarded by many as the greatest Rioja wines ever, they offer insanely high-quality for prices so low they seem like typos.
Burgundy lovers take notice!
For those of you not familiar with La Rioja Alta, this wine has been a Cult Classic for decades.
The wine spent four years in barrel and then, once bottled, another five years aging in the bodega's cellars. The result is a wine that is drinking extremely well today, almost a decade from the vintage...plus it will continue rounding off its fine bouquet in the bottle over time.
Reflecting the excellence of the vintage, as well as its power, this is the latest in a superb run of 904 Gran Reservas. These delicious wines can grace your cellar for years to come but are also so delicious to drink now and whenever you please. Talk about brilliant investments for your cellar! Wines like this rarely come at such a gentle price.
On top of that, we have two other excellent variations on the Rioja theme from La Rioja Alta: their new 2019 Viña Alberdi Reserva and the 2016 Viña Ardanza Reserva. Both - like their big brother the 904 - can cellar effortlessly for years, or you can enjoy them now (with a bit of decanting, por favor). Whichever one(s) you choose, don't miss out on these delicious reds!
Salud,
—James Tran
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2015 La Rioja Alta 904 Seleccion Especial Gran Reserva
98 Points - James Suckling:
"Very impressive complexity and width on the nose, showing lots of savoriness with mushrooms, sandalwood, cedar, sweet spices, dried oranges and tobacco. Really even and juicy on the palate with fine and very present tannins. Juicy, creamy finish lasting a minute. Really elegant and layered. It goes on and on. A real Rioja Gran Reserva and I recommend buying a case! The first vintage that La Rioja Alta labelled ‘Seleccion Especial’. So appealing now, but this will evolve well in the next 20 years."
97 Points - Penin Guide:
"COLOUR: cherry, garnet rim AROMA : balanced, complex, ripe fruit, spicy, fine reductive notes, meaty notes, earthy notes FLAVOUR: good structure, flavourful, round tannins, balanced, great length." (5/2022)
96 Points - Tim Atkin, MW:
"One of a pair of current releases of 904, both of them from warmer vintages, this delightful 2015 is a felicitous cuvée of Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. All sourced from higher altitude vineyards, this will reward further time in bottle, showing classic sweet spices, fine tannins, layers of red and black fruits and chalky freshness."
95 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"They used the words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk to define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo. The grapes were sorted optically for the first time, and they fermented in stainless steel where the wine went through malolactic too. The wine was put in barrel in January 2016—used American oak barrels built by their own coopers—where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. They thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and have decided to hold it and release the wine around March 2023; it will be marked Selección Especial, the first 904 to do so, as they have very high hopes for this year and believe it's one of the finest vintages. They think it will develop the sophistication in the palate with a little more time and that is should achieve the silkiness that is the signature of 904. This is very 2015; I saw quite strong tannins in all the 2015 wines I tasted from Rioja Alta. Drink 2024-2035." - LG (7/2022)
95 Points - Vinous Media:
"Vivid ruby. Expansive red and blue fruit preserve, tobacco, potpourri, spice and botanical herb aromas, with vanilla and smoky mineral notes emerging as the wine opens up. Sappy, penetrating and gently chewy on the palate, offering vibrant, mineral- and spice-accented black raspberry, bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that deepen and turn sweeter on the back half. Shows sharp focus and floral lift on the impressively long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind notes of candied blue fruits and spicecake. Drink 2025-2036."
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Varietal Composition: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano from 40-year-old vines
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Alcohol: 14.5%
- 3,200 cases imported
- 5 cases in stock now!
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2016 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva
95 Points - James Suckling:
"Savory and complex with dried orange peel, cedar and plenty of sweet spices, walnuts, caramel, dried mushrooms and pine needles. Shows maturity here, with a medium body and superb freshness. Incredibly long finish with lots of truffle and walnut. Lasts over a minute. Very complete now, but you can still hold it." (11/20/22)
94+ Points - Robert Parker's WA:
The 2016 Viña Ardanza Reserva was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha that matured in used American oak barrels for three years, where it was hand-racked from barrel to barrel six times in the case of Tempranillo and five times for the Garnacha, as it had a slightly shorter élevage of 30 months. Against all odds, I found the 2016 to be fresher than the 2015 and less developed, despite the fact that winemaker Julio Sáenz told me he considers it a warmer year. But I have found many wines I like in 2016, and the wine feels very clean and quite harmonious, younger and less developed, with more primary notes and a velvety mouthfeel. Drink 2022-2032."
94 Points - Tim Atkin, MW:
"Ardanza is a traditional pan-regional Rioja that marries Tempranillo from Cenicero and Rodezno with 20% Garnacha from Tudelilla. Aged in lightly toasted American barrels, it's sweet, spicy and complex, with leather, wild strawberry and red pepper notes, fine, scented oak and the freshness of the vintage. 2024-32." (2/2023)
94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
Ruby colored to the eye, this wine has a bouquet of blackberry, saddle leather and clove. Tannins come on full-bore but are offset by vibrant acidity and bright flavors of pomegranate and red currant. Soft spice notes and a sense of earthiness linger on the taste buds.
94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
Huge tropical fruit, coconut, vanilla spice and black fruit aromatics with a superbly concentrated palate and long, grippy, velvety finish. Superb!
93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"An intriguing red, with steeped raspberry, balsamico, dried black cherry, iron and iodine aromas and flavors. Silky on the palate and finely knit, this is a rich, medium-bodied red that offers supple tannins. A lovely example of Rioja in a more traditional style, this should open well in the decanter or with time in the cellar. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Best from 2025 through 2033. 9,000 cases imported."
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Varietal Composition: 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha
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Alcohol: 14.5%
- 9,000 cases imported
- 30 bottles in stock now!
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2019 La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva
92 Points - James Suckling:
"Attractive aromas of sweet spices, smoke and seaweed. Some roasted nuts. Hints of Iberico ham. Medium-bodied with a nice rounded character to the tannins and juicy fruit. Pure tempranillo. Drink now." (October 2023)
91 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 Reserva Viña Alberdi is 100% Tempranillo, sourced from Labastida, Rioja Alavesa and aged for two years in American oak barrels. Garnet in color, the bouquet features vanilla and ripe plum notes along with hints of balsamic and caramel. Dry and juicy on the palate, the polished tannins and silky flow lead to a fairly nimble finish—a delicate Rioja red." – Joaquin Hidalgo (Apr 2024)
91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Hints of toast, smoke and spices lace flavors of soft cherry and plum fruit, mandarin orange peel and dried flowers and herbs in this well-knit, medium-bodied red, framed by lightly chewy tannins. Drink now through 2029. 46,000 cases made, 16,500 cases imported." - AN (Jun 2024)
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Varietal Composition: 100% Tempranillo from 40-year-old vines
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Alcohol: 14.5%
- 16,500 cases imported
- 34 bottles left
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