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 Notes:

"A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Drink or hold." 

95/100 points, Zekun Shuai, JamesSuckling.com, September 2023 (#38 Top 100 Wines of Spain 2023)

"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

"Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha." Drink now through 2032

92/100 points, WINE SPECTATOR, August 2024

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

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.