La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 2016

Cellar for up to 20 years. Decant 1 hour before serving. La Rioja Alta began life in 1890 as a collaboration between five local growers who wanted to export their wines beyond Spanish borders to new buyers in France. The new winery was established right next to the train station in Haro, enabling the rapid expansion of the estate which is now regarded as a leading producer of traditional-style Rioja reds. In 1904 the winery merged with Bodegas Ardanza, gaining some of Rioja Alta’s finest vineyards in the process. This milestone is commemorated with this Gran Reserva 904 which is predominantly made from 60 year old Tempranillo vines planted in Rodezno, Briñas, and Villalba. There’s also a small amount of Graciano from Montecillo to add grace and elegance to the finished wine. The grapes are carefully crushed once in the winery and allowed to ferment spontaneously over 75 days before being transferred to American oak barrels. After almost three years of ageing the wine is then racked eight times and the final blend is bottled the following year. It’s a graceful yet robust expression of Rioja, with ample red plum and cherry notes deepening into more savoury and earthy flavours on the palate. A great wine to cellar for a few more years or to pair with hearty fare like game, a prime steak, or beef cheeks served with creamy polenta.