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B-21 Top Recommendation
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Renowned for "producing some of the region's best, most traditionally made wines," according to Josh Raynolds of Vinous, the lush 95 pt. 2016 La Rioja Alta Reserva Vina Ardanza checks all the boxes for lovers and collectors of classically styled Rioja, revealing enticing aromas of fresh, luscious dark fruit balanced by savory tannins and a long, spiced finish, elegantly structured to age effortlessly and value priced to enjoy often.
Setting up shop in the railway district of Haro in 1890, La Rioja Alta began as a cooperative effort of five enterprising families to produce well-aged Rioja equal in quality with the best wines of France, eventually merging with the Ardanza Winery in 1904 under the leadership of its iconic founder Don Ardanza and crafting their first release of the flagship Vina Ardanza in 1942. Now boasting over 400 hectares of organically farmed estate vineyards, La Rioja Alta sourced the Tempranillo for the 2016 Vina Ardanza from 35-year-old vines in the higher altitude Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards blended with Garnacha from the hotter and drier La Pedriza vineyard in Rioja Oriental, its nutrient-poor soil producing naturally lower yields. Producing the Reserva only in top vintages and employing traditional techniques including manual racking by candlelight, the varietals for the 2016 Vina Ardanza Reserva were aged separately in used American oak barrels for up to three years, slightly less for the Garnacha, with the final blend aging three more years in bottle before release, its extended aging yielding luscious red fruit hinting of toasty oak and spice with velvety, harmonious tannins
Declared a "great Rioja, as traditional as it gets" by the Wine Advocate's Luis Gutierrez, the sleek and elegant 95 pt. 2016 La Rioja Alta Reserva Vina Ardanza is a perfectly cellared and expertly aged Reserva from one of the region's top producers, promising Rioja fans pleasurable drinking for years to come at an easy to reach for price. |
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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.
95 points, James Suckling (Nov 2022)
The 2016 Vińa 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. 600,000 bottles produced. The wine was bottled in June 2020.
94+ points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Jul 2022)
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. 50,000 cases made, 9,000 cases imported.
93 points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator (Jul 2023)
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