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Red dry
La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 Rioja DOCa 2016 is one of the classic benchmarks of the “old school” Rioja. Long aging and careful selection give the wine a refined, elegant structure, but at the same time leave plenty of room for long development in the glass and bottle.
Aroma. Intense, multi-layered: wild red berries, black cherries, blueberries, and later - nuances of aging: tobacco, black pepper, tea leaves, coffee, mocha, vanilla and cinnamon. The whole is united by a fruity, subtly balsamic tone.
Taste. In the mouth - a refined balance between maturity and freshness: silky, polished tannins, very neat acidity and a long, elegant aftertaste, leaving echoes of spices and noble oak.
Terroir. The Tempranillo grapes are selected from the Rioja Alta area (Villalba, Briñas, Rodezno), while the Graciano grapes come from the historic Montecillo estate in Fuenmayor.
Winemaking and aging. Hand-picked in small crates, double selection (including optical sorting), natural alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Aged for 4 years in American oak barrels (average barrel age ~4.5 years), with traditional racking every 6 months; bottled in May 2021.
Serve at 16–18 °C with mild meat dishes, fried or stewed fish, as well as chocolate desserts; also great as a slow "after-dinner" wine.
uch a deep and complex gran reserva with richness and depth. Genuinely intense and harmonious, with cigar box, pine cones, black mushrooms and high-grade wood and vanilla. Juicy, flavorful and really long. Goes on for a minute, if not more. Such a hedonistic Rioja that delivers sheer pleasure. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. Drink or hold.
I tased again the stellar 2016 Gran Reserva 904, which is nothing short of being spectacular and a textbook example of the grand traditional style. It was produced with 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano from a selection of vineyards in search of balanced wines with silky tannins, good acidity, character, length and aging potential. The élevage is long, four years in used barrels that average 4.5 years of age, during which time the wine is manually racked every six months. It's ripe with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.61 and 5.4 grams of acidity, but the wine is super fresh and complex, with aromas of cigar box, dry tea leaves, balsam, aromatic herbs, camphor, antique furniture and tobacco. It's elegant and intense, with pungent flavors and very good freshness, and it's silky-textured and nicely structured, with volume, clean, intense and long. This is a very complete year for this wine. It's ready, but it should last; it hasn't really moved an inch from last year. 120,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2021.
Bodegas La Rioja Alta is undoubtedly a representative of old Rioja, exceptionally valuing and cultivating the region's traditional winemaking methods. Their “Gran Reserva” wine is aged for no less than six years in barrel and a further two years in bottle before reaching the consumer, embodying patience and mastery. The high-altitude vineyards of La Rioja Alta, with their unique conditions, lend a subtlety to the wines, sometimes even reminiscent of Burgundy’s ‘Pinot Noir’. While the La Rioja Alta group also includes wineries in Galicia (Rias Baixas) and Ribera del Duero (Burgos), it is their traditional Rioja style that remains their hallmark.
Wine Style
La Rioja Alta wines are characterized by elegance, complexity, and longevity. They reflect the harmony between Rioja terroir and traditional winemaking.
Prestigious Vineyards
La Rioja Alta manages high-altitude vineyards in the Rioja Alta region:
These unique vineyard characteristics and meticulous work in the vineyard are the foundation for the distinctive character of La Rioja Alta wines.
Aging and Drinking Window
La Rioja Alta wines are crafted for slow enjoyment. The long aging process in oak barrels and bottles imparts exceptional complexity and harmony. While these wines can be enjoyed in their youth, their true potential unfolds after many years of bottle aging. They are wines valued for their longevity and ability to improve over time.
