This Gran Reserva has great aromatic complexity, with notes of wild strawberry, red cherry, plum, blackberry and cranberry combined with aromas of tobacco, brioche, ground coffee, caramel, cedar and cinnamon blossom. The alcohol and acidity are elegantly balanced on the palate and its polished, gentle tannins and freshness provide a smooth and refined mouthfeel. Fine, delicate and very long aftertaste.
Production: Tempranillo was the first to be harvested, followed 23 days later by the Graciano. All the grapes were placed in small boxes and transported in refrigerated vehicles to preserve the integrity of the fruit. This vintage was the first that the grapes were optically selected, berry by berry, so only those that met strictest quality standards were chosen for this wine. Alcoholic fermentation in tanks lasted 21 days and was followed by malolactic fermentation. In January 2016 the finest wines were selected to age them in American oak barrels with an average age of four and a half years and made by our own in-house coopers. After four years in these barrels and traditional rackings by hand and candlelight every six months the final blend was bottled in February 2020.
Serve at 16-18 °C with grilled meat, game stew, Spanish ham and sausages, semi-hard cheeses.
A perfumed nose of plums, mulberries, mushrooms, caramel, sweet tobacco and sweet spices. Full-bodied with velvety, fine tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and supple with a creamy texture. Delicate and precise with a long, polished finish. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. Drink or hold.
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. There are some 150,000 bottles of this.
"La Rioja Alta" can be called the representatives of the old Rioja, because the winery adheres to the traditional winemaking methods of the region. Gran Reserva wine is kept in barrels for up to 6 years and in the bottle for another couple of years before it reaches the final consumer. The vineyards of "La Rioja Alta" are located at a high altitude. Due to such conditions, the wine somewhat resembles Burgundy Pinot Noir wines. The La Rioja Alta group also owns wineries in the regions of Galicia (Rias Baixas) and Ribera del Duero (Burgos).
