2019 La Rioja Alta - Tempranillo Vina Ardanza Reserva (750ml)
La Rioja Alta was founded in 1890 in the Barrio de la Estación, the historic winemaking quarter of Haro in Rioja Alta, where it remains neighbors with fellow classical producers such as López de Heredia and Muga. The bodega has long stood as a standard-bearer for traditional Rioja winemaking, favoring extended aging in American oak over modern, fruit-forward styles. Viña Ardanza is among its most celebrated and enduring labels.
This Reserva blends eighty percent Tempranillo, drawn from thirty-year-old vines in the La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards near Fuenmayor and Cenicero, with twenty percent Garnacha from the La Pedriza vineyard in Rioja Oriental. After a seventeen-day fermentation, destemmed and vinified in stainless steel, the two varieties age separately in American oak barrels from the winery's own cooperage, the Tempranillo for thirty-six months and the Garnacha for thirty, before being blended and bottled.
In the glass it shows a bright cherry red with a garnet rim. The nose layers redcurrant, black cherry, and balsamic herbs with notes of clove, vanilla, and tobacco leaf. The palate is silky and polished, with fine tannins and a long, fresh finish. Pair it with wild boar stew, roasted pheasant, or a firm aged cheese.