Images are for illustrative purposes only and, unless clearly stated in the product title or description, labels and vintages may differ from those shown.
| Grape | 89% Tempranillo, 11% Graciano, Red Blend |
| Style | Dry, Red, Full Bodied, Red Fruits, Extended Oak Aging, Elegant, Silky Tannins, Sweet Spice, Cellar Potential |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Volume | 75cl |
| ABV | 14.5% |
| Dietary | Sustainable |
La Rioja Alta S.A. '904 Selección Especial’ Rioja Gran Reserva is a wine with the kind of charm that stops you in your tracks and makes you sit up and take notice. The aroma is immediately noticeable as soon as the bottle is open and by the the time it reaches your palate with its wild strawberry, red cherry, and plum notes mingling with hints of tobacco and cinnamon blossom you are already in love. Its smooth, polished tannins and fresh acidity create a delightful balance, perfect for small celebrations or a cosy evening by the fire. You dont want to share this with too many people. Pair it with mild meats, fish, or chocolate desserts, or simply enjoy it as a luxurious after-dinner treat. This elegant Gran Reserva still has plenty time if you want to cellar it.
Critic Review
Decanter Magazine: 94Pts
Drinking Window: 2025-2038
"Truly succulent and structured, this has an expressive nose of camphor, vanilla, rose petals and tobacco leaves. These hover over a thick bed of meaty plum, fig and black olive. Cedar, buttered toast and Christmas cake play in the background. Fine and vivid acidity sustains freshness throughout. Lovely spicy layer of cinnamon, nutmeg and white pepper. will benefit from a few more years in bottle to hone its structure and tannins."
Ines Salpico
About the Producer
Combining tradition and state-of-the-art technology, La Rioja Alta, S.A. is an iconic, world-class producer of classically-styled Reserva and Gran Reserva wines which undergo considerable cask-ageing in order to achieve La Rioja Alta S.A.'s renowned style. La Rioja Alta, S.A. was founded in 1890, in the old railway quarter of Haro, by five families including the Aranas, the Ardanzas and the Alberdis - their names are now celebrated on each of the Reserva wines. The company gradually expanded, and in 1996 a new purpose-built winery in Labastida was completed, focussing on improving quality and enabling the purest expressions of fruit to be showcased in the wines. Oak is at the heart of the ageing process, and La Rioja Alta, S.A. boasts its own in-house coopers who use artisanal methods to produce their own barrels from wood imported from the US and air-dried on site in Haro. Traditional manual racking takes place by candlelight every six months, and the vines are sustainably farmed. Their award-winning wines consistently receive accolades world-wide and in 2022, La Rioja Alta, S.A. was declared the ‘World’s Fourth Most Admired Wine Brand’ by Drinks International.
Vineyard and Winery
The Tempranillo grapes are carefully selected from vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno. A small proportion of Graciano comes from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor, which adds backbone to the blend. La Rioja Alta is committed to respecting and protecting the environment. In the vineyard, treatments are limited, investments have been made into clean energy sources and water is reused. Insect shelters have been installed in vineyards, promoting environmentally-friendly plant health defence while increasing the biodiversity in the vineyard. The grapes are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness.
Following meticulous sorting on optical selection tables, only the perfectly ripe grapes were fermented, using indigenous yeasts. Alcoholic fermentation took place in tank and lasted 21 days, followed by malolactic conversion. In the following January, the finest wines were selected to age in American oak barrels which had an average age of 4.5 years. After four years in barrel and traditional rackings by hand and candle-light every six months, the final blend was bottled and received four years' bottle-ageing.
Reviews
Net Orders Checkout
| Item | Price | Qty | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtotal |
£0.00 |
|||
| Shipping | ||||
| Total | ||||