Ardanza 2019 - De-classified Gran Reserva for £20 per bottle IB (excluding duty and VAT)

La Rioja Alta, Ardanza, Reserva, Rioja, 2019, 6x75cl – £120 per 6 IB

La Rioja Alta is the most luxuriant and hedonistic producer amongst its illustrious peers in Haro. A benchmark producer, they are known for traditionally crafted Rioja and famed for their eponymous 890 and 904 brands. Established in 1890, their core Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva lines: Alberdi, Ardanza and Arana are named after the founding families, all of whom are still shareholders. These wines are the springboard into the estate’s top tier wines, and they seldom disappoint from a price to quality point of view.

The estate’s commitment to offering a Rioja Reserva in their mid-range means that they choose to declassify Vina Ardanza from what is technically a Gran Reserva. It goes through the same arduous ageing requirements as any top Gran Reserva but does not bear the extra ageing on the label. The wine is a classic blend of Tempranillo (80%) and Garnacha (20%). As ever the wines are aged in used American oak barrels made by in-house coopers where they stay for 36 months followed by a further three years in bottle.

2019 was a stellar year in Rioja – Excellent, according to the Consejo Regulador. Critically it is being compared on a qualitative par with the revered 2001 and 2015 vintages. Unsurprisingly, La Rioja Alta have outdone themselves with this iteration of Ardanza. It is bright, fragrant and spicy, with classical La Rioja Alta notes of polished leather, mahogany and clove. That said, they have clearly scaled back the new oak and that shines through in the pervasive fruit profile. It boasts an impressively vibrant and refreshing core of red and black berries, cherries and ripe plum, as well as some alluring baking spices with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. This impeccably made (Gran) Reserva will appeal to traditionalists and modernists alike – its irresistible flavour profile and immaculate balance make it a joy to drink now, but it will provide abundant pleasure over the coming 10-15 years.

“No 2018 was produced, so after the 2017 I tasted last year, we jumped to the 2019 Viña Ardanza Reserva, produced with a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha. It fermented destemmed in stainless steel and aged in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 months for Garnacha, and was blended before bottling. 2019 is a very good year for them, a small crop of powerful and concentrated wines when they produced all their brands, an exception. This is spicy, structured, balanced and powerful in this warm year, reaching the customary 14.5% alcohol and keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.5 grams of acidity. It's still very young and undeveloped, with the classical profile, generous in American oak aromas and flavors that should slowly integrate in the wine with years in bottle. For them, 2019 means a change in Ardanza, less spicy (but still quite spicy, with clove, vanilla and tobacco leaves) and with more fresh fruit from the Garnacha. But the year is a modern version of 2015. 500,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2023. No 2023 or 2024 will be produced either.” 94 Points, Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate, (Tasted Feb 2025) Drink 2025-2038