Tastings, winery:
Av. Vizcaya, 8, 26200 Haro, La Rioja, SpainBuy online directly from the producer:
https://www.riojalta.com/Experimental phase: initial rating derived from official awards and critic reviews
James Suckling - 95 points
2023
La Rioja Alta's Viña Ardanza Reserva 2017 is a distinguished red wine from Spain's renowned Rioja region. This vintage is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha grapes. Bottling occurred in March 2021. In the glass, it presents an intense cherry red color with garnet hues at the rim.
The nose offers outstanding aromatic intensity, featuring spicy and balsamic notes of licorice, clove, nutmeg, and black pepper, complemented by subtle hints of ripe red fruit. The Viña Ardanza Reserva 2017 has received critical acclaim, with James Suckling awarding it 95 points, describing it as "a more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries.
La Rioja Alta is a renowned Spanish winery established in 1890 by five local growers in Haro, La Rioja. Over six generations, the winery has been dedicated to producing high-quality wines, specializing in red varieties such as Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano, and Garnacha.
Their flagship wines include Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904, named to commemorate significant dates in the winery's history. La Rioja Alta owns approximately 425 hectares of vineyards in the Rioja Alta region, ensuring control over grape quality.
The winery employs traditional winemaking techniques, including aging wines in American oak barrels crafted in their own cooperage. In addition to their Rioja operations, they have expanded to other prominent Spanish wine regions, owning wineries such as Torre de Oña in Rioja Alavesa, Lagar de Fornelos in Rías Baixas, and Áster in Ribera del Duero.