La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial

97/100 JS Incredible aromas of flowers such as violets and orange blossom with dark fruits and sweet fruit tea. Full body, very dense and powerful yet polished and refined. Dried fruits with praline and pie crust. Unique wine that everyone should try once, if possible. Very balanced. (James Suckling, jamessuckling.com) 94/100 PP The current release is the 2001 Reserva Especial, a deeply colored wine with a lovely perfume of cinnamon, lavender, incense, balsamic, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, velvety-textured, and already complex, it will continue to evolve for another 5-10 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2036. For those seeking immediate gratification, it has the virtue of being approachable now. La Rioja Alta was founded in 1890 in Haro, the capital of Rioja Alta, in close proximity to Lopez de Heredia and Marques de Riscal. The Bodega’s wines are all blends, there are no single vineyard wines, and all of the wines are produced from estate-grown grapes. During my visit in May, 2010, I had the opportunity to taste verticals of 2 of La Rioja Alta’s wines, Vina Ardanza Reserva and Gran Reserva 904. Vina Ardanza’s wines are labeled Reserva with three exceptions. In what La Rioja Alta considers the greatest years (there have been three to date, 2001, 1973, and 1964) the wine is called Reserva Especial. There are usually four vintages a decade of La Rioja Alta’s Gran Reserva 904. It is made from a blend of Tempranillo and Graciano and aged for 5 years in barrel and 5 years in bottle prior to release. (Jay S Miller, robertparker.com) Der Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 2001 ist nach den herausragenden Jahrgängen 1964 und 1973 erst der dritte Jahrgang, den La Rioja Alta als Reserva Especial eingestuft hat. Viña Ardanza gilt als Inbegriff einer klassischen Rioja Reserva und ist in Spanien auf den Weinkarten erstklassiger Restaurants nahezu immer vertreten. Die Marke Viña Ardanza wurde bereits 1942 registriert und geht auf Don Alfredo Ardanza zurück, der 1904 sein Weingut Bodegas Ardanza mit der Bodega La Rioja Alta zusammenschloss.  
36 Monate in amerikanischer Eiche, anschließend Flaschenreife auf dem Weingut
Bewertung robertparker.com: 94/100, Bewertung Daniel Nussbaum: 93/100, Bewertung Jahrgang: *****/*****, Bewertung James Suckling: 97/100