La Rioja Alta - Viña Ardanza Reserva 2016 (750ml)
Price: $42.99
| Producer | La Rioja Alta |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Varietal | Proprietary Red |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Savory and complex with dried orange peel, cedar and plenty of sweet spices, walnuts, caramel, dried mushrooms and pine needles. Shows maturity here, with a medium body and superb freshness. Incredibly long finish with lots of truffle and walnut. Lasts over a minute. Very complete now, but you can still hold it.
Rated 95/100 James Suckling
The 2016 Viña Ardanza Reserva was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha that matured in used American oak barrels for three years, where it was hand-racked from barrel to barrel six times in the case of Tempranillo and five times for the Garnacha, as it had a slightly shorter élevage of 30 months. Against all odds, I found the 2016 to be fresher than the 2015 and less developed, despite the fact that winemaker Julio Sáenz told me he considers it a warmer year. But I have found many wines I like in 2016, and the wine feels very clean and quite harmonious, younger and less developed, with more primary notes and a velvety mouthfeel. 600,000 bottles produced. The wine was bottled in June 2020.
Rated 94+/100 The Wine Advocate
James Suckling: 95 Points
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
