La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 2001
Price:$36.00 $32.40 Save $3.60 (10%) 750ml SKUMS-SRA-091 |  |
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Price:$35.00 750ml SKU3419 | |
With a history that dates back to 1890, La Rioja Alta has been committed to producing high quality, cellar-worthy wines for over a hundred years. And yet, only three times in its history has it made this wine: Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial. Located in Haro, La Rioja Alta is a 473 hectare estate, 360 of which are planted to vine on limestone soil.
2001 was a vintage which flirted with disaster. All manner of potentially ruinous weather conditions befell the region, including an April frost, inordinate heat, a lengthy drought and, possibly most troubling of all, torrential rainstorms towards the end of the growing season. What didn’t kill the vintage, however, made it stronger. The wines from the 2001 vintage are dark-hued and concentrated, with spectacular aromatic complexity.
After fermentation the wine went into casks in March 2002. It spent 36 months in American oak an average of 3 years old. Bottling took place in September 2005.
“Clear and brilliant dark cherry red. Medium-high robe, with an incipient iodine tone on the rim of the glass. Intense, spicy and balsamic aromas, including coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and mint chocolate, over dry nuts. Structured and balanced to the palate, with silky tannins. A pleasant, sophisticated after taste, which fills the mouth with never-ending sensations which time will enhance.” – Winemaker’s Notes
Wine Advocate
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.
Score: 94.
—Jay Miller,
June
2010.
All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages and ratings subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability subject to change.
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