La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva 2020
The Wine
92 Pts Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 'The younger wine here is the 2020 Viña Alberdi, a versatile version of the Haro reds. It was produced with Tempranillo fermented in stainless steel and matured in American oak barrels for two years (it's sold as Reserva in international markets and Crianza in Spain). It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.6 and five grams of acidity. It has a classical nose of ripe fruit, American oak and spices, the subtle notes of forest floor, still young. The palate is velvety and very balanced with polished tannins. Approachable but should also age. 650,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2023. Drink 2024-2029.'
93 Pts Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com 'A classical, typical Rioja Alta red with elegant notes of vanilla, coconut, smoked spices and strawberries. Refined and suave, with fine tannins and a long, creamy finish. Juicy and elegant. Really approachable now, but give it two more years to get more mushroom complexity.'
The Details
Variety - Tempranillo
Country - Spain
Region - Rioja
Extra - Cork
Year - 2016
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
La Rioja Alta is one of the grand old Rioja houses of Haro. Founded (and still owned) by four wine growing families in 1890, this is both a bastion of traditional Rioja and a benchmark against which other wineries in the region are measured.
Long aged in bottle and American oak, and treated to regular, careful hand racking between barrels, La Rioja Alta wines are classically styled: medium bodied, slightly oxidative and full of secondary characteristics.
The new wave of talented young winemakers in Rioja may be pushing site-specific, modern wines and labelling the more traditionally styled as industrially made. At La Rioja Alta however, nothing could be further from the truth. Every step in the process is handled in-house, with the utmost care and dedication. All the wines are made from estate-owned vineyards, which have been converted to organic viticulture. All the barrels used for ageing are made by in-house coopers. And all the winemaking, blending, sorting and ageing are done with the sole aim of producing the finest possible wine.
The result is a striking reminder – despite changing times – of just how good traditional Rioja can be.
