La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 2016
The Wine
96 Pts Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate 'I tased again the stellar 2016 Gran Reserva 904, which is nothing short of being spectacular and a textbook example of the grand traditional style. It was produced with 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano from a selection of vineyards in search of balanced wines with silky tannins, good acidity, character, length and aging potential. The élevage is long, four years in used barrels that average 4.5 years of age, during which time the wine is manually racked every six months. It’s ripe with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.61 and 5.4 grams of acidity, but the wine is super fresh and complex, with aromas of cigar box, dry tea leaves, balsam, aromatic herbs, camphor, antique furniture and tobacco. It’s elegant and intense, with pungent flavors and very good freshness, and it’s silky-textured and nicely structured, with volume, clean, intense and long. This is a very complete year for this wine. It’s ready, but it should last; it hasn’t really moved an inch from last year. Drink 2025-2046'
96 Pts Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous 'The 2016 Gran Reserva 904 (90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano; Rioja Alta) was aged in American oak barrels (average barrel age 4.5 years) and racked every six months. On the nose, vanilla, tar and mushroom lead, followed by leather, tobacco leaf, dried dates and a subtle iodine note. The palate is supple and finely structured, with polished yet firm tannins. Tertiary nuances linger on the finish, where the oak lends classical Rioja elegance. Drink 2026-2050'
The Details
Variety - Tempranillo, Graciano
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.
