2015 Rioja Gran Reserva 904
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Tasting notes
Quintessential oak complexity on the powerful and generous nose. One of the few wines in the world that you can really be confident about when blind: that sweet vanilla essence is so prominent. Mushy black fruit with sweet cherry as well. Satisfyingly traditional, and even though it is 100% ready to drink, these wines are famously ageable too. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Always happy to taste any of the Rioja Alta wines. No surprise that this is benchmark stuff. Great balance of sweet fruit, elegant oak and texture. (AWH)
Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa . 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano. Four years in American oak. TA 5.5 g/l, RS 1 g/l. Pale crimson-brick hue. Lean and savoury, with pure red fruit – pomegranate – and a gentle salted-almond note. So elegant and long, with a deliciously salty finish. (FG)
I tasted again the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno, with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo Vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo that I had already tasted in mid-2022 before the wine was released. Time in bottle has done it some good, polishing the strong tannins that are the signature from 2015, though they are still not fully resolved, and a few more years in bottle will do it good. It's tasty, very classical, balanced and fresh. Impressive for such a powerful year. It was bottled in March 2020 after it matured in used American oak barrels for four years.
About the producer
Based in Haro, La Rioja Alta is one of Rioja’s most famous, traditional wine producers – alongside the likes of López de Heredia, Muga and CVNE.