2016 Vina Arana Gran Reserva
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Tasting notes
Classic coconut, toast and tobacco leaf notes immediately emerge from the glass, accompanied by vibrant sweet berry fruit, with spicy clove and cinnamon. The palate is still dominated by the oak at this relatively youthful stage, but with air the pure and vibrant, plummy fruit reveals itself. The tannins still offer grip but meld beautifully with the wine’s savoury intensity. Long and lithe yet with plenty of stuffing and gorgeous freshness, this will be even better if you can resist it for a few more years, enjoying over a decade to 2038.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. 95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano. TA 5.2 g/l, RS 1.4 g/l. Mature notes of coffee and black chocolate layer over the very savoury dark fruit; yet there is also tons of freshness, and the tannins are very elegantly integrated. The perfumed finish goes on forever. (FG)
The 2016 Viña Arana Gran Reserva is an elegant blend of Tempranillo with 5% Graciano matured in used American oak barrels for three years. During this time, the wine was manually racked from barrel to barrel, with the help of a candle, six times. It's ripe at 14.5% alcohol, with pungent notes of forest floor and truffles, dark spices and an earthy touch. It has a powerful palate, with very good freshness and acidity, reflecting the cooler year. It has some tannins that would welcome food. 60,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2021.
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.