1985 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Bottled December 1989. 75% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and some field-blended Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 42 months in American oak with an average age of 18 years. Best vintage for this producer since 1970. Medium garnet colour, with a very brown rim. Spice, mushroom, overripe strawberry, coffee, bright acid and gentle tannin that still gives shape. The acid is surprisingly high, perhaps sticking out very slightly. Still entirely intact in terms of fruit, though it is drying out somewhat. (RH)
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 1985 Reserva is beginning to reveal some brown at the rim of the glass. It offers up a lovely, ethereal perfume followed by a satin-textured, elegant, lengthy wine that captures the essence of traditional Rioja. La Rioja Alta was founded in 1890 in Haro, the capital of Rioja Alta, in close proximity to Lopez de Heredia and Marques de Riscal. The Bodega’s wines are all blends, there are no single vineyard wines, and all of the wines are produced from estate-grown grapes. During my visit in May, 2010, I had the opportunity to taste verticals of 2 of La Rioja Alta’s wines, Vina Ardanza Reserva and Gran Reserva 904. Vina Ardanza’s wines are labeled Reserva with three exceptions. In what La Rioja Alta considers the greatest years (there have been three to date, 2001, 1973, and 1964) the wine is called Reserva Especial. There are usually four vintages a decade of La Rioja Alta’s Gran Reserva 904. It is made from a blend of Tempranillo and Graciano and aged for 5 years in barrel and 5 years in bottle prior to release. Importer: Christopher Cannan, Europvin, www.europvin.com
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.