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La Rioja Alta winery is one of Spain’s most famous wineries and Rioja’s crowning glory. The winery is highly regarded for their trio of Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904 and Vina Ardanza Reserva. These wines are loved for their Rioja elegance and longevity in the bottle. Of the three, only Vina Ardanza Reserva is priced below S$100. It’s in that sweet spot where you get great wine at a price that doesn’t put a dent to your weekly grocery budget.
Vina Ardanza Reserva 2015 is made from Tempranillo (78%) and Garnacha (22%). The Tempranillo comes from high altitude vineyards in the Alta subregion of Rioja while the Garnacha comes from the Baja subregion on the plains. The Tempranillo with its trademark balance of dark fruits and leathery notes forms the skeleton of the wine. The Garnacha with its opulence and rounded fruit profile is arguably its soul.
Vina Ardanza Reserva is made only in years that provide excellent conditions. Since 2010, there had only been 3 releases including the current 2015. A lot of careful attention is put into crafting this wine. The grapes for the Ardanza are harvested by hand from estate owned vineyards and transported to the winery in refrigerated trucks to ensure optimal conditions are preserved between harvest and crush. With the 2015, La Rioja Alta employs for the first time an optical sorter that scans each berry as it moves across the conveying table. The scanned image is compared against an image of the perfect fruit the winery wants. Any berry that doesn’t meet the standard is automatically removed by a gust of compressed air into a separate hopper. This process ensures that only perfect berries make it to crush.
The Tempranillo is aged for 36 months in American oak barrels. The Garnacha is aged for 30 months also in American oak barrels. The American oak tannin and aroma profile is sweeter and softer than French oak. La Rioja Alta is one of the few wineries in Spain who have their own coopers. The winery buys American oak staves and its coopers dry, toast and make barrels according to the winery’s specification. The 2 wines are then blended together and bottled, after which they spend another year or so in the bottle before commercial release.
With the amount of work put into a wine that doesn’t get produced every year, it’s a huge surprise that the final product is priced below S$100. I’m not sure how the return on investment for the Ardanza looks for La Rioja Alta, but as consumers, we’re glad to have it on our weekly drinks list. For a limited time, we’re raising the quality-price value even higher. We expect this offer to be taken up very quickly so hurry if you want a piece of the pie.
Our Deal
Usual Price: S$99. Now: S$79 6 – 11 Bottles: S$74 (promo code: ADA6) 12 bottles and more: S$69 (promo code: ADA12)
Here are some reviews by wine critics if you want third party affirmation.
"A rich nose of raspberry, crushed strawberry, blueberry, coconut, cedar and sweet spice. It’s medium to full-bodied with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Creamy, balanced and layered with vibrant, spicy character. Long and polished." - James Suckling, 96 points
"Bright beacon of freshness, layers of dark cherry fruit, with hints of a bright Garnacha. Fine and soft tannin, lots of mocha and cacao. Juicy, lively, with a long finish. A model blend, excellent." - Decanter, 93 points
Life is too short to drink bad wine. Have fun!
Best regards, Wong Peng Chung (Kenny) Founder and Chief Wine Drinker
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