Community Tasting Notes 252

• grappagunnar Likes this wine: 92 points

  April 13, 2024 - Decanted 1,5 hours but could maybe have needed more time.
  In my opinion and based on this bottle this is starting to get into my preferred drinking window.
  Really nice traditional feel and taste, really happy to have several more.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• DevenStephens Likes this wine: 94 points

  April 1, 2024 - Story time: This wine has a big sentimental value to me. Drank this for the first time with my wife when we married 4 years ago and it was our "splurge" wine back then. I've had all vintages since then and explored a lot more Rioja. I was so happy when I found 2 of these at auction, the same vintage me and my wife drank on our covid lockdown honeymoon. Brought the bottle as a surprise for my wife at a BYOB restaurant we love and drank it there for our 4yr anniversary.
  
  Now for notes! Dark ruby color with some minor bricking. The cork was in perfect condition. The newer vintages are a bit more dark fruit forward but the 2009 has started getting less fruit and more tertiary notes. Even so, you still get red cherry, strawberry and raspberry on the nose as well as the palate. Vanilla and coffee on the nose. Leather, tobacco, dill and cedar on the palate. This one was in a high acidity phase so I think it'll be better in more time. Tight tannins and a medium finish. I'll probably open my other bottle in 2029 as it's showing no sign of being over the hill. Love LRA and their entire line-up.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 91 points

  February 25, 2024 - As before, a bit modern in style but very good. Plenty of oak but it balances with all the ripe red fruit.

  Comment

• jonboy74 Likes this wine: 92 points

  February 20, 2024 - still fantastic. primary lovely high acidity soft tannins gobs of fruit. phenomenal qpr at original purchase price. ardanza delivers the goods time and again

  2 people found this helpful Comments (1)

• Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 94 points

  January 11, 2024 - The cork crumbled a bit on the corkscrew, but was no ullage to worry me.
  
  Wide-bottom decant for 2 hrs, tasted at room temperature in my kitchen.
  
  N....dusty wood (cedar), ground coffee, some cigar, medium intensity only. Interesting. I liked it.
  
  C.... Light to Medium body; red with a hint of fade on edge.
  
  T....Did I say "Dry"? Sure did, it's dry. Beyond that it's a classy glass of wine with lovely concentrated fruit, intense flavours. Coffee, wood, molasses, liqorice, ripe fruit - there's shedloads going on, if you worked in Advertising in the 80s you'd maybe say. "it's busy". Gentle tannins, seductive mouthfeel.
  
  Drinking very well at 14 yrs but not actually mature. Feels like it'll be a 95+ wine when mature. At 18-20 yrs?
  
  VFM/QPR?.....I've forgotten what I paid for this yrs ago but today it feels like it's worth at least £50.00

  2 people found this helpful Comments (4)

Pro Reviews 9

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2009
• Type Red
• Producer La Rioja Alta
• Varietal Tempranillo Blend
• Designation Viña Ardanza Reserva
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Spain
• Region La Rioja
• SubRegion La Rioja Alta
• Appellation Rioja
• UPC Codes 4418832821087, 8410537050126, 8413529821087, 8437024184041, 890841002031

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 127 (2%)
• In Cellars 3,615 (50%)
• Consumed 3,561 (49%)

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