Ardanza 2010… opened a full bottle at 5pm and all gone by 6pm with the help of the Boss of the house. So so good. This isn’t a tannin attack at all, much more approachable to my last bottle in 2021. Very long, concentrated deep red fruits. Soft and silky, not blocky at all. This is excellent and will be brilliant.
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Dans une belle phase actuellement, le boise est integre, belle concentration, souplesse, un beau rioja. Va se bonifier sur 10 ans, mais procure deja du plaisir.
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Only 2 left from the original 6 and I can’t see either of the bottles making to old age although I am really interested to know what another decade of bottle age does here. This is intense. A lot of powerful tobacco and leather notes, as would be expected, however the tannins are soft and there is some cherry in the finish. Not getting the orange peel that another review highlighted, but the finish is long and complex with much to pick out. Should have bought more!
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92 Gran vino. Color insultantemente joven, granate cubierto. Toneladas de vainilla y tostados en nariz, elegante. Fruta roja. En boca es muy elegante, suave, ya integrado, con un tanino muy fino y con acidez perfecta. Le queda muchísimo tiempo de evolución por delante, pero ya es un vino muy rico. Esperaría hasta 2030 para la próxima botella.
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Every bottle of the 4 I had has impressed the guests who have tasted it. Sad to say I only have one left. It has a black cherry with a hint of tobacco on the palate that I really like.
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Very close to my previous note in February. More leather on the nose, I'd say, but hard to calibrate with ten months between. Still an outstanding wine for the moderate price.
Very nice, couple of years since prior bottle. More open, lovely rich red and black fruit, leather, balanced, good length. Excellent with a caramelized garlic tart and a wild mushroom tart. Too Boxerbee note is spot on.
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Popped and poured. Not usually a fan of these due to oak flavor, but time in the bottle softened this, and the rich flavor went well with string cheese and meat. Great value for money.
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C.....tawny edge, rest is orange/red, looks medium-H body.
T......dry end of medium-dry; bold flavours alc, wood, ripe red/black fruit, dusty earthy character, easy tannins, a lovely interesting glass of wine. Not yet actually mature but in an agreeable drinking phase, no doubt will be even better later on; lovely balance and plenty of charm.
VFMoney?......feels like £50.00 but costs half that. A £24.00 bargain.
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Deep nose, with cherry, dried strawberry, orange, tobacco, vanilla, coconut, and aceto balsamico. On the palate, it displays great freshness and well integrated oak. Orange zest dominates the aftertaste. Complex, elegant and long, with admirable intensity. Surely, the best Ardanza I have had so far. Serve at 16-18 degrees C. Drink now - 2043.
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Really hitting its stride now. Oak still there but receding and wine coming into balance. Great depth and overall balance. Great match with slow cooked lamb. Gorgeous wine.
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94/95. In 5 years+ this will be a 95. A profound lightly sandstoney, vanillary, minty, leathery blue and black fruits wine with excellent zingy length! My last couple of glasses. 13.5%. Needs 8-9 hrs aeration. Wonderful value at 23 Euros. I wish I had more. Will try the 2016 at Christmas 2024.
Served more or less PnP. Turned out to be fairly ready to go, even if it's still rather youthful in its expression. There's plenty vanilla and candied cherry fruit on the nose, but since it has transformed into something slightly more composed than at release, where it was borderline vulgar and milkshake-y. There's a fresh acidity on the palate, plenty of fruit, and the tannins are fairly resolved. Drink now or save it 10-20 years more, I'm sure it'll hold up extremely well.
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94/95. Had 0.375. My last bottle out of a case with leathery lightly clovey diesel oil, four square blackberries, sandstone hints and mint + a zingyish medium length finish! I will see if I can get anymore! 13,5%. Lay down 10-20 years+. This is PnP but normally this needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Best value wine under 25 Euros! I bought it for 22 Euros which is outstanding QPR.
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Big wine that does exactly what it says on the tin: warm, rich red fruit and plenty of stylish American oak. Not overly complex at this stage (and NB this was a magnum), but damn it tastes good, and excellent with some hearty stuffed chicken.
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Spectacular. Camphor, sweet cedar and luscious dark fruit plays cascades on the olfactory senses with a interpay of dark chocolate and ripe plum notes on the balanced and juicy palate. This is in such a good spot right even though it can age further. IMHO, it’s in it’s sweet spot. 96-97 points. A wow wine. Glad I have another 5 bottles.
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Another excellent bottle. Smoky dark fruit, good length on the finish. A great example of the good value that LRA can provide. It is a Reserva so does not quite provide the profound experience that some Rioja can demonstrate but this is a very good wine. Many years of life left.
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Seems to be be in the the window right now! Still yong and fresh. Red cherry, good balance with noticeable tannins and acid. Lot of development the last two years.
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Beaucoup de cerise mure et de bois mais le nez est époustouflant ! L’opulence de ce vin est super bien équilibré par l'acidité qui nous fait presque saliver. Un Rioja haut de gamme qui me procure un grand plaisir dans l'immédiat mais il pourra aussi traverser les décennies. Splendide !
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Beautiful on night 1 but lost power on night 2. Notes from night 1. Brownish red color. Great nose of sweet/savory elements - dark cherry, all-spice, pipe tobacco and strawberry. On palate, similar flavor profile with medium body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and long finish. 93++
Odd that it was not as good on night 2.
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Served cool to start but this was class all the way. It has a distinctive Ardanzarity I've had in previous vintages. A little coconut and vanilla for sure but in super balance with the fruit. Reminiscent of cranberry juice with that refreshing tartness and juicy finish.
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Sadly my last bottle of I think about 7 in total of this cuvée. Drinking well as always. Not sure I see a need for massively extended aging but I also doubt it will hit the downward slope any time soon.
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Prior bottle was 2 years ago and the wine has taken a clear step forward in that time, exceeding my prior expectations. Black cherry, red cherry, oak, vanilla, earth and sweet spice notes on the nose. Seemed slightly deeper and more complex on the nose than previously. Just above medium bodied with red cherry and red berries upfront, but adding black cherry through the middle. Whereas my prior bottle felt like the mid-body has less depth, this bottle clearly showed both more depth and more density through the middle. It gained expression both the longer it was open and the closer to the backside you came. Fine grained tannins, vanilla, earth and minerals carry through the finish. This fine felt very well balanced overall and while it remained rounded and open through the middle, it showed more depth and more complexity than prior bottles. Showing quite well now and bravo to those who have bottles for the years ahead; your patience will be fully rewarded as this wine starts to fully revel how special it is. While this was my last bottle, I'll be on the lookout for more....
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Victim of events. Brought to large group in mourning thinking it would be a nice distraction. No way to decant and no one touched it. My few sips were distracted but seemed to indicate some decline in quality from my last tasting of this wine. The depth of body and complexity of flavors was not in evidence. Shame. Lesson learned
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Deep ruby color, with some browning around the edge. Pronounced aromas of cherry, spices, dried herbs and charred wood. Flavors consistent with aromas. Medium tannins, acidity and alcohol. Beautifully long finish.
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94/95. Half bottle. My second to last bottle, this is consistently fantastic with full on leathery, chewy blackfruits, diesel oil lightlish spice and decent acidity and longish a bit unknit length. Improves with 7-8 hrs aeration. Needs a lay down of 10-15 years easily. But can be drunk with pleasure in the next five so long as you aerate it sufficiently. Up to Gran Reserva level in 2010.
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Father's Day wine, paired with beef filet and a rich pan sauce. Last one was about 18 months ago and the notes look similar. Middleweight with a kiss of oak. Very nice nose of berries and some earth. Showing a bit of age in a relaxed restrained style. An enjoyable bottle of wine. Drink or hold.
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First bottle from case. Nose and palate both pretty much as described by others, just a bit less so IMO. Sedate, restrained, middling. A comfortable wine but offering no excitement. An old style Rioja, nice, but so laid back as to be on siesta.
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Double decant made a huge difference - after 2+ hrs total air time this opened up like a totally different wine on 2nd pours, even our hosts were like WTW?! Delicious red, blue, and black berries and earthy complexity with impressive balance and a silky long finish - booyah!
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94/95. The last of the old style Vina Ardanza at 13/13.5%. Now its like a Chateauneuf du Pape. at 14.5%. Has aromas of mint, shale, leather, licorice, parchment, blackberries, diesel oil, raspberries and plums and clovey hints. Its solid medium bodied spherical and near profoundly structured lightly clovey black, blue and red fruits palate has wonderful depth, nice zinginess and ends mediumish, tangy and dryish. 13.5%. Lay down 20-40 years. Got this for 25 Euros! Outstanding value! Needs 7-8 hrs aeration. This will never be elegant like the 2005!
This presented very well, if a bit young. Classic flavors, but they're underdeveloped at this point. The oak and tannin need to resolve more, too. Still lovely to drink with great balance. Lots of upside — I'd hold if I had more.
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Ripe and rounded flavors of deep black fruit, coffee, burnt cherry, mint, black pepper and toasty oak. Great midpalate balance with nuanced complexity pushing through to a sweet albeit brief finish. 1st of 3 bttls. Drinking beautifully now but should hold well for quite some time.
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80% Tempranillo from 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. 20% Garnacha from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja). Natural fermentation, Tempranillo aged 36 months in American oak barrels of in average 4 years and the Garnacha for 30 months in American oak barrels of two and three wines. Total Acidity 6.0 g/l, alcohol 13.5% vol.
Decanted 2 hours before dinner that helped a lot and longer would not have harmed. On the nose berry potpourri, sour cherry, forest floor and a hint of tar, on the palate fresh with a good structure and balance, the oak is well integrated and requires good attention to be noticed, medium+ bodied and long finish.
Classic Rioja Reserva from an excellent vintage, quite elegant and superb with food. Already very good now if giving it enough air and it will be a pleasure to follow it up during the next 18 years. Why buying expensive prestige wines if you get this for sfr/€ 25 at release.
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour. This is as exciting as I remember the 2001 having been at a similar age, but darker and more concentrated. Perfectly balanced, traditional Rioja-oaky scent, with no mustiness, funk or mould (take that, Tondonia!); scintillating, vivid entry, knife-edge poise between bright acidity and fresh, dark, supple red fruit; mid-palate sumptuous, velvety, much broader and richer than expected, but without ever becoming heavy or sugary; gorgeous, tingling finish. Great now, surely stable for another decade, and with much, much longer ageing potential. Superb wine, superb value. 93–94P
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Unbeatable for the price. For me at least as good as tondonia reserva for almost half the price. Still some improvement ahead - 93+ now. Still quite young. Decades to go.
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This was enjoyable, drank well and felt balanced. The oak and acid elements were unobtrusive and nicely integrated "already" (at year 13), and I think on that front it may only get better.
Overall, this was enjoyable, but based on numerous glowing professional and CT reviews, I had hoped for a bit more "magic" and verve. Maybe just me or this particular bottle... Will likely wait 2+ years before revisiting.
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Checking in with this wine which I haven't looked at for a couple of years I think, and it is developing nicely. The oak feels a little better integrated. Nice, high toned red fruit characters still prevail. Lovely drinkability here and plenty of time left to drink.
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My 4th bottle of 8. This was decanted for one hour on Day 1, back into bottle and served (about 2 hours later), with the remainder then stored for one day with Vacuvin. Note from Day 2. Ruby. Lots of oak and funk notes on the nose. Concentrated and complex on the palate, with that old school slightly oxidized taste that you find in traditionally made Rioja. Tannin in the finish. This is not the modern style, nothing like say Muga. But this is an excellent (and special) wine and was a great value when initially available at about 32 bucks. Enjoyable now but will last for another 10-15 years. For those that want old school Rioja - done right. (91-93). As an aside, this was served initially, for those familiar, at Pmac's 2/23 Duck Dinner, alongside many stellar wines. Also note that (unless I am mistaken) this cuvee, unlike the other offerings from this producer, has some granache in the blend.
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Dark ruby yet transparent. More fresh than rich, but it is all in fine balance here with scents of dark berries, a hint of herbs, leather and a faint whiff of oak. On day two, there's no oak to be found whatsoever., but more of a boiled sweet kind of fresh fruitiness. Points say on the verge of excellent, but when you consider the moderate price it is extraordinarily good value.
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Classic Ardanza on the nose (yet with more of the heavy toast notes than previous bottles).
Heavy dark fruit and oak in the mouth with mouthwatering acidity and lovely balance. Moderate and enjoyable tannins.
This was lovely, the best glass was the last and even after almost 12 hours of decanting it hadn’t opened up. Needs more time to mature or even heavier decanting.
There are significant bottle variations (all good, just different) with the 2010 Ardanza. Looking forward to testing the next one.
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Deep ruby. Pronounced with aromas of violet red cherry black cherry tomato leaf mint vanilla cloves forrest floor vegetal dried cherries. Developing. Dry high acidity high alcohol high tannin full bodied. Medium plus intensity with flavours of red cherries vegetal vanilla. Medium plus length. Very good wine. Balanced, good complexity especially on the nose. Good length. Good to drink now with potential to age. I think will go well with grill seafood, red meat, roasted pork, tomato based stew/pasta. paella. Yums.
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Wow, this was singing tonight. Gave it about an hour of air. Beautiful cigar box notes with cherry and vanilla. I couldn't stop smelling this. Excellent, as expected, with Spanish fare. Glad I have one more!
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The wine still feels a little unresolved. Nose with a very clear hint of oak. Flowers, chocolate and ketchup. On the palate there is sweet and sour fruit, hints of blood orange, perfume and heavy, malty fruit. Still have to lay a few years...
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Second wine of the night. Decanted with Houdini via the stainless steel aerator. Drank from the decanter over 2 hours. Loved it. Finish was especially nice with bright red berries (cherry/currant). Tannins were fully resolved. This wine is drinking beautifully right now. Another hit from a great vintage.
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Obviously young but really drinking great now. Delicious sour cherry fruit, leather, forest floor. Nice touch of oak. Rich and full with juicy acidity. If one prefers the younger side of traditional Rioja, no reason to hold any longer. If one prefers more ethereal and delicate Rioja, this can hold for much longer.
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Very dark and brooding color; the nose is typically Ardanza as I remember it. On the palate the wine has more tannin than what I am used to from this producer. Acidity is present but not obtrusive. Compared to past bottling it does seem to lack depth, breadth and complexity. Looking up my last tasting note of 2020, the oak has attenuated faster than I predicted. Harley was probably right: I am not sure that this producer is - for my taste - on the right track with the change in vilification that has taken place...
A little mellowed from 2 years ago, but still young. Nicely perfumed nose, American oak, medium body, shortish finish. Give it more years or long decant.
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This felt a little heavy on its own, but came into its own with some lighty spiced food, the acidity shining brightly, plenty of lovely ripe cherry fruit with a little spice, a bit of heat on the finish on its own, but a lovely glass of wine and I’m glad to have some in storage that I won’t worry for a fair few years yet. 13.5%
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Beautiful aromas once first opened and as it evolved. Red and Black cherry, dried rose petals, forest floor, spice notes, and sour cherry. Nice acidity and medium tannins.
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Has lifted aromas of sandstone, iron infused raspberries, leather, cherries, clove hints and diesel oil. This punchy wine is almost profound on the juicy a bit foursquare lightly clovey medium bodied palate which ends mediumish, zingy and tapering. 13.5%. Lay down 10-20 years Needs 4-5 hrs aeration. The best under 25 Euros wine I know.
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Decanted for 8 hours. It needed it! Rich, concentrated, fabulous acidity with a very long lingering finish. I think it has just started to drink well provided you decant for a minimum of 6 hours or so.
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90 pts for now, decanted 3 hours and consumed over the next 4 with the best glass at the end of that period. Still has to much vanilla /oak that took 7 hours to blend. 3 days later tasted the last left over to be rewarded with a far superior drink.. If drinking now I will be decanting the night before using
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much better than my last experience a year ago. This is starting to come round and showing itself to be a very nice rioja with more potential upside. It's not all about the oak this time round, the fruit is deeper and rounded and the oak gives a creamy lick of vanilla. This will continue to improve over a few years yet and I look forward to tracking the progress off my case over time
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This is in a very good place. Youthful but without baby fat, classically styled, balanced, with secondary notes just starting to come in. Should hold up well for a few more years and potentially improve a bit as well. Screaming value when I purchased it in 2019. Bottle 1 of 6.
Had out at dinner at Urban Wren.
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WSET 3 tasting group get together (Utrecht): [Not tasted blind as it was my bottle] My first bottle of a case; 5 hour decant. Guesses from the group were Pomerol and SuperTuscan, everybody really surprised to find such an elegant rioja (even more so when hearing its €20 price tag). I was also very happy with the performance of this bottle; medium+ intensity on the nose with cherries, violets, leather, some animal tones, strawberry, spice, black currant, black plum, pencil shaving, forest floor, vanilla, blue berry. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins and a long and lingering finish. Just great and amazing joy and complexity, the wine kept developing in the glass. Looking forward to the development of the rest!
Intensity medium (+). Red cherry, red currant, blue plum, blueberry, cranberry, violin, cream, dough, cigar/tobacco leaf, ceder, vanilla, clove, humus/leaves. Acidity medium (+). Tannins medium. Finish medium (+). Very smooth and surprisingly good wine. Not your ordinary Tempranillo style, but nicely balanced.
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1hr decant then drank over a couple of hours. Certainly opened up over that time. Dark red with some bricking on the edge. Rich and full on the nose, lots of vanillary oak - as you'd expect! Still a little dark fruit on initally on the palate, quickly giving way to a layer of oak and a very long, finish with a fair lick of tannin. A very well balanced wine, still with some years ahead, but certainly showing that potential now. This really is first rate old school classical Rioja that will only improve.
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I purchased two bottles of this vintage and they both were magnificent. Wines that restored my faith in the possibility of excellence at a fair price. Elegant is how I'd describe this wine. Perfectly balanced in every way. I've had other vintages and have enjoyed them on some level, but 2010 is special.
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Not much to add from my other notes below but this is consistently excellent (especially for the price) and with an hour+ in decanter begins to open up and bloom beautifully. Layers of complex red fruits, jam, toasty bread and oak, spices, and oak tertiary note eg vanilla. Wonderful nose.
Wonderful structure and balance. Long, complex finish.
Remains my go-to wine to show to friends just what a fine wine can be.
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Very enjoyable. Light bricking at the rim. Perfumed nose of tobacco and flowers. Nicely balanced, long in the mouth, soft drying tannins. Can definitely go for a while longer but great now. Terrific QPR.
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My 3rd of 8. This is finally starting to resemble the wine raved about in the reviews on this platform. One hour decant. Initially an off-putting scent that lifts to reveal an intensely aromatic old world nose. Concentrated and complex on the plate. As I noted 2 years ago, this is not for everyone, but for fans of old school Rioja, this is the real deal.
Double decanted, needed 20 min to blow off, then beautiful nose and palate of red fruit, raspberry, cherry, vanilla, a bit of oak and spices. Medium body, silky tannins, juicy acidity ending in a tart, sweet finish, a bit short. Still primary, but oh so delicious now. Great classic Rioja, I’ll drink my other two in five and ten years.
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Some slight browning at the rim. Superb nose of black cherry, plum, forest floor, sweet spice. - a hint of tertiary aromas with leather. This just smells like it’s lots some baby fat in the past 2 years. On the palate, ripe fruit dominates up front but then quite delicate through the mid-palate with well balanced acids and a mineral, earthy finish. This has certainly developed a lot in the past few years showing some class and elegance in place of exuberance. This is going to hit a spectacular sweet spot in around 6-8 years I’d guess. Unfortunately, I only have one left but will hold onto it until then. This is excellent.
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Cork Vault Bottle Share 9.1.22 (Charlotte, NC): Popped and sampled both from the bottle and after a decant – was tasty initially but superior following the decant. Intense aromas of rustic cherries seemingly throwing off heat. Delicious and concentrated on the palate – ripe strawberries and cherries with some bramble for good measure. Ripe, fresh rioja with some sexy finesse. Great tonight with years and years ahead of it.
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The fruit is emerging as distinct from the last bottle, very nice Rioja still evolving and at the moment still to much oak showing, will it be absorbed, twelve years in it should have by now, still that dark colour and no obvious rim fading in this bottle, gave it a couple of hours decant.
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No notes from this tasting. Still very good (as usual) but perhaps didn't give it enough time to really open and bloom tonight - wasn't showing as much complexity as usual.
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Brilliant. Shedded all the baby fat that was present nearly 3 years ago. Wine is refined and nuanced, the nose bursting with a plethora of aromatics. The clarity is evident from all the racking… all the wonderful elements of oak without the bitter tannins or angularity. This wine is holistic, charming, immediately accessible. Bravo
Still dark but starting to loosen. Oak a little prominent on first day but much more integrated on day two and still going strong for the final quarter bottle on day 3. Still needs a few years to reach peak but delicious now
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A blend of Tempranillo (80%) from 30-yo vines and Garnacha (20%) from La Pedriza vineyard planted at high altitude in La Rioja Baja, all picked in mid-October. This is the third vintage that was made completely from fruit sourced from estate vineyards (traditionally at least a part of Garnacha has been purchased). Fermented and macerated in stainless steel, aged in stainless steel tanks until March 2011. The Tempranillo wines were aged for 36 months in American oak barriques averaging 4 years old and the Garnacha wines were aged for 30 months in 2nd and 3rd use American oak barrels. Blended and bottled in May 2015. 13,5% alcohol, 6,01 g/l acidity and pH 3,56. Total production 50,000 cases. Tasted blind.
Moderately translucent and very slightly evolved black cherry color with a pale rim. Very big and sweet-toned nose dominated by classic Rioja aromas of vanilla and wizened figs, some leathery tones, a little bit of ripe red cherry, light toasty notes of mocha, a hint of redcurrant jam and a touch of cloves. The wine is dry, firm and surprisingly fresh on the palate with a medium body and rather oak-driven flavors of vanilla and toasty oak spice and with notes of fresh redcurrants and wild strawberries, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of clove, light sweeter notes of dried figs, a funky hint of sweaty leather saddle and a nice bitter touch of sour cherry. The structure relies mostly on the rather high acidity and somewhat noticeable bitterness, as the ripe and quite gentle tannins mainly contribute to the silky texture of the wine, rather than to the structure. The finish is rich, long and gently grippy with layered flavors of vanilla oak and clove-driven spice, some toasty oak tones, a little bit of dried figs, light red-tone notes of redcurrants and wild strawberries, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of old leather.
I honestly thought of La Rioja Alta from the first sniff and with the first taste I thought this must be either Ardanza or Arana, from a relatively recent vintage. Close enough - right with the first guess. However, although very recognizable for the house style, the wine still felt a bit unbalanced: first off, the nose was not only bursting with vanilla notes, but also showing quite a bit of toasty mocha oak character, which felt a bit out of place for a LRA wine. Furthermore, the wine otherwise came across as a bit more evolved than I anticipated for a 2010 and only from the quite unresolved structure and still very prominent oak tones I guessed that this must be a relatively recent vintage - otherwise I would've went with a vintage 10 years older! Nevertheless, I'd say that the wine might be just lacking in age; it might now feel a bit awkward, but there seems to be good promise for future evolution (even if the tannic structure was surprisingly soft and mellow for a 2010 LRA!). The wine really could use some additional aging and I guess it needs another 10 years or so before it really starts to come together. What I've learned from drinking young and old Ardanza is that these wines really can take on some aging and they really benefit from it.
Surprised to find that this is ready now. Lighter body than anticipated. Oak is integrating but still prominent. Fruit is ripe and fresh. I’m sure this has years to go but its so much more advanced than my last bottle from 75cl.
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I did not keep contemporaneous tasting notes, but this was excellent. More full bodied but well balanced. Classic Rioja profile with red fruits, leather, earth and telltale dill from the American oak. Compares favorably to a Gran Reserva 904. Just entering its ideal drinking window with more improvement ahead. Drink now -2040.
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Encore une fois, le boisé est omniprésent en ce moment, pas mal trop pour moi. Prunes confites et mures avec un peu de poivre, profile animal et un brin rustique. Tannins serrés et finale longue, asséchante et avec une peu de chauffe. Jeune certes, va t'il se replacer...éventuellement, possiblement!
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Great nose, invoking toast and butter with vanilla and jammy notes from the oak. Ripe, almost sweet red strawberry and cherry. Palate toasty oak - toast and butter - with ripe red fruit,. Lots of layers of fruit, oaky tertiary notes, spices and a touch of earthiness.
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Had this with steak. Initially the attack is mostly on barrel treatment but after 1 hour the fruit comes out. Mostly blackberry and raspberries and the finale is mostly on sandlewood and spices. Terrific focus and length …. Seemed still young more upside
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94/95. Almost profound! Has aromas of leather, shale, sandstone, diesel oil, raspberries, vanilla hints, cherries and mint. Its impressive medium bodied lightly oaked , zingy black, blue and red fruits palate has lovely foursquare depth +deliniation. Ends longish, fresh and tangy. 13.5%. Got this for 25 Euros which is amazing value! Lay down 15-20 years+. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Does not have the 2005's Burgundian elegance.
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Like all La Rioja Alta Riojas that I’ve tasted this is a well made wine. The nose is delicious & would be worth the price but add in a wonderful wine and it’s a bargain. A worthy Selección Especial.
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Pop and pour, drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. I love how this wine has such energy and lift. The balance between earth, fruit and savory acid keeps this wine light, yet it goes great with a steak.
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80 % Tempranillio, 20% Garnacha, 13.5% abv. Garnet on the rim. Quite simple but bold expressions; cherry, tabacco and cedarwood. Acidity is medium to high and nicely balanced with tannin. I am quite sure that even non-Tempranillio fan can enjoy this bottle well.
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Open two hours. Garnet color. Warm earth and vanilla aromas. Balanced entry. Cherry, strawberry jam flavors and then they drop off a chalky cliff and seem to cling. Plus finish. Elegant, yet structured. Really interesting. 91
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Nose toasted oak, blueberry, strawberry jam, hint of vanilla. Strawberry, raspberry palate with buttery toast and a certain jamminess. Ripe grapiness. Hints of mature tertiary notes and truffles along with liquorish. Long finish, good acidity and balance.
Very easy to drink and enjoyed all round. There were a few 'non wine people' around the table who proclaimed after drinking this, they'll never buy a cheap bottle from the supermarket again! And at such a great price, why would they!
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A very pretty red for sure but we have not done it justice as it was opened at the end of a very long wine dinner and frankly at a time when palate fatigue ruled supreme. Felt sorry for it frankly.
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Brick red. Lots of vanilla/coconut on first opening. Some spice and red fruits later in evening. At its best night 2 with more leather/raisin notes but still maintaining freshness.
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Nachverkostung/Update, siehe frühere Bewertungen. Die Jg. 2012 und 2015 sind fetter und haben mehr Alkohol (hier nur 13,5%, 2012 und 2015 jeweils 14,5%). 2010 ist mein erklärter Liebling, ich hatte aber mehrfach Korkfehler (Zufall?). Wenn er singt, ist der Wein aber grandios, besonders zu diesem Preis. Wunderbare, charmante rote Frucht, natürlich viel Holz (das sich mit Zeit immer besser einbindet) und eine unsterbliche Säure. Ich glaube nicht, dass für diesen Preis (ca. 22-25€) irgendwas besser reift. (95 - +?)
Quite dark, rich and intense. Drinking nicely, but better with some more age. Very classic Rioja Alta. Nice mix of red, black and blue fruit, leather and slightly balsamic. Lovely. Bit hard to rate at this moment, lots of potential... NR. Probably 92 points now with some upside with cellaring
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NR. The ninth of my case -- I've really loved this wine. Unfortunately today's was slightly corked. Evi felt it was "too tannic," which it definitely wasn't. I think she was smelling the cork.
In any case, it went well with the goulash. Hopefully the last three will be better.
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Una Noche con Ropa Vieja (Chez Nous): Dark cherry, spices and coconut on the nose. Dark red fruits predominate the palate and are given considerable forward momentum by a good acidity. This acidity is well integrated with sandy round tannins thus containing the momentum within a defined structure. Finishes long and satisfying.
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Our latest bottle and a “quiet” one. Double decanted three hours before drinking. This bottle was less vibrant, less intense than previous bottles. Still a very good Rioja and very much a Rioja.
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This was one of the most beautiful Rioja's I have ever had. Lighter in body, but with great fruit. I feel an almost electric beam of verve throughout its journey across the palate. Lovely old world nose. Would have never guessed that this was 12 years old. So lively; it could go for 20 more years.
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Decanted for 4 hours, I think it needs more time to improve, the acidity was a bit jarring & it overpowers the wine. No doubt it will be excellent but not yet for my tastes.
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A couple of years since the previous bottle. The wine is starting to get around. Light mint, dill, dark and tart fruit. Still a bit oaky, but it's about to lighten. This has many good years ahead of it.
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Pale garnet, aromatic and intense showing a lot of sherry, blackberry, plum and licorice. Bright acidity, medium to full bodied with powdery tannins. A serious and well made wine. NI:4, FI:22, FC:8, B:4, L:3
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First from case. Opened three hours then decanted two hours. Deep colour. Initially oak dominates but the fruit and spice comes through. Excellent mouthfeel , tight fruit . Tannins there and acidity. Good to drink now but plenty of improvement ahead as it comes together.
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2nd of 6 by tasting group, my 1st. Ardanza is one of the few wines that I think I can pick out from a blind group because it has such a distinctive palate. It usually has a somewhat oaky nose, which does not come through so much on the palate. There is big, bright fruit front and middle with a tart finish. None the less, I also find Ardanza to be one of the least consistent wines within a given vintage, maybe due to the range of barrels used to age it. However, this bottle was excellent throughout the tasting. Afterward, it began a slow decline from its pedestal.
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93/94. Half Bottle. Has full on aromas of leather, shale, parchment ,diesel oil, raspberries, plums, mint +kirsch and clove hints. Its spectacular punchy nicely oaked juicy,chewy medium bodied palate has wonderful depth, lovely texture and layers and ends longish, lightly zingy and tapering. I would love to try the 904 2010 but it is probably a 95 pointer and this is half the price and almost as good currently. The value on this is insane at around 26 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 6/7 hrs aeration. Lacks refinement compared to my favourite vintage the 2005 which is zingy, red fruited beautifully concentrated, satiny nicely vaniila oaked and ultra long, tangy and beautiful with Rare Lamb fillet dishes and patatas bravas with Mediterranean salad.
Definitely needs plenty of air time if opening now. Drank over three nights, and this showed best on night three. Will try to forget about my remanining bottles for a few years.
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I have tried to be patient with opening my first bottle but cracked on last night with cepes and duck confit. What a thrilling bottle-- a rare moment when critic hype converges with reality. Subtle but beautiful Middle Easern spices on the nose and a voluptuous mouthul of goodness with weight and balance. This is ready for full enjoyment now with a good long decant (2 hours) and will be exciting to grow with
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Great wine overall, similar to a good Bordeaux blend, decant 30 minutes, better as it warmed and aired in the glass. Second night stiil good but with less complexity. Approaching peak now.
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I’m yet to buy into the hype of this vintage. This was my second bottle and still didn’t wow me as it has some of the reviewers. Double Decanted seven hours earlier. Despite this I still think it needs more breathing time because it still didn’t come across as fully open. An initial whack of vanilla oak is followed by red fruit notes with a slightly austere finish. It showed signs of improvement as we got towards the end of the bottle having spent some time in the glass. Next bottle I’ll try decanting for longer or holding on to the rest of the case for a few more years in the cellar
Drinking well, nice floral lift. Reserva nuances all there. Roasted and lactic infused meats/charcuterie, and leather. Acidity nice and good for more age.
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Stunning silkiness, beautiful tannins. One to enjoy with your favourite hearty meal, but can be drunk alone. Fruit and structure combine to harmonize my experience. Heady and addictive, the fruit is pure, refined and quite rich. Enjoy!
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92 Precioso color rubí brillante, bastante cubierto. Nariz clásica de buen Rioja, con su madera de calidad, sus tostados y vainilla. Bastante fruta roja bien madura por detrás. En boca es estupendo, limpio, frutal, con buena estructura y un tanino muy fino. Se está construyendo un gran vino, pero es muy disfrutable incluso ahora. Merecerá la pena esperar algún año más para la siguiente.
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Tasted after 2001/2005/2009 Ardanza and next to 2010 904. Brooding and backward on the nose: dark fruit, tobacco, sweet spices, orange peel, hint of floral notes. On the palate finer tannic structure compared to the 2009, a little cooler and more elegant as well. Grippy, vibrant, good concentration of fruit. Very long. Needs a couple of more years to fully integrate but is of course a worthy successor to the 2001 Reserva Especial. 93-94+
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Nose- tobacco snd forest loam. Palate - light acidity, medium body and mouthfeel, medium finish. Pairing - margaritas pizza snd arugula with viniagrette. Very pleasant.
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Decanted 30 minutes as it seemed a bit tight on opening. Lovely nose from get-go! Most impressions as last bottle a year ago, though this never seemed to quite even out, staying a tad acidic, thus quite nice but with a touch off note compared to prior bottle. Thinking I'll let next bottle sit a while. Still very enjoyable with grilled lamb chops, garden tomatoes, potatoes and parsley.
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See a copy of my note from 1 year ago. This wine has now taken on a new dimension. If you haven't had a bottle for a while, now is the time to find one and crack it open. Still plenty of room to improve further though.
"Drinking this has made me realise I should be buying way more Rioja. Absolutely super bottle. The nose has so much character. Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry, forrest aromas, dusty leather, cola, bbq'd pork fat and soft herbs, bound in perfectly judged oak. This is the sort of wine where you can get lost in the nose and smell aromas that you aren't even convinced are real. The palette is a tad less impressive, but still fabulous. Rather tight at the moment, with quite a strong acidic backbone which gives great freshness. With air it definitely opens up more, but this wine is indeed only just starting it's journey. Excellent value at CHF 29. Easily 95+ in a few years." 92 points, August 2020.
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93/94. Wonderful. Has full throttle aromas of diesel fuel, leather, earth, vaniila hints, flowers, raspberries, minerals, cherries+figs. Its medium bodied opulent red, nicely vanillary blue and flowery, meaty zingy fruity palate has an opulent middle and ends super long, fresh and tapering. A 95 on the last sip! 13.5%. Only 24 Euros. Amazing QPR. Needs 7-8hrs aeration. This is a lot better than the overwrought 2012. But my favourite Ardanza is the 2005 for its zingy, elegant vaniila infused red fruits, lovely depth and length. It is more typical than this.
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Lovely nose of dark fruit, meat, blackberries, and iron. Great balance between the fruit and savory notes. Tons of acidity on the palate with more red fruit leaning flavors, cherries, and herbs. Long finish. I really liked the weight of this wine, it’s light on its feet with fresh acidity but has quite a bit of fruit and stuffing to add oomph. Quite impressive and phenomenal for the price. 94+
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First bottle of 18 (including six magnums). Very happy with the purchases, especially given I've recently had some LRA wines with offputting amounts of dill pickle-ish American oak. Decanted a few hours in advance, based on some recent experiences posted here, but that didn't seem necessary as the wine was broadly (and deliciously) the same both before and after. Really vivid and addictive on the nose, with plenty of ultra-ripe fruit and a lovely aromatic framing from the oak. The sense of concentration carried through onto the palate, with huge weight of fruit, hints of leathery interest and the sort of gourmet, truffley quality one seeks in Pomerol. Long, long palate-staining finish.
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Bottle 2 out of 6 and a distinct improvement after an already solid start. Much more interesting experience - oak much less evident, more cherry and a trace of liquorice on the finish. Very smooth, so much so that my wife enthusiastically joined the party and before I could blink the bottle had gone…
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Nose: Black cherry, black raspberry, leather, dusty rackhouse, fresh rain on gravel, a faint wisp of light roast coffee.
Palate: The black raspberry note is much more up front. Red tart cherry, leather, a bit of milk chocolate, and light roast espresso to round it out.
Takeaway: Rock solid Rioja with a big raspberry-milk chocolate-truffle thing. If the price was still down around $30 I'd buy it by the case, but now that it's creeping up to $40-50, I think Muga may be a better value proposition despite the slightly more modern style. 3.5/5
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Prior bottle was exactly a year ago and the wine has evolved positively in that time. Opened about two hours ahead of time and drunk over an additional two hours. Nose continues to show red cherry and red berries, all underlain with a pleasant earthiness on one hand and more floral qualities on the other. Medium bodied and felt noticeably more open and rounded than my prior bottle, while the fruit profile remains a mix of brighter red berries and softer red cherry. The mid-body did have a touch less depth than I recalled from my prior bottle and from what I expected for today. However, I felt this was balanced by how well defined the fruit was and the balance with the tannins, earth, spice and mineral notes on the back and through the finish. Balance and purity are the strengths of this wine and I'll plan to open my last bottle in June or July 2022.
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Only just starting to open up, tasted alongside the 07, which is now displaying it's maturity beautifully. Greater things to come for the 10, try and hold a few bottles!
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Eight months on from our last bottle and this certainly seems to have settled down quite a bit. The nose was a lot more restrained and on the palate the wine was much more typical Rioja in character. I remain confident of future improvement with further ageing.
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Pnp and needed decanting for sure to fully show its stuff, but still has the bones for 94+ range. Tasty but not quite to the level of first bottle so may see some variation.
- Crimsom color with fast forming legs with a medium finish - Nice vintage of this Ardanza Reserva. 2010 is a collection especial. Needs airing and would keep half a bottle in the fridge for 5 days without ox. Keeper! Violets,dill, some wood and earthy/mushrom. Sligthly acidic and elegant. Long taste, fine grain tannins.
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90 Rioja clásico. Rubí intenso, bastante cubierto. Nariz dominada por la crianza, madera de calidad, tostados, vainilla, todo ello oculta la fruta en estos momentos. Boca fresca, ácida, con buena estructura y un final largo. Jovencísimo aún, habría que dejarlo hasta 2030 para que se empiece a revelar . Recompensará a los pacientes.
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93/94. One glass. Has aromas of leather, earth, raspberries, shale, mint, vanilla hints and meaty blueberries. Its youthful medium to full bodied very meaty decently clovey blue and red fruits full palate has good freshness, a profoundish opulent middle and a very long freshly fruited finish. 13.5%. Lay down 10-20 years+. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Superb QPR at 22 Euros. The last sip was a 95.
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Lovely combination of fruit and refreshing acidity. This was from a half and it's drinking very well now but for the more aged traditional profile one has to wait.
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Assez boisé et tannique en ce moment, même avec un passage en carafe c'est musclé. Beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et prunes avec un peu de poivre et de chocolat. Les tannins sont serrés et la finale assez longue sur la chauffe.
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Intense, fresh and scented. Sweet spices (cinnamon) mingling with dark cherries, prune and coconut. Open in advance, even better the next day. Lacking mid palate but for the value this is a great buy. Satisfying.
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A great wine in the making. Just about entering the best phase and one or two more years of patience will be rewarded beautifully. Already so suave, the wood is still present but started to fade away, superbe texture, of fruits and terroir are starting to speak each other. They will soon sing and dance in a most beautiful and harmonious way and can't wait for the uplifting moment that this will provide. I really love Vina Ardanza from about 14 to 15 years old and I would need to show my patience with this '10 vintage. Very aristocratic profile asking for a just moment longer before fully maturing. Cheers,
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Love the totally divided opinion on this wine. I like it, but is an acquired taste - more wood than fruit at this point.
The tartness and acidity are in a nice place, not sure if will improve much. Gran Reservas from here are immortal tho so hope to be proven wrong. Great value in a great vintage.
This is one of those special wines that is so complex your notes change with each sniff and each sip. It is approachable now but clearly has decades of life and evolution ahead.
Wonderful aromas that you have constantly swirling your glass without feeling the need to taste. The nose is subtle and yet powerful. There is a heavy oak influence but fruit notes are there to be found. A rich vanilla backbone blends harmoniously with cigar box, pine, leather and menthol. There is dill and baking spice, sweet raw cookie dough. There is a resinous and earthy quality. Balsamic and smoked meat. Fruit notes of strawberry, red cherry and red and black plum.
This medium-bodied wine doesn't have the angry, unapproachable tannins of a young Cab or supertuscan. They are present, but fine grained. Acidity is powerful and persistent.
Flavours of black plum, sour red cherry, vanilla, dill, chocolate, leather, sweet blackberry and cassis. There is an interesting clove / nutmeg note. Perhaps it's the cinnamon but there is a persistent spice note. I think it's closer to black pepper and it gives a sense of heat through the finish.
Exceptionally long finish. Like the nose and flavours it is constantly evolving. Leather, dill, sour red cherry, black plum and vanilla.
If given the opportunity today, I would buy a case and open one every few years. Amazing wine.
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Moved up a notch or two since first bottle a year ago with the acidity and tartness not as prominent. Nice cherry and smoke aromas with red cherries, currant, oak, vanilla and some earthiness on the palate. Great pairing with Palestinian take out.
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Very Nice Rioja.. at the beginning lots of vanilla and a bit rough tannins. After 30 mins, smooth and round. Lots of strawberries, a hint of vanilla left. A classic Ardanza. Everything well integrated. Excellent bang for the buck!
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A delicate but complex wine. Tastes better in a narrow-rim glass that traps the aromas. Flavors of sun-dried tomato, prunes, cigar box, violets, and macadamia butter. Light mouthfeel, with silky tannins providing much of the weight. Good stuff.
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New to this wine, it comes across to me as remarkably young and tight for its eleven years. My 60 minutes of air are clearly insufficient to open up. That said, the quality is there, unmistakably. Classic rioja nose, confirmed on the palate. Question is whether it comes out tomorrow or only in five years. I guess the latter.
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Exceptional vintage. Dried cherries, worn leather, and spice on the nose. Subtle tar, vanilla, and cherry liqueur on the palate. Bright acidity and the silkiest of silky tannins. Smooth and long finish.
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A test run for this rarely released cuvée of Viña Ardanza. Decanted for 5 hours. Light garnet center. Strong fennel and pine resin. Lighter weight, some glycerine. There is nice red fruit underneath, some cocoa, and fine acidity, but the green elements dominate, and the finish is unrelentingly astringent due to the wood tannins. There are a number of things to like here if you can see your way past the herbaceous woodiness. Unfortunately for me, I just can't. It's another swing and a miss with La Rioja Alta, and I should know better by now than trying yet another bottling to see if I somehow find the magic. The style is just not for me.
With a nod to the comments below, sleeker, slightly sweeter, and more high toned, gentle menthol perfume after recorking this overnight, so there is hope for the future, but the greenness is in the genetic code of the winemaking at this property. There is no getting around that.
Third of six. This fresher than last two. But remains hard to escape what seems to be a hint of TCA or at least a feral component that, in this case, detracts rather than adds to the wine. Based on other reviews perhaps this has come from a poorly stored case.
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With paella after decant an airing about 90 min- ? too short as wine continued to blossom over dinner-this us still young for a rioja but I wanted to try to see where it was- maybe let cellar another 2 yrs or so?
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Clear, medium garnet. Dry, medium(+) acid, medium(+) body, medium tannin, medium alcohol. Developing. Medium(+) intensity and long finish. Aromas and flavors of dried red and black cherry, dried plum, dried black currant, orange peel, violet, dark chocolate, tobacco, forest floor, coffee, black pepper, clove, dill, and trace vanilla. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha. Oak notes nearly fully-integrated. Outstanding quality (B,L,I,C). Drink now; not suitable for aging or further aging. Exceptional value for the price
Nose of vanilla, red berries, some tobacco and dark chocolate. Very tart palate of sour cherry and blackcurrant. Medium spiced finish. Either this was a bad bottle or I am seriously missing something here, this was only just above bog-standard Rioja.
Initial open: cherry, chocolate, vanilla, butter, delicious, very prominent nose after 90mins open: more subdued nose, mocha, chocolate, cherry, bell curve profile, long toasty finish, unbelievable QPR
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I´m ambivalent about this wine. At age 10 the aromas are spicy and nicely matured. But it´s spicy oak, not spicy fruit. Same with palate... spicy oak, no spicy fruit. Finish is a bit short and hollow. Not elegant, just simple and thin. Sorry, maybe I get this wrong.
One glass. This has deep aromas of plums, cherries, raspberries, vanilla hints, coffee, forest floor and a hint of beef stock and minerals. Its medium bodied foursquare, smooth yet broadly shouldered beefy lightly clovey zingy blue and red fruits palate ends long, fresh and tapering with some grippy tannin.. 13.5%. This is very different to the elegant, perfumed yet punchy +silky red fruited 2005 that I admire. Vive la difference. This is a more serious and extracted long term wine. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 6hrs aeration. Superb QPR at 22 Euros.
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Mørk rød med lett mursteinsrød rand. Dette er klassisk Rioja. Sursøt røyk. Fatlig. Landbruk, fjøs og rått høy. Røde bær som heller mest mot bringebær. Hint av nype. Mektig og sødmefull vin. Røde bær, halvtørr. Modne plommer eller til og med svisker. Fin, elegant lenge med noe tobakk inn i slutten. Høy kvalitet og verdt hver krone.
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Had during Sunfish cellars online Zoom tasting. Very aromatic, Still young, tannins more aggressive than I would have thought but very smooth, high acidity day, good complexity. More elegant and reserved that the vina alberdi which we had first during the online tasting event. Would buy again.
Day2 and day3 were even better than day 1. My misstep having day1 with only 1 hour decant. Day 3 with pork roast was fantastic.
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So, the wine that got lots of critics excited and at £22 it could be the best purchase ever......?! Deep, dark and very youthful appearance. Almost impenetrable and it's 10yrs old. The nose just screams; "I'm a huge, full flavoured Rioja". It has tonnes going on with the nose. Strawberry, blackberry, spice, cigar box with a huge frame of vanilla oak. You just know it's too young but the bottle is open and it's still a joy to drink. Medium full bodied and pretty tight. Tannins are ripe but plenty of them, beautiful line of acidity running through it. The palate matches the nose but it's like an over stuffed suitcase, we're only tasting the bits that are escaping and they are superb! Give it time, lots. I've got 5 bottles left and if I open one every 5yrs I think the wine will cope. Where I'll be in 2046 who knows but I believe this wine will still have something to give. If you've got some, enjoy it! If you haven't, try and get some. Great wine.
Like the note I posted for the 2009 Faiveley, the thing that stands out about this is the wonderful texture. Certainly there are tannins, but time and concentration render them silken. Just on the edge of too oaky for me, but I'd give it the benefit of the doubt with a bit more time. More blue and black fruit than red. Fabulous but (again) oaky nose. Incredible bargain for what it is.
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Beaucoup trop jeune et en plus je n'ai pas pu carafer. Bref, aneth et vanille au nez et en bouche. Il y a beaucoup de fruits et une bonne dose de tanins. C'est bâtit pour vieillir. La prochaine dans plusieurs années.
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Stunning potential, but still needing a bit of time, in my humble opinion. I have known the Vina Ardanza at exquisite states, which this will surely deliver, no question, in a year or two. For now it is still in its primary delivering gorgeous fruits, dark and barely fading, but a glimpse of generous terroir and secondary elements are coming up at its horizon and soon this will have a great balance of fresh tannin on a high note, of gorgeous fruits in the tenor and as a bass its terroir. Patience will be rewarded handsomely. Cheers,
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PnP. Medium red, red rim, 5. Generous aroma of red fruit and herbaceous stuff, rather youngish. Harmonious palate, mT, mA, intense red fruit in the finish. Nice now but I'd wait at least 5 years for more complexity.
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I have had a few bottles of this in the past and it always has been a bit underwhelming. But this time around this really shone through. Beautiful integration of the fruit with the tannins and balanced acidity. I couldn't get enough of it. Given the price point, I am not sure, it can get any better but this is still primary, needs good 5 years to really hit its stride.
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Hmmm a bit disappointed here. I’m sure I’ll get berated for my score but this was far from expectation. After all the hype from other CT reviews I had high hopes.
This bottle was all oak and acid. Wood initially on the palate, a bit of sour cherry leading to more wood High acidity and medium velvety tannins.
I’m sure (hope) the oak will integrate at a later stage to show its true credentials
Decanted for 30 minutes - really needed air (very mute on first taste).
Medium red color with a clear meniscus. Acetone, sweet cherry, all-spice and soy on nose. Medium body, medium+ acidity, integrated tannins and long finish. Flavor profile on palate of tart cherry, strawberry and earthy undertones. 91+/- Not as enjoyable as my last bottle from 1/2020.
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It has full aromas of vanilla hints, cherries, flowers, raspberries, leather. This is a medium bodied profound and potent taut vanilla flecked red and blue fruits wine with lovely zingy freshness and length ending with nice food friendly grip. Delicious with Spanish fare such as rare lamb fillet and patatas bravas and hard goats cheese. Amazing value at 22 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5 years+ easily
Nach zwei Tagen betörender Duft nach Flieder, süßen, dunklen Kirschen, Milchschokolade, Bratensauce mit getrockneten Pflaumen, Kokos. Mittlerer bis voller Körper. Auch im Mund eine ganz konzentrierte Spur von Beerenlikör und welkenden Blumen. Darüber schwebt Volumen einnehmend die Kirsche. Richtig betörend. Heute gefällt mir der Wein am besten, heute ist er einfach so dermaßen vielschichtig und sich entwickelnd und dabei intensiv... die letzten Tage dachte ich „ahja ganz guter Rioja, nichts außergewöhnliches“. Jetzt aber doch außergewöhnlich. Gute Säure, die etwas Frische beisteuert. Ganz feines Tannin. Hinten raus Tabak, Lakritze wenn überhaupt nur ganz leicht. Das ist wie ein Raffiniertes Bounty mit Beeren.
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Having just finished a case of the 2004 and most 2005s, by comparison this was very disappointing. Strongly recommend leaving it until at least 2023 before trying again. Just lacked the depth and balance. Bit more youthful acidity to it, masking the deeper tones.
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Pours a dark purple, with no sign of bricking. Opens with tons of fruit, dark cherries and plums, before transitioning to subtle notes of savory and earth. I adore the RA Gran Reservas and was hoping this would be close. But whereas those wines feature wonderful tertiary flavors on the back end, this was much more fruit forward, reminding me a bit of some of the modern-style rhone wines. Still an enjoyable experience. But I may try and wait a few years to see if this evolves further.
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This hits above its weight class. Strong Rioja. Tonight was a southern BBQ night... plus, I'm in the south. Pork butt, ribs, sausage, beans, hush puppies, rings fries... all the goodies. Sauces from vinegar-based, BBQ, to mustard-based, delicious. This paired amazing with it. Strong flavors, weight... strong wine, bold, and it rose to the occasion. I wish I could say that I planned this, nope. Just a good guess. So it hit a mark for me. PnP with a glass on 30 minute decant, rest was wide-based decanter waiting on deck. Dark with deep garnet and ruby hues lightening it up. Super opaque, deep color to the edges. The nose is fragrant, enjoyable, sucks you in. Palate is bright raspberry, aged oak, some spice and pie crust mixed in. Fruit forward raspberry, zing for some tart, good acidity hitting the middle, fruit consistent to the finish. Light tannin to be felt, more mouth-watering acidity punching out the end.A nice ride with a balanced structure lending a hand. Its a good wine, and as noted. Its more than I thought it would be. It kills it.
6 hours later, after a nap lol, it still is singing in the decanter, more cherry popping through; still bold and lively acidity; still singing.
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Medium ruby. Expressive nose with perfume and ripe red fruits. Dry, full acidity, taut tannins, on palate ripe red cherries, raspberry and clove. Medium body. Medium long finish. Good balance. Guess New World Cab Sauv 2016. 90(4). RESULT SPANISH RIOJA 2010 (5).
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Pronounced nose Initial whiff of black plums, cherries Followed by strong, woody/herbaceous notes: mint? Dried leaves/herbs? Backbone of dried animal dung and coconut
Dry Med body Med+ acid Med alcohol Fine medium tannins Med+ finish Tastes like perfectly ripe fruit warmed in the sun, beginnings of dried fruit (yellow raisins) on the finish
Drinking well now. No reason to wait but curious to see how it turns out.
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PnP & slow-ox 2 hrs prior to diner in Burg glasses & btl. I grabbed the last btl at my local retailer for $40 which seems a smidge high for Rioja at this level but not reds of this quality, in general. Semi translucent red color. Berries earth and vanilla on the nose. This is sleek & silky while maintaining very good energy & lift. There's a harmonious, rich & tasty mix of; cherries, dark raspberry, earth, licorice & mineral. Only knock is the vanilla needing more time to integrate. Hopefully this shows tertiary aspects further on down the road. Alc is a very respectable 13.5% alc. I really like this but still have an overall preference for Lopez's Bosconia Reserva. The new label design incorporating soft blues & grays is classically lovely and a nice touch. Drinks very well now but would be fun to see where this goes in 3-10yrs.
Medium body, mature cherry to ruby color. Impressive but delicate and very complex aroma of red fruits, cinnamon, toasty wood, pepper and balsamic notes. Fresh cherry and currants palate following by lingering rounding and spicy finish. Harmonious and balanced wine, wild berries acidity and silky tannins. Food friendly, tasted with chicken paella. Open three/four hours ahead. Serve 18ºC - 21ºC. Ready, drink now and next ten/twelve years.
Medium garnet. Leather and oak dominates the nose with red fruits in the background. Medium+ tannins and low-medium acidity. Excellent finish. Should cellar well, time to source for more bottles
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Love the Riojas from this producer, always excellent. Well balanced and full of classic Rioja flavors of blackberry, blk plum and blk cherry, dill, oak, leather and sweet spices.
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No contemporaneous notes. My second bottle, this from my girlfriend's small collection, a gift from me. Drank this over 2 days. Day one: Decanted, started tasting about 15 minutes later. There was an unpleasant, sulpher-like nose, which blew off after about 45 minutes. The wine had an old world, slight oxidation taste. Light-medium bodied. Drank over two hours. Stored in half bottle with vac-u-vin. Day 2: Again, drank over two hours. By the end of the now fourth hour, the wine finally settled down. At that point, very nice, quite concentrated. In short, this wine needs time in the bottle or lots and lots of air. Will hold my remaining six bottles and revisit in a year or two. My sense is that this is not a wine for everybody. Drink the '08 or '09 for now if you have those; they are both drinking well. Judgment reserved.
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Pours somewhere between ruby and garnet. Actually a tad light in the glass, transparent to the core. The nose is lifted, complex, and harmonious. Notes of dried strawberries, dried mushrooms, leather, smoked meat, dried orange peel, and dry hay waft. The palate is really where its at on this wine. The sweet red fruited entry is augmented with bright citrus orange zest. Tannins are medium minus acid is medium plus. The finish is medium plus with notes of leather and dried strawberry and orange peel. Loving this.
Cherry pits, toasty oak, vanilla, and earthy peat moss. Very approachable now, but should become more complex over time. I’ll wait another 2 years for the next one.
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Drank causally at home across 3 days. It got better down the road! Sweet nose w/some still obvious tannin on 1st day. Nose started to get quite a bit better from 2nd day onwards. Vanilla, caramel all came out nicely on the nose, very very enjoyable! Palate-wise still seeing tannin even on 3rd day, but quite mellowed out already. Overall very good value btl! Looking forward in trying more btls later on.
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A very promising Ardanza debut. Elegant and quite unusually perfumed. Vanilla and oak abound for now with some cherry but no doubt will become more interesting with maturity.
This is very nice especially for the price point -- but I don't see the '10 as being better than the '09, so am hopeful that it'll evolve with some age. Tons of great dark fruit, some cherry, tobacco and wood. Still a bit alcoholic, hopefully that'll even out with some time.
This is a very good wine, but I don't see the 95 point rating, at least not today. Even with a few hours of air it never seemed to come together. Some nice dark fruits with vanilla notes, but also had a bit of a medicinal element that was not a positive. Much better with food on this night than on its own.
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Elegant red fruit flavours on the nose and first sip which develops into more complex flavours of tobacco, smoke and a hint of liquorice. Gorgeous *chef’s kiss*
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Tried my second bottle today, having found a big disconnect between my impressions of the first bottle and most other reviewers here.
And my initial views stand. With a 3 hour decant, this is a medium- acidity, medium- tannin, medium+ oak, very smooth, fruity, but rather uninteresting wine. Great party wine. Perhaps the epitome of Parkerisation for the American market.
I'd be buying more at US$12-15 for parties/BBQs, but at US$30 my money goes elsewhere.
Color: Transparent ruby. Nose: Too much oak for my liking. Some fruit. Mouth: A bit thin. Too much oak (clove, vanilla, cedar box). A bit sour. Quite standard. Much better after some aeration: Now there are cherries and some oranges, too. The wine has become fuller while still retaining its leanness. Much more expressive now. Hence 7 more points.
Total classic Rioja.. Farven er flot lys teglstensrød/murstensrød.
Duften oser af dejlig klassisk god Rioja. Den dufter bare godt. Duft af tørret røde blomster, røde og mørke kirsebær på en støvet/tørret måde. Klasse toner af sød virginia tobak, smooth vanilje toner, lidt sødlige røg toner, fine lette tjære toner, fine cedertræ toner.
Alt i duften er pakket ind på en smuk, let, feminin, silke agtig måde.
Smagen er smooth af et godt sammensurium af duften. elegant, saftig, frugtrig, fint krydret, lækker blød i frugt strukturen. Dejlig ret lang eftersmag af smagen...igen på en elegant og ret sofistikeret måde.
light red-brown med intensity aromas of dry cherries, plums, earth and roses; developing - for many more years; light-med body, high acidity, med(-) tannins, med a.b.v., med body, med(-) flavors intensity, long finish; ready to drink - can age 15 years more. uncork 1-2 hours, at least, ahead of consuming; overall excellent!
The half bottle I had was better than the full bottle, better integrated and zinging with energy. Halves age faster I understand, so this wine has some time to go before peaking.
Starts with a typical 'woody' character, but that blows off in half hour or so. This is perfectly drinkable Rioja now, but perhaps will benefit from further cellaring? We shall see, shan't we? Lovely.
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93/94. Half Bottle. A prodigious vigorous, versatile aromatic blue, red fruits and clove hints wine. Its medium bodied multidimensional freshly fruited and smooth palate has superb depth and excellent tangy length. Has only vanilla hints. Is not dominated by the wood. 13.5%. Lay down 5 years+ but is ready to drink now. Had this with a Gulasch and this accompanied the dish well. Excellent QPR at 22 Euros here.
Decanted for 1 hour before tasting. It’s a bit spicy with the smell of berries. The hidden flavour could have been stronger if decanted longer, I believe.
Decanted 2 hours before dinner and it still improved in the glass. Red berries with earthy notes and ethereal in the background, fresh and elegant with long finish, the oak is well balanced and will support further development, but does not dominate. It's not the first vintage of this wine I am tasting, but it's very different to the others, less primary fruit and less expressive than usually in this stage but there is an elegance and balance that is very promising, while already very good, I think that this wine will honour the one having enough patience, should be great in 5 to 10 years. Superb price to quality relation.
Dark red color, blueish tinge at the rim. Typical Ardanza smell and palate feel; quite intense and still somewhat primary. Has much more tannic backbone than the 2009 or the 2008 vintage and will need considerable time to shed or attenuate those tannins. Quite a lot of acidity shining through, as well. I think this wine needs another 5-10 years to really start being at its best.
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Creamy vanilla, red berries, very fine smell, nose filling and bright. Cedar and tobacco. Medium bodied and jewel like cranberries and redcurrant in the mouth, really expands to fill the mouth. Concentrated sappy fruit. Really lots of oak but that's the style. Tight tannins. Long elegant finish. Rather richer and fleshier than most Rioja. I personally prefer the standard Ardanza.
From half bottle, quite more open and balanced than the normal bottle some months ago, lucious red and black fruit, balsamic aromas, spice on the nose, the grip is nearly stunning perfect, mouthwatering, a Riesling in red, but on the other hand all components begin to integrate in this format, deep, flavourful, this is fresh and spicy, lingering finish here, great showing again, will improve over the next decades, magnificent QPR at 22,23€ in good old Germany, **(**+?), 92, 93(+) potential
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Expressive nose and light, full and long on the palate. A little oaky and light on acidity but may integrate further. Enjoyed it so much now that I bought another two cases. Not as sure about the longevity as others so will enjoy over next 18-24 months and perhaps keep a handful of magnums a tad longer. With great QPR like this I really don’t care if it’s for the long haul or not.
Loads of coconut oak on the nose which carry over to the palate (it seems only Rioja gets away with this, but it does work). There is also a concentrated yet light red fruit liquor wrapped in that wood spice. The wine feels relatively light and bright with high acidity even while conveying some power. The length is extraordinary. A style clearly built to age, I am enjoying this a lot right now.
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First bottle broached to set an initial marker to follow this over the coming years. Very young profile, high acidity and tannins but not in an unobtrusive way. It’s obvious this wine has so much potential and it’s lovely now too. The fruits are all very concentrated.. almost like a cordial. Not a delicate wine, this is very assertive. Most enjoyable.
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Medium ruby with garnet rim. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cedar, leather, chocolate, balsamic. Almost high acidity, medium+ chalky tannins, medium body. Long finish. Sofisticated, great balance, well integrated, complex. Quality this high for less than 20€ is excellent.
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Maybe 91 at the moment but bags and bags of future potential. This was the first of a full case and boy does this pack a punch. Sweet ( in a good way, well balanced), smoky, spicy, savoury, this wine had it all. It does just feel like it has yet to completely knit together, but you can see why they thought this vintage was special.
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Today quite closed but with a beautiful structure and great finesse. Right now young and I will let rest my bottles for some years. Maybe I try a half bottle, from tikme time.
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Bu sur 3 jours et le troisieme fut le meilleur. Tres belle concentration, cerise, leger boise, leger sous-bois, de beaux amers, longue finale. Belle rioja qui flirt entre le moderne et le traditionnelle. Lacidite, la matiere, le fruite et la barrique vont porter le vin loin dans le temps selon moi. La prochaine dans 5 ans
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fragrant, lucious red cherry nose,not much else going on....think this wine needs some time to open up. black currants, faint licorice and chocolate notes...very light bodied, almost pinot noir in nature.....in other words, bordering on delicate! But certainly not detracting from the enjoyment of the swill.
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A powerful core of cranberries and minerals surrounded by cherries, tobacco, roses, and sandalwood. The bracing acidity of traditional Rioja, with light drying tannins. Intense; better with food.
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Deep garnet core, faint bricking at rim; fragrant nose, coconut oak, florid fruit, strawberries; smooth tannins, plush red fruits, ample, underpinned by refreshing acidity, spicy overtones, harmonious; vivacious finish, firm edge to extended length. Will benefit from another five years - will age well beyond this.
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There's no doubt it's a very finely balanced Rioja, and it's cheap (relatively) bought from Spain (I got mine from GourmetHunters when it was in stock). But I struggle to rate it higher because it lacks a wow factor. It's simply very well made and poised.
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Gave it another point for a very good QPR. Wood, acidity, tannins. All very present and the whole thing will need more time.
VERY expressive rioja. With a whole explosion of flavors. In 5 years or so will be pretty close to my 2010 904, albeit somewhat lighter ( in a good way) in style.
SLO ox 5 hrs then PNP. Might improve with decanting for another hour or so.
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Well, I am going to differ on a number of comments here I guess. Day 1 PNP lovely notes of vanilla, but a bit short and modest in depth. A good wine, but I don’t sense its greatness. I have had Ardanza that I liked much better. Day 2 brings more depth and acidity along with the autumnal feel. But now somewhat unbalanced and predominately blue fruits. Dill coming through more. So, I think to be fair it needs to be open awhile and consumed on Day 1. I bought a case, so that will happen!
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3h vorher geöffnet. Rote früchte, johannisbeere, kirsche, dezente vanille, leder. Präsente fruchtnoten im mund. Am gaumen im moment noch etwas viel holz. - wird sich hoffentlich im laufe der zeit harmonisieren. Guter wein mit potenzial für mehr. 91+
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Decanted for about 3 hours before drinking with a tartiflette.
I have to say that I really don't get the hype around this wine. And I just simply cannot comprehend some of the notes that talk of high or even huge acidity.
To me it's a pleasant simple, straightforward fruity wine. It's short on acidity (which is what I had hoped it would have to complement the tartiflette) and there are only rather light, smooth tannins (which come to the fore on the finish). Yes, the fruit is nice: various red berries on the nose and the palate along with hints of garrigue. But the finish is relatively short and I don't get much complexity here at all. It's a crowd pleaser for sure - would make a great party red wine - but it's certainly not something I'm rushing to buy more of at ~US$34. It would be OK QPR at US$20.
Ardanza never disappoints but I think this might be the best one I have tried. With aromas of tobacco, coconut, cedar, aromatic almost minty notes, and autumn fruits, I could just smell this all day. It doesn’t disappoint in the mouth either. Buy all you can, it’s only going to get better.
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93/94. This is mightily impressive and is a 94 on day 2. Has fragrant aromas of blueberries, vanilla, chalk, strawberries and cherries. Its opulent medium to full bodied palate is spherical with a lovely mesh of tangy vanilla flecked blue and red fruits and impressive depth, freshness, length and tannin. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 5-6 hrs+ aeration. A bargain at under 23 Euros.
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Directly after pouring, nice aromatics with lots of ripe fruit dominated by strawberries and a dose of vanilla. After a while some red currant comes through. Great fruit, smooth and savoury and with soft character with a bite. Really balancing acidity and overall a very likeable wine. Is it an 18 points wine? I don't agree. To me, more like the Cellartracker average at 92. Ready to drink but should keep for years. Still, great value and a bargain at only 30 USD.
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A slight step up from the Rioja I usually have in price, but much better in terms of complexity and enjoyment. Cherry and nutmeg aromas, deep savoury flavours balanced with light oak, then a very long finish, with saline and a hint of liquorice. Lovely texture and balance.
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Some bricking. Pronounced off-putting dill on opening, fades to the background with air. Full bodied, medium/high acid, medium tannins, loooong finish.
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This is a beautiful expressive Rioja that will improve even more over the next 4-6 years, but should last until 2030. I’m thankful for the remaining ten bottles in my cellar.
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Lots to love about this wine, but like I find in most LRA wines, the American Oak sticks out like a sore thumb. Initially it's overwhelming, but after 4 hours it feels partially integrated. Beyond that, intense but well-delineated black fruit, savory minerals, a hint of garrigue, rhubarb acidity, and a sinewy structure. Finish is sneaky long. I think better in 5 years when the oak has had time to integrate, or perhaps decanting 8 hours ahead.
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I cannot understand the hype around this wine. It smells of oak and the palate is dominated by oak. Wow - well that’s different! I was really hoping for something that was going to recalibrate my feelings about Rioja but sadly it’s a as boring as they usually are. Meh.
An unbelievable crowd pleaser. I just love these wines - the 904 and the 890 are of course even better but I fail to see how you can’t be ecstatic with the QPR of this wine ..... The nose is entoxicating and the oak is heavy but appropriate. On the palate is does, of course, reveal its modest standing but we’re being fickle here. Ardanza is great wine one would never regret buying (or serving)....
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Beautiful, elegant nose with complex aromatics of fresh red fruit, vanilla, wet forest floor, soft spices. Relatively disappointing on palate and balance with dominant tart cherry. Medium body and finish.
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Wow, a deep, dense, really high quality wine praised by multiple notable critics ! Having a luscious nose of red and black fruit, vanilla and coffee notes. The body is round, rich and lovely - earthy, more black fruited, black peppery...and a long, pleasing finish that's not too dry or racy, tannins really integrated by now. An outstanding wine in a fruity, modern, international style.
So, what's not to like? This wine has lost its old-world Rioja soul - almost no traces of historic Spain anymore - ever since Garnacha has been increasingly added to the blend over the last 10-12 years...
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Drinking this has made me realise I should be buying way more Rioja. Absolutely super bottle. The nose has so much character. Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry, forrest aromas, dusty leather, cola, bbq'd pork fat and soft herbs, bound in perfectly judged oak. This is the sort of wine where you can get lost in the nose and smell aromas that you aren't even convinced are real. The palette is a tad less impressive, but still fabulous. Rather tight at the moment, with quite a strong acidic backbone which gives great freshness. With air it definitely opens up more, but this wine is indeed only just starting it's journey. Excellent value at CHF 29. Easily 95+ in a few years.
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Brick color. Light bodied. Cherry notes. Restrained fruit and higher acidity. I was not a big fan of this wine. Perhaps I’m not accustomed to this old world style of wine (restrained fruit and higher acidity). Seems overrated to me.
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Exactly what I expected based on the many reviews here on CT. Medium brick color, huge acidity, hi-toned cherry fruit with complexity on the nose and palatte. Good value for $40.
Deacanted 3 hrs. Yes, the initial hit is some American oak, vanilla (for whatever reason I never have detected dill in these though I know so many people do) and then a nice savory mix of herbs and blackberry fruit. Good zest and much fresher than my earlier bottle. Cherry and vanilla again on the palate. Serve with rich foods. One of the better buys out there at $34.
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Oh my god. Pure infanticide here. I know that these wines are immortal but I need more of this to see it to its peak. Nose is gorgeous, mouthwatering, with just-ripe blackberry, resinous dried mint, dill, nutmeg, pina colada, cigar box, cola. Palate has huge juicy acid, lovely medium leathery tannin, cherry, beautifully savory at the end. I'd suggest not even touching this for another 5 years - the oak still needs some time to integrate and the development of tertiary flavors will help round out the acidity. But, at this stage of its development, I think this is the best Viña Ardanza since 2001 - it has the same incredible vivacity of that vintage. It might even be better. I can't believe I only paid $25 for this - are you kidding me? Even at its normal retail of $30-40 it is a screaming QPR. 13.5%
Drank over two nights with no decant. In a good place with 90 min of air, but no need to rush. This has a long life ahead and is a great QPR. Will buy more.
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A very well made wine with crisp layers of red fruit. The oak is there, but not overpowering. It is vibrant and elegant on the palate and finishes long and fresh
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A very well made wine with crisp layers of red fruit. The oak is there, but not overpowering. It is vibrant and elegant on the palate and finishes long and with fresh
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Drank this at Yummy Palace with my wine mates. Theme of the night: Wines that start with A.
The only old world red of the evening. Some ripe cherries with red berries with beautiful purity of fruits. Good finesse and a well crafted wine. Good balance and integrated.
This wine can easily hold and mature for the next 5 years. Don't be in a rush to open.
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92 Un excelente vino. Inicialmente se muestra con notas metálicas, de lata de conservas. Evoluciona mostrando buena fruta ácida, y en boca es pulido, limpio, con fruta carnosa y buena acidez. Se crece en la copa.
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Viña Ardanza is the epitome of classical Rioja. Rich, generous, vibrant Tempranillo fruit, gentle oak, perfect sweetness, perfect acidity and pure elegance. But Selección Especial is where it really shines. La Rioja Alta make this only in occasional, outstanding vintages. The 2010 is shaping up to be a classic. At 10 years, it's still full of the vigour of youth. I don't doubt that this wine will still be giving pleasure at 50 years of age. After all, I'm 52 and I've heard rumours that I still give pleasure, so if I can achieve that, so can this wine. The colour is a dark red ruby with hints of inky blue and no orange tint of age whatsoever. Fragrance is wonderful: blackberry, cassis, nutmeg, vanilla. Tannins soft and silky. Perfect structure, long and luscious finish. There's a lot more to come. When it ages, we're going to see tertiary notes - spices and fruit compote. For now, the wine tastes great, is a stunner, in fact. Another great virtue of this wine: it is amazing in every decade of its lifecycle.
We're still novice tasters, but it was clear to us why this is getting such good scores. It's very nicely balanced and a good example of what it means for a wine to have complexity. We kept picking out flavor after flavor -- smokiness and fig were the two that I saw immediately, but with things like cherries and curry emerging as we sipped. Medium garnet color, medium+ acidity on opening, tannins that made a point but did not dominate, and a finish that's like a gymnast's clean landing. Very nice!
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This is somehow between a traditional and a modern Rioja. Not that acid, not that fruity. Perhaps the 2010 different blend explains it. Still young, but approachable. Some air will do the trick to enjoy it now. Room for improvement. So, perhaps a 93 in two-three years.
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Test driving the Viña Ardanza 2010 this evening, obviously youthful with more tannin than I remember from other vintages, it takes an hour or so to get going, but it’s pretty impressive, the aromatics show lots of mixed spice, and maybe a touch of heat showing although It’s 13.5%, the palate has a good depth of flavour, plummy, warm spice and cracking acidity which makes a deliciously long and moreish finish. Definitely a very good Ardanza, hopefully it will last and develop further, approachable at the table now
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Approachable with a short decant. Crisp acidity, medium body, black ripe fruit, aroma of coconut and asian spices. Better precision than the 2005 904, but it lacks the structure, depth and length of the latter wine. The wine is ready and will envolve for years to come, but I don't think that the overall score will improve.
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Earthy red cherry, dried red berries along with light spices and vanilla on the quite pretty and aromatic nose. Medium bodied (13.5% ABV) with really impressive fruit: generally, a combination of red cherry and red berry. The red cherry shows brightness upfront, but excellent depth through the middle. The red berry notes contribute likeliness upfront and balance to the mid-body. Backside shows spices, earth and mineral notes, with a nearly seamless integration to the mid-body. The mid-body is where this wine truly shines: it feels balanced and expressive, really showing off the fruit to great effect, but with the structural qualities to promise a long life and future improvement.
At $32, really high QPR here and plenty of future potential. I'd look for it to score higher going forward. Spanish wines sometimes seem to suffer from a bit of hype from the professional critics, but in this case, the high praise this wine has received is well deserved. I'll plan to get a number of additional bottles so I can open my next in Q4 2020 and keep track of how this wine evolves.
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Cracking good Wine! Much better even than the 2001 Reserva Especial. It achieves went great Rioja aims for: just so mixture of tot elegance, brilliant fruit, and supple oak. Still a bit young, and the tannins, though very fine, too rise up at the finish, but this is a small detail that some aeration or a few more years in the bottle will easily take care of.
The amount of dill, oak, and pronounced acidity is overwhelming, even after 3-4 hours of decanting. Paired smoked BBQ ribs nicely. Bodes very well for some years from now. Hold.
Half Bottle. This is a cracker! Has lovely aromas of raspberries, flowers, strawberries, clove hints and cherries. Its medium to full bodied silky, spherical and elegant layered plush vanilla flecked zingy blue and red fruits palate has superb depth. Ends super long and tangy with soft tannin. 13.5%. Needs 6hrs+ aeration. Will certainly develop over 5-10 years+. Superb value!
Ripe red fruit, lots of vanilla on the nose. Smooth fruit with some oak and tannin on the finish, but clearly this has some age on it. This wine is rich and layered, but fits in between the heavier style of Rioja and the more elegant style of say the 2015 Muga Riserva. I enjoy it, and for the price very good, but you need to be ready for the oak influence. A-
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Very nice and strong smell of ripe plum and blackberries right after opening. Fruit aromas not as persistent in mouth as they re at the nose, short finish but overall a very pleasant red to drink in summer. Great value at around 20 pound a bottle.
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Decanted it for three hours which still wasn’t enough. This one really needs a lot of air. But: Then it shows a wonderful nose with wild berries, mint, cinnamon, tobacco and leather. Something to explore, really. On the palate medium bodied with a great structure, good freshness and fine-grained, silky tannins. Very fruity here, complex and beautifully layered. The Grenache probably adds this nice sweetness to the nose and palate. Just very lovely. Finally a long and demanding mineral finish which shows the long time potential of this excellent Rioja vintage 2010. Looking forward to see how this one will develop. Grab a couple of bottles and store them - as will I.
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Decanted 3 hrs. Solid and very good Rioja, plenty of dark , tasty plums and good spice. Slight raison though note detracts a little, but all in this is very good. I did find this a clear notch below the 904
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PnP and for that reason I'm not able to give it a score.
Right out of the bottle the barnyard hits you in the face with sour cherry on the palate. Over the next 30-60 minutes, the sour cherry evolved to a softer "tart" and the barnyard blew off to reveal a more enjoyable earthiness. The tannins were at a medium level all the way through.
This bottle is a baby and needs at least another year or two of sleep. If you want to enjoy it now, give it a minimum of 60-90 minutes of air.
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Poured for me by longtime friends Barry & Beth for a wonderful outdoor dinner at their home on a surprisingly warm evening in W. Marin. PnP, and contrary to some other TNs, I think worked well with this, and since we finished the bottle in less than hour, I can't comment on development. Fairly robust nose with mostly sweet cherries, forest floor, spice, earth, vanilla and oak with consistent notes on the palate. Medium dark purple, medium bodied, thick legs. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins were rather silky, no heat. Medium to medium+ persistence, complexity and intensity. I rarely drink Spanish wines--I have one in my collection and I think that this is the first I've reviewed on CT--but this wine really impressed me with power, length and elegance beyond what I'd expect at the price point, matched wonderfully with grilled chicken. This was an interesting contrast coming after an '11 Vitanza Riserva BdM, (which I didn't separately re-review, but I'd give another 93 to), which was a bit more powerful but a bit less elegant. Tastes like it's in a prime drinking window which is in no danger of going away and with some potential for improvement although I have no familiarity with this bottling. If the W-S price in the low $30s is a price at which this is generally available, outstanding qpr. 92-93
Pours medium garnet, semi opaque. Body is medium+, as is acidity, medium tannin, medium alcohol. Intense vanilla and baking spices, caramelised brown sugar on the nose, shisha smoke, cherries, maybe some freshly cut grass. Obviously has been in new oak for extended period. Dry - cherries and strawberry jam on the palate, some raisin and rosemary, longish (slightly smoky?) finish. Can't say I've picked up on the petroleum note as others have. A really lovely wine - on the first day the bottle was open, I thought the vanilla aroma a bit much but it mellowed on days 2 and 3. I suspect more time in the bottle will benefit the wine - around 2025 may be the sweet spot for this fine 2010 vintage.
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Quel nez. Vraiment une belle réussite en 2010. Pas trop boisé avec des notes de cerise, cassis, et moka. Carafé pour 2-3 heures et là, c’est devenu beaucoup plus expressif. Très bien fait avec une élégance marquée pour un rioja. Prochaine dans minimum 5 ans si non plus.
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Awesome juice! But, it did have a somewhat peculiar tone on the palate. Parker called it hints of beef blood, cherries in liqueur, curry, diesel, old furniture, and forest floor. What an imagination! And, was the reviewer drinking beef blood? Anyway, a very good wine.
An amazing QPR in an exceptional vintage. Having said that, while I am a devoted LRA advocate (esp the 890 and 904), this very young entrant is a bit on the New World side compared even with their 2009. The 20% grenache gives the wine more girth and some nice sweet plum and barnyard character, and of course the wonderful Tempranillo clay/smoke/moist oak, dark cherry and leather notes are there. It needs a good 75-90 minutes in the decanter right now despite an appealling first taste from the bottle.
Opened about an hour in advance. Full of vanilla on the nose, plush fruit, and notes of oak. The oak is rather prominent on the palate with lots of vanilla, ripe, dark fruit. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I expected, and the wine isn't all that intense. I hope there will be more development with time.
So far it doesn't live up to the good words I've seen on here.
Very tasty wine. I’ve had multiple vintages of this bottling and this stands out as more expressive and deep. Earthy deep red fruit and spice nose and bloody tomato oak palette and more tar earth and spice leaning towards black or oolong tea. Good deal at $30
Quite brooding on the noise with tar, clove, dark cherry, sweet dark plum, black currant. Super smooth and polished on the palate. This expertly treads the line between ripe fruit and airy, weightless balance. Drank over 2 days - I’d say this has the structure to last 10-20 years but there is no real need to wait. For me, 2010 is a great Rioja vintage and LA Rioja Alta are one of the producers to knock it out of the park.
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93/94. Half Bottle. This is the most profound Ardanza that I have ever had. The 2009 was impressive, but this is a step up. Has fragrant aromas of flowers, strawberries, clove hints, cherries and raspberries. Its medium bodied spherical satiny multi dimensional lightly oaked fresh red and blue fruits palate has superb+depth. Ends super long, fresh and zingy. 13.5%. Wow! Lay down 10 years+ although it is delicious now. Needs 4-5 hrs+ aeration. Outstanding QPR at 23 Euros!
As you might know if you sometimes read my TN´s I got a problem with the change of style at La RIoja, most of the bodegas and LRA is no exception unfortunately have changed their bottlings to an more easy going more tasty driven fruit style young, same with the 904 I tasted some time ago, so when I glanced on the label there are again this 13,5% ABV, which normally indicates a warm, fullbodied red from Haro, this is the fourth vintage labeled as an Especial, following 64,73 and 2001, so there are expectations.......... being curious purchased one bottle and now pnp, NO fruit driven nose, more balsamic, tertiary and red fruit in the background, meat, initially biting acid, a surprise for me, this one is not easy going on the palate, should have decanted for a while, very savoury cherry fruit, still a little unbalanced acid following, the tannin punches back, clean and expressive, what the hell? My prejudice about the fruit bombs from La Rioja and elsewhere is wrong this time for sure, the 13,5% alc is totally covered by the punching acidity, all components tigth, very fresh and with enormous tension, lingering finish, I am really surprised by this one, again a vintage and bottled liquid for the next decade(s)! And this is a bargain, around 20(+)€ per bottle in the old world, will try to find some magnums for cellaring! Highly recommended! *(***-*****), 93- 95(+) potential
5/21/2020: last third of the bottle, more balanced showing now, the fruit savoury still, and meaty as meaty can be, in a very good way, multilayered, no aromas of oxidation, supporting lively acid, will mature gracefully for about two decades for sure!
Rich, ripe and exotic with coconut, coffee and gorgeous red fruits. Medium bodied with ample support. More forward than the 2001. Drinking beautifully now.
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The aromatics of this wine remind me of why I give a #%&! about fine wine. Such complexity. Definitely sandalwood, cigar, Christmas spices, dried cherries, a distant forest floor of rotting pine needles. The flavors are almost as interesting (more dried cherry, tobacco, orange liqueur), and the texture is so lovely, so silky, leading to a satisfying finish. Cries out to be paired with jamón iberico and olives.
Blind Tasting Box (Columbus, Ohio): (Blind) Medium dark color. Nose is dominanted by oak notes with a bit of meaty elements. Some dark plums. More oak on the palate with vanilla and mocha. Disjointed and honestly kind of gross. Some brick dust notes. A bit of red fruits on the finish which can never quite materialized. Hard to say - I think it is a Syrah that has been tortured? Rôtie 2016 from a very modernist producer? Really not a clue here.
Wow. Both horribly wrong and disappointed. I love this producer, but this is an abortion of a Rioja and never improved all night. Just gross.
Wow. Solid QPR. Loads of black and red fruits, plum, a bit of salty soy, sandalwood in the nose- very primary, some minerality. In the mouth, the wine is elegant, there's not a lot of brash oak, but there's definitely oak. Flavors are still youthful, black/red dark, rich & fruity, a bit of anise, vanilla, and wood. Med + acid, prevalent green tannin- loads of structure as well. This is such a baby, but it's easy to drink with food now. The hype is real.
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Definitely needed a little time to fully open up (1 hr +) but when it did...wow. Don’t think I’ve had a wine punch like this for $30 (or maybe I got a good deal). Nose of cherry and vanilla. Tasted mint, very subtle hints of fresh herbs, some peppery spice, and, of course, a lot of dark berries and some sour apple. Medium tannin/acidity. Balance defined. Pleasing finish. Was great on its own but fantastic with some manchego.
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Classic Rioja style in a fantastic vintage. Incredible nose right out of the bottle. Nose softens on day 2 but tannins firm-up. Drink now or hold for another 5 years.
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Mature garnet in the glass. On the nose black morello cherry, dark chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, pepper and cloves, a touch of animal. Gorgeous! Palate is still fresh, tart cherry and raspberry, with sweet spice. Lovely wine.
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1 hour decant, drank over 2 hours. Medium ruby. Dark cherry on the nose, tertiary notes at the fore, with prominent leather and a touch of vanilla. Fair amount of body and quite juicy, flavors are well-integrated despite its youth. There’s a lot of complexity here, nice long length and finishing with spice and tobacco. Drinking great now, will only get better. Incredible value. Even better day 2, calmed down and more in balance. Paired nicely with pepperoni pizza.
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Still very young, so for now 92. Really fantastic wine with much more finesse than modern Rioja but compared with the Gran Reserva 904 from the same year you can see or rather feel and taste the power of the 20 % Garnacha from the Rioja Oriental. In price, quality ratio I must admit that Ardanza is maybe my winner. But the 904 is such an impeccable wine, I would never wanna miss getting a case of 6 bottles or more. 2010 is a fantastic year and I totally agree to make a Seleccion Especial for the 4th time (I think). I have no doubt this will evolve over the next decades and I hate to say all my 2001 has been emptied. So I had 7 bottles of 2010. One for tasting and 6 for aging. We will see how far I will make it with them. This is at approximately 20 Euro a must have. If you don´t get it is your own fault.
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One of many wines tasted during our Monday Night Wine Night...Zoom edition. Slight oxidation on the palate, cedar, light acidity and no over powering tannins. Decanted for over two hours. Very nice wine...has some complexities but I'd say this wine has another five to ten years of aging.
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Love the wines from this producer and had to buy some bottles after seeing this Special Selection for the first time. The fresh red fruit and dark fruit flavors immediately got my attention as well as the less pronounced oak and leather from other Ardanza's I've had. This one can be enjoyed now after a short decant but will be great for many years to come. Looking forward to seeing how this wine will evolve over the coming years.
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Concur with many prior notes. Out of the bottle, lovely nose and tasty palate but a bit edgy with acid and tannin. Decanted and it was better balanced after an hour and continued improve. Notable lift in nose, fresh fruit, kind of dusky light oak, floral notes, tobacco. Palate of red fruit--cherry, mix of others, earth, bit of oak. leather, a delicious quality that is not sweet just essential. Moderate body, good length, tasty and evolving. Seems like it is just getting started at 10 years old. Glad to have several more to try over next couple of years. Jumping on this bandwagon:)
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La Rioja Alta are true masters of their craft having consumed many vintages of this wine I can see why this was declared Seleccion Especial. Its ready to drink now but obviously has a very long life ahead. Its voluptuous with wonderful fruit and a little more weight than previous vintages though I thought both 2004& 2005 of the regular Ardanza were outstanding also. Its worthy and consistently known as one of the best bargains in fine wine. Hats off to La Rioja Alta for their generous pricing strategy. Highly recommended.
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Super lecker. Keine störende Tannine, nicht zu viel Säure. Mega feine Nase, im Gaumen nur Spass. Bin absolut begeistert von der Qualität. Top für diesen Preis. Habe 24 Flaschen bestellt, muss noch mer bestellen! War noch nie so überzeugt von einem Wein in dieser Preisklasse. Mega!
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Pop and pour, and let it sit in the glass for 15 minutes. The wine is medium-bodied while managing to have some more burly flavors in it. Red-fruited with savory earth and a bit of funk. There was some dill pickle, which I am sensitive to, but it was very much in the background. There was great complexity in this bottle and I'm glad I bought 3.
Checked in on this again since there had been a discussion on the board about heavy dill pickle flavor. Though we got the dill notes, it was just part of the whole picture with plenty of blackberry and typical coconut oak, which was also not overdone. It's drinking really well now. Probably some upside, but I don't think it needs it so much.
A wild, barnyardy note leads the nose. Then comes the really nice cured meat, cedar box, purple flowers, Mediterranean herb, baking spice and roasted black cherry. So fresh and pure. Outstanding length & depth on the finish.
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This is the perfect weeknight wine. Well balanced and lively seems to be a good descriptor. Spice and oak aromas. Medium bodied with well balanced acidity along with cherry, vanilla and forest floor on the palate.
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We drank a lot of the 2001 version of this wine, and I remember those as richer than this bottle, which came across as bright, medium-bodied, under the oakiness. This is still a provocative wine, a real value, and one that I am hoping will improve with another five years or so in the cellar.
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this bottle had dill pouring from the nose, vanilla, cherries. Young, and should improve with age. Light bodied, but complete palate. I can’t keep from drinking these!
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Truly impressive at the current pricing. Tawny in appearance. Soft tannins, but we feel a bit more acidic than the 2008. Classic Rioja. Can’t get 2008 any more; going to stock up on this.
Given the notes, I gave this about an hour decant and drank over a couple of hours. This went very well with a pork chop. Had smoky notes, dark fruit, and integrated tannins. This went will with the rub on the pork and the fat. This will last many years but is very nice now with a decant.
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Grapes: 80% tempranillo, 20% grenache, aged for 36 months in american oak. Color: see through cherry red, orange rim, very advanced. Nose: lots of oak, vanilla, tobacco, leather, red fruits, spices - no heat from the alcohol (13,5%). Mouth: all red fruits (red berries, strawberries, red cherry) slighty sweet but not jammy, very good acidity, tannic, excellent structure and mouthfeel, long finish. Still very young but high quality and potential to age 10+ years. Somewhat atypical as this is not a heavy rioja but a lighter or more elegant style of wine that is so easy to drink. At €24, am amazing value, I am buying more. 94 pt
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Drank with NY Steak. Didnt take notes but this was young and delicious. Things that stood out was that its tangy, little oak was noticed but it wasnt overbearing. Well made wine. Would like to buy an older vintage to see how these age.
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This is one of the more elegant, lithe, and juicy vintages of the Ardanza. Very well balanced and predominantly red-fruited, with melted tannins and good freshness. Though there is some oak influence, it is much better integrated than the '08 and '09 vintages, though on day 2 this wine showed quite a bit of spice on the finish. The added refinement bodes well for this wine.
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I love this wine. Bright red juicy fruits on the nose and taste. Jammy and delicious. Had it with quail, but went best with spiced brussel sprouts. Definite buy again.
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Informal note. I think this is delicious. Notes of development (dried fruits, earth, wet leaf). The fruit is quite concentrated and on the darker, plum, prune end of the scale but the acidity is fresh enough. Alcohol is in balance. No question, there is lots of oak here and that clove, cinnamon stick, dill note hits you straight out of the bottles but it mellows with a bit of air. I don't think this is to young to drink at all, plenty to enjoy now, but time will calm that oak down. A great textbook high quality Rioja.
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Too young. Tasting mostly of vanilla dill and coconut, with some pleasing red cherry fruit and orange peel. Textbook ardanza, although maybe a little darker and deeper than the standard bottling. A clear winner for 5-10 years down the road and a killer QPR at 30 bucks. Wondering how many i should buy at that price.
2020: Top Ten Wines; 1/1/2020-12/31/2020 (Redwood City, CA): As we enter the 3rd weekend of lock-down, it seemed like we deserved something special, so I broke out one of these, which I have been seeing raved about on CT fairly consistently.
Gave it 2h air to allow it to open up, based on those notes. Medium-Garnet with brick around the edges. Strong aromas of red cherry, dill, wood smoke and lime peel. Silky texture, with red cherry, dill and smoke on entry and dark fruit in the mid-palate. A broad, lifted finish with a hint of spice and rounded tannins.
Seductive, deep, with further room to evolve and improve. Drinking one tonight made the situation a little bit better, but very glad I have more for later!
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Lots of energy, bodes well for the future. Classic Rioja acidity (balsamic, tart dried red cherries). Oak is still prominent and not yet integrated. Hints of orange peel and sea salt. I think this wine needs more time to develop (e.g., 2023-). My rating of 92 is based on prediction for the future; for drinking right now, I would rate it 90.
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Once allowed some time to breath this show a wonderful interplay between red fruit, acid, and restrained vanilla. Still taut and reticent, this should improve and I'd reckon 92-94 in a couple of years.
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A continuation of the slightly more modern approach to the traditional Ardanza stable.
Clearly built for a long life, quite dark and dense now, starting off from a base of dark fruits, touch of vanilla and a menthol edge (though my drinking partner picked up something more botanical akin to sasparilla).
I think a few years will tell on these. Not as easy at the moment as others from the vintage so far, but this is a marathon-runner not a sprinter.
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This is a winning Rioja! 80% Tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Beautiful color, especially in the swirl of the glass. The nose is extremely spicy and full of cherries, red currants, and strawberries. There is a subtle but present barnyard funk note on the nose, but it is nowhere on the palate. Wow, this is a great wine that is drinking wonderfully now and has a decade or two to go! The QPR is off the charts.
Day 2 - its is holding strong with very little change. It's in it for the long haul.
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Deep red colour touch of brown at the rim Really rich smell, tobacco, coconut, cedar, aromatic almost minty notes, and autumn fruits. Light to medium body, refreshing crunchy fruit, fills out in the middle and the waves of nutty oaky rich flavours. Very clean juicy fruit. Soft smooth tannins. Excellent vintage of an always great wine. Showing well now but will improve for years. About £20, hard to think of a better wine for the money.
17.5/20
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Night one, this showed a bit too polished, with glossy blackish fruit and a big hit vanilla and oak. By night two, it has settled into a more familiar, classical Rioja profile, albeit it with loads of stuffing for the long haul. Hold.
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Powdery fruit. Lightly perfumed. Plums later. Juicy on the palate with a bright, lilting finish. The brilliant saline plum berry-compote flavor is the real highlight here.
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Lots of dark fruit, cherries, blackberry, cedar, tobacco. Pnp and paired with a Dominoe’s pizza. Perfect combo for a quarantine in DC. This wine will her better with age and I’ll try to open the next in 5 years. The structure is there.
Mouth: A smooth pool of dried black cherry and raspberry pates des fruit segues into a cedar/sandalwood midpalate before becoming a long finish of sweet pipe tobacco, sous bois, and light blood notes. A buried energy ripples through, keeping this graceful as a light fine grained mineral tinge takes the very end.
Overall: Gorgeous dried woods kept in balance by polished, lightly candied fruits, very polished. Showing beautifully now with 10 years of estate age for free, the price on this is unreal. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache. Drink now - 2026
Varm næse med søde røde bær, læder og kaffe. Lidt vanilje, som dog er langt mere udpræget i smagen. Her blander sig mentol, sød tobak og vild syre, men dyb moden frugt. Stort!
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Absolutely delicious, drank over 2 nights. Day 2 even more expressive with lots of cherry, strawberry, faint smoke, tobacco, and earth. Bright acidity, supple texture and a great finish. 9 more bottles and will try to pace myself...it’s excellent and I want to see where it goes.
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Popped and poured. Notes of red fruits, sous bois, and spice. Medium bodied, bright and a bit high toned, classic in structure and style, with good acidity. A great QPR that is a perfect (for me) complement for meals that are a bit too light for Bordeaux.
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This is appealing now, but it should get much better. The Cellartracker drinking window looks at least several years too short. It's hard to keep my hands off them as they are, though. The value for money is excellent to outstanding.
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Freaking delicious with take out Poke, 93+ and will likely get even better over next 3 - 8 years. Looking like best QPR of any winery we've discovered in the past decade or so, everything in balance - fruit, spice, aromatics, and finish just continued to impress drunk out of a plastic community cup, can only imagine what this will do in a proper setting!
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4 hr decant. Dark cranberry with orange tint. Nose is cherry, vanilla, black molasses. Great weight and texture. Thick, silky, bursting with bright, acidic fruit; cranberry, pomegranate, honey also orange, mushroom, dill. Wound a little tight, I do think this will get significantly better, more integrated with time. But there is no reason not to try it now. Very delicious now, particularly with the right food pairing.
Drank against a 2010 Macan Clasico. Completely different styles for the vintage. The Macan is a silky, showy dame. The Ardanza, a full-figured, unrefined teenager.
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Served at a large dinner at a friend's house, so I do not have extensive notes.
As noted at a previous tasting about a month ago, it took a couple of hours for the wine to open up and became better after a couple of hours. This wine needs 2-3 years to integrate the flavors and should be much better in 2022-2030. I think it may ultimately be a better wine than the 2009, but not as well integrated at this stage.
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Really nice wine, if way too young. Lots of spice, some apparent oak, and a lot of sweetness to the fruit. Good depth of flavors and excellent length. A few years should help the oak and sweetness come into more balance. Will bury the rest for a bit.
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Huge wine, still in it’s infancy yet drinking well now, oak starting to integrate, medium to full bodies, vibrant acidity and silky tannins, finish is good but feel that it will get better with time/air.
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Recognizable Rioja Alta flavor profile but at this stage more fruit still forward.
I think it will develop and the fruit will move back some but I also think it’s very approachable and enjoyable now. I plan to continue to open bottles at this stage. (I see I may be an outlier with that recommendation - I agree with others that it will like evolve from where it is - just think this one can be enjoyed younger than typical RA)
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Nose of briars and forest floor. Flavor is concentrated with blackberries, black cherries and hints of licorice, forest floor and herbs. Smooth and balanced with a long satisfying finish. Drinking nicely but feels as if it will develop much more. Wait at least a year before opening the next bottle!
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Decanted for 30 minutes and drank over 3 hours. Much, much, better with air.
Dark red color with no apparent sediment. On nose, red currants, tobacco, dill, and bing cherry. Similar flavor profile on palate with nice savory notes that showed up with airtime.
Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, integrated tannins and very long finish - this gained weight with air. Wine, especially with air, showed more complexity than I'm able to describe.
Still very young. 91+ on open, 93++ with airtime. Will probably buy some more.
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I always saw Ardanza as the fruit bomb in the Alta lineup on account of the garnacha. That's not the case this vintage - if you'd poured this next to the 904 (which I had a few weeks prior) I might have suspected the bottles had been switched because this has the fully tertiary, mature-wine profile I'd be more likely to expect from the 904 while the 904 was still holding on to some fresh, juicy fruit. Not so here - it might only be 9 years old but (especially for the price) this is a great wine to have on hand in quantity for whenever the itch for something nicely aged needs scratching - streamlined and suave with a perfume of leather and dried flowers, this is the profile you put wines in the cellar hoping to arrive at, but it usually takes longer. Not to say it's in any danger of decline but there is no reason to wait. Not even on the oak front, which has been aggressive in some past Ardanzas but is already fully integrated here.
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it seamlessly evolves into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a delightful tangy/swtness to the few relatively unoffensive, but firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve for 6-12 mos, then (safely) drink into '24? 13.5% ABV; VERY nicely done! My EXC; [This vendor's $29.95 now puts it in the TOP 20% of wine-searcher's postings.]
Note: Also tasted on 10/5 & 10/12/19, notes fairly consistent.
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I was super hyped about this, as it was super hyped to me. A very nice ardanza with lots of clean earthiness for a 10 year old wine. The best way to describe this wine is that it drinks just like a Bordeaux from a weak vintage ( like a 1997 or a 2002 from a good producer) with lots of floral qualities. The Rioja give away is the vanilla finish, and the sourness. That lets you know that you are most likely drinking a Rioja. The acidity will keep this young going for 20+ years...The nose should become incredible with time! Drink or HOLD
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Only the fourth vintage in 70 years which has been designated "Selection Especial."
Wonderful example of traditionally aged rioja, a deluxe blend of tempranillo from plots in the rioja alta and garnacha from a single vineyard located in the rioja baja subjected to ageing in barrels of new American oak.
Vivid, deep red colour once poured, expressive, opulent and pungent on the nose with primary notes of new oak, tobacco and leather mixed with prominent berry fruit, silky and rich in the mouth, tannic, potent and lush on the midpalate with undertones of soft oak and leather, nice long finish with a hint of oxidation. Showing evolution so drink now and over the next 12 months, though rioja traditionalists would probably argue this bottling has time on its side yet. Tasted December 2019.
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Surprisingly great already. Figured it could benefit from more aging, but maybe not. No detectable tannins. Vanilla/oak, but not overwhelming in the least. Subtle floral/perfumy aromatics. Complex, balanced; I wouldn't say "light," but certainly not heavy-handed for an Alta. I'm glad I have at least a few more bottles!
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Purchased a case of this vintage of the Rioja Alta Ardanza after enjoying the 2007 and 2009. Double decanted this wine about an hour before serving and served with grilled pork tenderloin. Nose of cassis, black cherries, spice and touch of wood, which continued into the mid-range with a touch of alcohol in the finish. it took a couple of hours for the wine to open up and became better after a couple of hours. This wine needs 2-3 years to integrate the flavors and should be much better in 2022-2030. I look forward to trying other bottles as it matures.
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Fresh, lively tension, bright cherry and red berry fruit but even more it’s savory with tomato and herb (oregano, tarragon?), hints of orange and pepper. There’s buttery oak too but not as wood and vanilla forward as young Rioja can be. M to M+ acid, M tannin, M body, a very long finish for a wine of this price. Not especially complex at least at this stage but just so well made and enjoyable. It’s hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this wine. Drinking great now and I assume even better down the road, although this feels more like a now through medium term wine than one to hold for decades. There ain’t much better for ~$30. 7.5-8/10
wauw, this is really nice. great nose with cherry, tobacco, orange peel and a little flower. medium body, medium acid, a little dryness in the ending. elegant wine where the taste just keeps beeing there. Palate with lots of tobacco. Needs to be quite cold
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Fantastic, complex. A little tannic right now and it’s probably still super young. Will let this sit for a while an open again in a couple years. Excited to see how this evolves.
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Dill predominates and fruits need to come forward. I rather think we shall let this case sit a bit. A lovely wine with some force but will get much better.
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Vanilla on the nose. On the palate, candied cherry, cranberry, and strawberry, with notes of vanilla oak and light black pepper, with moderate tannins and strong acidity on the medium finish. This has plenty of room to improve, although it's drinkable now. It was an excellent value at about $35.
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Strawberry, red currant, very floral, pure lilac 6 hours in. Strawberries macerated with vanilla and whipped cream. Red plums fill out the base notes. The fruits seem pure , and you can really focus on the wine and smell the spectrum. Has a dusty smokiness tapestry. After several hours in the decanter, some of the creaminess subsided, presenting a well structured wine with all the fruit described, in a more precise presentation. White pepper throughout.
Developed increasing elegance over the night. Changes over the hours. This seems like a wine for now and in 20 years. The oak is present, and I’ll wait a while longer before revisiting because of this, but I like what’s in the bottle. Or decant over hours. 2nd case to be acquired. I see enjoying this wine over a few decades. Benefits from braised short ribs. Great food wine.
Drank from open decanter over 6 hours.
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Fantastic Tempranillo blend. Leather and plum on the nose. Good tannins, pepper, leather on tongue with fairly high alcohol and acidity. Great with mezze platter.
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medium garnet in color. On the nose the wine has medium intensity aromas of sandalwood with a hint of red currants, black plums, vanilla and violets. On the palate the wine is dry with medium acidity, medium plus fine grained tannins- almost creamy, medium plus body, medium alcohol, and medium intensity flavors of baked goods (cinnamon, cloves, nuts), cherry yogurt, red currants and a medium plus finish of red fruit and spice. The wine is balanced and demonstrates length on the finish with some complexity on both the palate and finish. The wine is ready to drink now but may hold another 3 yrs.
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This is my fourth bottle from this vintage. Very inconsistent between bottles and I think the bottler is having a cork issue. One of my bottles was flawed and one other cork was such poor quality that the corkscrewed pulled out leaving the cork stuck in the bottle. I really wanted this wine to match the ratings but for me it doesn’t
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Lovely wine even this young. Two glasses on Saturday night and then returned to it four days later and the wine was singing. Quite light in colour but bags of fruit and oak with a hint of creaminess. Very smooth and delicious with a great future ahead of it. Cracking value wine.
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Garnet red. You can’t escape the hype of this release so I know than will colour my views. Still, drinking this immediately after the 2009 this is noticeably fresher and more bold. Vanilla cherry coke on the nose, opening with more air into a leathery high toned red berry character I feel is how I see the house style. Fresh and clean on the palate. Slightly more tannin grip than the 2009 although it shares the formers crunchy acidity. Better on day 2.
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Sampled via Coravin. Definitely some vanilla and other notes from the oak that need to be integrated. Seems like a bigger, bolder Ardanza than 2009 or 2007, both of which I've had recently, but wow this is good, and tastes like something far above its price point.
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23NOV19 UPDATE: Tried a 2nd bottle purchased from a different retailer. To my total surprise, it tasted like a TOTALLY different wine. All that overwhelming vanilla and oak was not present at all, and the wine was very nicely balanced. This is what I had hoped for in my first bottle, so glad I found it in my 2nd. So the big question is, what happened to that first bottle?!! It did not taste "off" or corked or anything like that. I'll dabble with a few more bottles before buying a bunch of this, I don't want to end up with a bunch tasting like that first one!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I am a huge fan of the 2008, my wife is a huge fan of the 2009. We both like this one, but prefer the other vintages so far. The 2010 definitely has a noticeable, overwhelming oak-vanilla flavor. Bottle almost has to be flawed.
Day 2, let bottle sit overnight on counter with cork in. Wine was much smoother than Day 1. Oak/vanilla still very present, although it did calm down a little. Not sure what to expect over the long haul on this one. Going to try a 2nd bottle in a few days to see if it tastes the same. Although it is a nice wine, I'm not sure how I feel about loading up on it for the long haul. Wondering if they changed their wine-making process?
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Good wine for the price but the Spanish seemed to have learned well from the Napa Valley alchemy. Horrible headache the next day. Wouldn’t drink more than a glass of this unless you’re younger than 30.
La Rioja Alta is one of Spain’s greatest and most beloved wineries. It produces classically elegant and polished Rioja wines that are always released after quite some time aging in their cellars. They do all the work, you don’t pay the price.
It’s a treat visiting them. It’s kind of like wine church when they throw open the doors of their massive aging cellars and you get the rush of decades of greatness just sitting there…waiting…for you. The only difference being most folks generally don’t have the Pavlovian reaction of uncontrollable drooling when actual church doors are opened.
And, honestly, this estate, which was already the pinnacle of Riojano winemaking, has taken their game to another level.
Case in point? The La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Viña Ardanza Seleccion Especial 2010, one of the finest wines ever made in Rioja, and virtually historically unmatched for the price.
The winery only produces their Viña Ardanza in outstanding vintages and they only make the wine a ‘Seleccion Especial’ in the greatest of greats.
How picky are they? Since 1964 there have been exactly four Viña Ardanza Seleccion Especial wines, 1964, 1973, 2001…and this wine, the epic 2010.
The 2010 harvest is indeed going to go down as an all-time great one in Rioja. The quality here is easily that of other legend harvest like 1964, 1994, 2001, 2004 and a couple others I’m probably leaving out. In short, perfect growing conditions lead to what may be the perfect example of classic Rioja.
How did we get to this point? We’ll let the folks at La Rioja Alta tell you.
The Tempranillo grapes (80%) come from our 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. The Garnacha (20%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja). This 70 hectare property offers unbeatable conditions for growing this variety. Its nutrient-poor soil, covered with boulders, results in low grape yields and significant varietal typicity, rich in aromas, with a pleasant, elegant structure.
In March 2011, the selected wines were put in barrels to start ageing separately: the Tempranillo for 36 months with six manual rackings in American oak barrels averaging 4 years in age and the Garnacha for 30 months with five manual rackings in American oak barrels with two and three wines. The final blend took place after barrel ageing was completed. The wine was bottled in May 2015.
After that, the wine rested in bottle for several more years until the winery deemed it fit to release. Honestly, even at almost 10 years of age the wine remains remarkably embryonic, it is certainly still basking in the glow if its youth, quietly chuckling at those that would even assign a ‘drink’ or ‘full maturity’ date to it. Those dates simply don’t exist in this wine’s world, all of us will be able to enjoy its delight for the next half century…at least.
It’s certainly up there with the 2001 and 1964 as a pinnacle Rioja experience considering the absurdly reasonable price charged. There’s a reason us ‘normal’ folks drink buckets of Rioja, and this wine’s price/value is it.
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P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the few, firming, dusty tannins. Approachable now IF one enjoys/craves high acidity, but DESERVES/needs through '22 (& can take longer), then EASILY making its 15th. 13.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC. [This vendor's $29.95 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
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N: Vanilla with smoky aspet & notes of spice; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED, TANGY/swt (60:40) finish to the dusty tannins. Approachable now IF one enjoys/craves high acidity, but DESERVES/needs through '21 (& can take longer), then EASILY making its 15th. My EXC-/EXC; 13.5% ABV. [This vendor's $29.95 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
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The aging is clear on this bottle. Proper aging, that is. The color is starting to turn medium garnet with no bricking. Cherry, blackberry, tobacco and cedar on the nose. Dry on the palate with ripe rounded tannins and medium plus acidity. It’s been a good vintage for this bottle. The notes of red fruit, leather and soil arise on the palate. The finish is lively and of medium plus length. This can age for a decade and will be drinkable every year.
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Noticeably tighter than recent vintages - The fruit is coiled and very dense but still retains the medium/lighter body and elegance of traditional rioja. It is not an unctuous, thick wine.
On the nose, there's good purity of fruit and the underlying spices from the oak - oak is very well integrated on both the nose and palate. I'm not really so sensitive to the american oak notes like others can be, so take that for what it's worth. I think other recent vintages, including 07-09 are more open for business, but there's a lot of potential here.
I would be curious to hear about the 01 especial on release compared to this. Also, I love the new label design. The color though, I'm ambivalent on
Old style Rioja, berries oak on the nose reasonably smooth fruit berries again in the mouth some length. Needs a bit more bottle time and maybe the fruit will emerge more.
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Colour is garnet with light browning on the edges. The nose shows deep hedgerow fruit, with good oak levels. A lovely, smooth, rich wine with great balance of oak. Very good overall.
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Rustic old style Rioja. Barnyard, oak, cherries and totally dry with an acidic streak. Very drinkable now but could do with 3-5 years of cellaring. Great PQR (12€ (in Spain))
5/6/2024 - Yagil wrote:
Funky (unpleasant) during the first 20 min, which faded thereafter, but even one hour didn't meet expectations.
left for the day after.
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4/24/2024 - Corporateslaves Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ardanza 2010… opened a full bottle at 5pm and all gone by 6pm with the help of the Boss of the house. So so good. This isn’t a tannin attack at all, much more approachable to my last bottle in 2021. Very long, concentrated deep red fruits. Soft and silky, not blocky at all. This is excellent and will be brilliant.
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4/19/2024 - Jonathanmustang Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nez confit et boisé, classique rioja, tres bon
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4/8/2024 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dans une belle phase actuellement, le boise est integre, belle concentration, souplesse, un beau rioja. Va se bonifier sur 10 ans, mais procure deja du plaisir.
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4/3/2024 - Jimothy Brown Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar to others’ notes here
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3/21/2024 - dutchmark Likes this wine: 92 Points
Only 2 left from the original 6 and I can’t see either of the bottles making to old age although I am really interested to know what another decade of bottle age does here. This is intense. A lot of powerful tobacco and leather notes, as would be expected, however the tannins are soft and there is some cherry in the finish. Not getting the orange peel that another review highlighted, but the finish is long and complex with much to pick out. Should have bought more!
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3/15/2024 - gallu wrote: 92 Points
92 Gran vino. Color insultantemente joven, granate cubierto. Toneladas de vainilla y tostados en nariz, elegante. Fruta roja. En boca es muy elegante, suave, ya integrado, con un tanino muy fino y con acidez perfecta. Le queda muchísimo tiempo de evolución por delante, pero ya es un vino muy rico. Esperaría hasta 2030 para la próxima botella.
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2/10/2024 - EZEddie Likes this wine: 96 Points
Every bottle of the 4 I had has impressed the guests who have tasted it. Sad to say I only have one left. It has a black cherry with a hint of tobacco on the palate that I really like.
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1/26/2024 - grappagunnar Likes this wine: 91 Points
This specific bottle was in a perfect spot tonight. 100% Rioja without too much American oak. I'm already looking forward to the next bottle.
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12/26/2023 - olemski wrote: 86 Points
Very close to my previous note in February. More leather on the nose, I'd say, but hard to calibrate with ten months between. Still an outstanding wine for the moderate price.
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12/25/2023 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice, couple of years since prior bottle. More open, lovely rich red and black fruit, leather, balanced, good length. Excellent with a caramelized garlic tart and a wild mushroom tart. Too Boxerbee note is spot on.
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12/18/2023 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Not usually a fan of these due to oak flavor, but time in the bottle softened this, and the rich flavor went well with string cheese and meat. Great value for money.
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12/14/2023 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 91 Points
bought £22.50 Majestic Wine UK 2022
Decanted 2 hrs, kitchen temperature. Cork seal. Riedel PN glass.
N....rich, complex, intense leather, dusty barrel, cigar, alc, gorgeous red/black fruit, burnt sugar.
C.....tawny edge, rest is orange/red, looks medium-H body.
T......dry end of medium-dry; bold flavours alc, wood, ripe red/black fruit, dusty earthy character, easy tannins, a lovely interesting glass of wine. Not yet actually mature but in an agreeable drinking phase, no doubt will be even better later on; lovely balance and plenty of charm.
VFMoney?......feels like £50.00 but costs half that. A £24.00 bargain.
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12/4/2023 - BoxerBee Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep nose, with cherry, dried strawberry, orange, tobacco, vanilla, coconut, and aceto balsamico. On the palate, it displays great freshness and well integrated oak. Orange zest dominates the aftertaste. Complex, elegant and long, with admirable intensity. Surely, the best Ardanza I have had so far. Serve at 16-18 degrees C. Drink now - 2043.
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12/3/2023 - Alc13%byvol Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decided to crack into one of these for Sunday lunch. In a great place. Delicious. No hurry.
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11/30/2023 - LeVin66 wrote: 93 Points
Last one of 6.
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11/27/2023 - redders Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really hitting its stride now. Oak still there but receding and wine coming into balance. Great depth and overall balance. Great match with slow cooked lamb. Gorgeous wine.
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11/27/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
94/95. In 5 years+ this will be a 95. A profound lightly sandstoney, vanillary, minty, leathery blue and black fruits wine with excellent zingy length! My last couple of glasses. 13.5%. Needs 8-9 hrs aeration. Wonderful value at 23 Euros. I wish I had more. Will try the 2016 at Christmas 2024.
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11/25/2023 - guitarkim Likes this wine:
Hold, or long decant
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11/23/2023 - Theodore S Butts Likes this wine:
Peppery cherry, good acidity. Oak still pretty prominent but starting to integrate.
Would bet this could age another 20-30 years.
Killer QPR.
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11/19/2023 - Swintonblade Likes this wine: 92 Points
1st of 12 and as others have said this is ready to go, open straight away with great fruit/oak balance and long length!
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11/15/2023 - jan erik wrote: 93 Points
- Crimsom color - Some bottle variations? Or humantastervariation? This was one of the better. 5 to go
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11/14/2023 - DoubleMagnum wrote:
Similar to last note. Blinded. It is developing some tertiaries. A few thought it was older than 2010. Most did not.
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11/13/2023 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine:
Served more or less PnP.
Turned out to be fairly ready to go, even if it's still rather youthful in its expression. There's plenty vanilla and candied cherry fruit on the nose, but since it has transformed into something slightly more composed than at release, where it was borderline vulgar and milkshake-y.
There's a fresh acidity on the palate, plenty of fruit, and the tannins are fairly resolved. Drink now or save it 10-20 years more, I'm sure it'll hold up extremely well.
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10/28/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
94/95. Had 0.375. My last bottle out of a case with leathery lightly clovey diesel oil, four square blackberries, sandstone hints and mint + a zingyish medium length finish! I will see if I can get anymore! 13,5%. Lay down 10-20 years+. This is PnP but normally this needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Best value wine under 25 Euros! I bought it for 22 Euros which is outstanding QPR.
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10/24/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big wine that does exactly what it says on the tin: warm, rich red fruit and plenty of stylish American oak. Not overly complex at this stage (and NB this was a magnum), but damn it tastes good, and excellent with some hearty stuffed chicken.
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10/21/2023 - GARDEN Likes this wine: 92 Points
Again, 91 on night one and 92 on night two
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10/18/2023 - GARDEN Likes this wine: 92 Points
91 on night one and 92 on night two
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10/13/2023 - CHINACAT wrote: 93 Points
Dark red fruit, ripe and sappy, and earthy and savory with some length and good balance. This wine has evolved into a beauty.
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9/29/2023 - danchaq Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow that is good. Just so much going on with fruit and wood. Intense but smooth and clean. Rubbish tasting note but very good wine.
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9/23/2023 - mimik Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular. Camphor, sweet cedar and luscious dark fruit plays cascades on the olfactory senses with a interpay of dark chocolate and ripe plum notes on the balanced and juicy palate. This is in such a good spot right even though it can age further. IMHO, it’s in it’s sweet spot. 96-97 points. A wow wine. Glad I have another 5 bottles.
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9/9/2023 - belfast taxman wrote: 91 Points
Another excellent bottle. Smoky dark fruit, good length on the finish. A great example of the good value that LRA can provide. It is a Reserva so does not quite provide the profound experience that some Rioja can demonstrate but this is a very good wine. Many years of life left.
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9/1/2023 - Sperls Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great spot with lots of life ahead. Nice acidity, balanced tannic, tart cherries, hint of tomato and savory character, medium finish
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8/28/2023 - cjsadler Likes this wine: 92 Points
Agree that this is in a good window now. Bright cherries, dill, long finish.
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8/20/2023 - LingonTuvan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Seems to be be in the the window right now! Still yong and fresh. Red cherry, good balance with noticeable tannins and acid. Lot of development the last two years.
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8/11/2023 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 93 Points
Beaucoup de cerise mure et de bois mais le nez est époustouflant !
L’opulence de ce vin est super bien équilibré par l'acidité qui nous fait presque saliver.
Un Rioja haut de gamme qui me procure un grand plaisir dans l'immédiat mais il pourra aussi traverser les décennies.
Splendide !
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7/31/2023 - CWilliam wrote:
Beautiful on night 1 but lost power on night 2. Notes from night 1. Brownish red color. Great nose of sweet/savory elements - dark cherry, all-spice, pipe tobacco and strawberry. On palate, similar flavor profile with medium body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and long finish. 93++
Odd that it was not as good on night 2.
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7/27/2023 - king-bing wrote:
Served cool to start but this was class all the way. It has a distinctive Ardanzarity I've had in previous vintages. A little coconut and vanilla for sure but in super balance with the fruit. Reminiscent of cranberry juice with that refreshing tartness and juicy finish.
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7/26/2023 - sjw_11 wrote: 92 Points
Sadly my last bottle of I think about 7 in total of this cuvée. Drinking well as always. Not sure I see a need for massively extended aging but I also doubt it will hit the downward slope any time soon.
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7/21/2023 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 93 Points
Prior bottle was 2 years ago and the wine has taken a clear step forward in that time, exceeding my prior expectations. Black cherry, red cherry, oak, vanilla, earth and sweet spice notes on the nose. Seemed slightly deeper and more complex on the nose than previously. Just above medium bodied with red cherry and red berries upfront, but adding black cherry through the middle. Whereas my prior bottle felt like the mid-body has less depth, this bottle clearly showed both more depth and more density through the middle. It gained expression both the longer it was open and the closer to the backside you came. Fine grained tannins, vanilla, earth and minerals carry through the finish. This fine felt very well balanced overall and while it remained rounded and open through the middle, it showed more depth and more complexity than prior bottles. Showing quite well now and bravo to those who have bottles for the years ahead; your patience will be fully rewarded as this wine starts to fully revel how special it is. While this was my last bottle, I'll be on the lookout for more....
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7/20/2023 - 2caveman wrote: 90 Points
Victim of events. Brought to large group in mourning thinking it would be a nice distraction. No way to decant and no one touched it. My few sips were distracted but seemed to indicate some decline in quality from my last tasting of this wine. The depth of body and complexity of flavors was not in evidence. Shame. Lesson learned
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7/9/2023 - denniswdern@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep ruby color, with some browning around the edge. Pronounced aromas of cherry, spices, dried herbs and charred wood. Flavors consistent with aromas. Medium tannins, acidity and alcohol. Beautifully long finish.
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6/30/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 95 Points
94/95. Half bottle. My second to last bottle, this is consistently fantastic with full on leathery, chewy blackfruits, diesel oil lightlish spice and decent acidity and longish a bit unknit length. Improves with 7-8 hrs aeration. Needs a lay down of 10-15 years easily. But can be drunk with pleasure in the next five so long as you aerate it sufficiently. Up to Gran Reserva level in 2010.
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6/19/2023 - snipes Likes this wine:
Father's Day wine, paired with beef filet and a rich pan sauce. Last one was about 18 months ago and the notes look similar. Middleweight with a kiss of oak. Very nice nose of berries and some earth. Showing a bit of age in a relaxed restrained style. An enjoyable bottle of wine. Drink or hold.
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6/17/2023 - Stoic Warrior wrote:
First bottle from case. Nose and palate both pretty much as described by others, just a bit less so IMO. Sedate, restrained, middling. A comfortable wine but offering no excitement. An old style Rioja, nice, but so laid back as to be on siesta.
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6/8/2023 - rayq wrote: 93 Points
lovely savoury red fruit, hints of citrus and smoke, bright acidity, good body, drinking well from 375 but no rush at all
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5/7/2023 - Likawine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dill, oak, red and black fruit. Soft tannins. Nice structure. Balanced, give it 1-2 h decant.
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5/6/2023 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decant made a huge difference - after 2+ hrs total air time this opened up like a totally different wine on 2nd pours, even our hosts were like WTW?! Delicious red, blue, and black berries and earthy complexity with impressive balance and a silky long finish - booyah!
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5/6/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Similar to previous notes. 92+pts.
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5/6/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 95 Points
94/95. The last of the old style Vina Ardanza at 13/13.5%. Now its like a Chateauneuf du Pape. at 14.5%. Has aromas of mint, shale, leather, licorice, parchment, blackberries, diesel oil, raspberries and plums and clovey hints. Its solid medium bodied spherical and near profoundly structured lightly clovey black, blue and red fruits palate has wonderful depth, nice zinginess and ends mediumish, tangy and dryish. 13.5%. Lay down 20-40 years. Got this for 25 Euros! Outstanding value! Needs 7-8 hrs aeration. This will never be elegant like the 2005!
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5/4/2023 - rhit wrote:
This presented very well, if a bit young. Classic flavors, but they're underdeveloped at this point. The oak and tannin need to resolve more, too. Still lovely to drink with great balance. Lots of upside — I'd hold if I had more.
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5/2/2023 - GAET Likes this wine: 90 Points
Je l'ai trouvé moins appétent que le Crianza Alberdi 2015.
mais, on sent que ce Rioja a des réserves et qu'il sera meilleur dans quelques années.
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5/2/2023 - 6831 wrote: 92 Points
Ripe and rounded flavors of deep black fruit, coffee, burnt cherry, mint, black pepper and toasty oak. Great midpalate balance with nuanced complexity pushing through to a sweet albeit brief finish. 1st of 3 bttls. Drinking beautifully now but should hold well for quite some time.
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4/26/2023 - daveste Likes this wine: 92 Points
Splendid with some air. Dusty mouthfeel, still good fruit and balance.
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4/22/2023 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
80% Tempranillo from 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. 20% Garnacha from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja). Natural fermentation, Tempranillo aged 36 months in American oak barrels of in average 4 years and the Garnacha for 30 months in American oak barrels of two and three wines. Total Acidity 6.0 g/l, alcohol 13.5% vol.
Decanted 2 hours before dinner that helped a lot and longer would not have harmed. On the nose berry potpourri, sour cherry, forest floor and a hint of tar, on the palate fresh with a good structure and balance, the oak is well integrated and requires good attention to be noticed, medium+ bodied and long finish.
Classic Rioja Reserva from an excellent vintage, quite elegant and superb with food. Already very good now if giving it enough air and it will be a pleasure to follow it up during the next 18 years. Why buying expensive prestige wines if you get this for sfr/€ 25 at release.
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4/18/2023 - honest bob wrote: 93 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour. This is as exciting as I remember the 2001 having been at a similar age, but darker and more concentrated. Perfectly balanced, traditional Rioja-oaky scent, with no mustiness, funk or mould (take that, Tondonia!); scintillating, vivid entry, knife-edge poise between bright acidity and fresh, dark, supple red fruit; mid-palate sumptuous, velvety, much broader and richer than expected, but without ever becoming heavy or sugary; gorgeous, tingling finish. Great now, surely stable for another decade, and with much, much longer ageing potential. Superb wine, superb value. 93–94P
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4/13/2023 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Unbeatable for the price. For me at least as good as tondonia reserva for almost half the price. Still some improvement ahead - 93+ now. Still quite young. Decades to go.
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4/10/2023 - jan erik wrote: 90 Points
Best on day 1 now. Its in its drinkingwindow.
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4/9/2023 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
not the progress i had hoped for but still very good.
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3/13/2023 - SeaWine Likes this wine:
This was enjoyable, drank well and felt balanced. The oak and acid elements were unobtrusive and nicely integrated "already" (at year 13), and I think on that front it may only get better.
Overall, this was enjoyable, but based on numerous glowing professional and CT reviews, I had hoped for a bit more "magic" and verve. Maybe just me or this particular bottle... Will likely wait 2+ years before revisiting.
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3/6/2023 - sjw_11 wrote: 92 Points
Checking in with this wine which I haven't looked at for a couple of years I think, and it is developing nicely. The oak feels a little better integrated. Nice, high toned red fruit characters still prevail. Lovely drinkability here and plenty of time left to drink.
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2/20/2023 - Bocaramon wrote:
valentines @parapicar
Spot on
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2/19/2023 - lukeintowine wrote: 92 Points
Improved on day two.
Fruit is there but not primary anymore, nice balsamic notes, some american oak.
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2/17/2023 - WilD wrote: 91 Points
Nice but alittle lactic notes on the mid palate.
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2/17/2023 - D_RICH wrote: 92 Points
My 4th bottle of 8. This was decanted for one hour on Day 1, back into bottle and served (about 2 hours later), with the remainder then stored for one day with Vacuvin. Note from Day 2. Ruby. Lots of oak and funk notes on the nose. Concentrated and complex on the palate, with that old school slightly oxidized taste that you find in traditionally made Rioja. Tannin in the finish. This is not the modern style, nothing like say Muga. But this is an excellent (and special) wine and was a great value when initially available at about 32 bucks. Enjoyable now but will last for another 10-15 years. For those that want old school Rioja - done right. (91-93). As an aside, this was served initially, for those familiar, at Pmac's 2/23 Duck Dinner, alongside many stellar wines. Also note that (unless I am mistaken) this cuvee, unlike the other offerings from this producer, has some granache in the blend.
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2/11/2023 - olemski wrote: 87 Points
Dark ruby yet transparent. More fresh than rich, but it is all in fine balance here with scents of dark berries, a hint of herbs, leather and a faint whiff of oak. On day two, there's no oak to be found whatsoever., but more of a boiled sweet kind of fresh fruitiness. Points say on the verge of excellent, but when you consider the moderate price it is extraordinarily good value.
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2/9/2023 - mkolbu wrote: 90 Points
Decanted at noon, drunk from 19:00.
Classic Ardanza on the nose (yet with more of the heavy toast notes than previous bottles).
Heavy dark fruit and oak in the mouth with mouthwatering acidity and lovely balance. Moderate and enjoyable tannins.
This was lovely, the best glass was the last and even after almost 12 hours of decanting it hadn’t opened up. Needs more time to mature or even heavier decanting.
There are significant bottle variations (all good, just different) with the 2010 Ardanza. Looking forward to testing the next one.
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2/2/2023 - ericpoh1980 Likes this wine:
Deep ruby. Pronounced with aromas of violet red cherry black cherry tomato leaf mint vanilla cloves forrest floor vegetal dried cherries. Developing.
Dry high acidity high alcohol high tannin full bodied. Medium plus intensity with flavours of red cherries vegetal vanilla. Medium plus length.
Very good wine. Balanced, good complexity especially on the nose. Good length. Good to drink now with potential to age. I think will go well with grill seafood, red meat, roasted pork, tomato based stew/pasta. paella. Yums.
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1/19/2023 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, this was singing tonight. Gave it about an hour of air. Beautiful cigar box notes with cherry and vanilla. I couldn't stop smelling this. Excellent, as expected, with Spanish fare. Glad I have one more!
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1/16/2023 - redders Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep coloured. Still oak but in harmony with the wine. Excellent with food now but many years of life ahead.
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1/9/2023 - Chateau-de-Plonk wrote: 92 Points
Classic Ardanza but still quite young. Oak needs longer to settle down
Polished, and delicious to drink now, but v12 showing better at present
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1/8/2023 - Torchy wrote: 88 Points
The wine still feels a little unresolved. Nose with a very clear hint of oak. Flowers, chocolate and ketchup. On the palate there is sweet and sour fruit, hints of blood orange, perfume and heavy, malty fruit. Still have to lay a few years...
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12/29/2022 - bburke40 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Second wine of the night. Decanted with Houdini via the stainless steel aerator. Drank from the decanter over 2 hours. Loved it. Finish was especially nice with bright red berries (cherry/currant). Tannins were fully resolved. This wine is drinking beautifully right now. Another hit from a great vintage.
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12/29/2022 - Old School Fan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Obviously young but really drinking great now. Delicious sour cherry fruit, leather, forest floor. Nice touch of oak. Rich and full with juicy acidity. If one prefers the younger side of traditional Rioja, no reason to hold any longer. If one prefers more ethereal and delicate Rioja, this can hold for much longer.
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12/28/2022 - Bandreas wrote:
Very dark and brooding color; the nose is typically Ardanza as I remember it. On the palate the wine has more tannin than what I am used to from this producer. Acidity is present but not obtrusive.
Compared to past bottling it does seem to lack depth, breadth and complexity. Looking up my last tasting note of 2020, the oak has attenuated faster than I predicted.
Harley was probably right: I am not sure that this producer is - for my taste - on the right track with the change in vilification that has taken place...
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12/24/2022 - Osiris021 Likes this wine: 93 Points
No formal notes.
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12/17/2022 - redz wrote: 91 Points
A little mellowed from 2 years ago, but still young. Nicely perfumed nose, American oak, medium body, shortish finish. Give it more years or long decant.
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12/14/2022 - kingkanu wrote:
This felt a little heavy on its own, but came into its own with some lighty spiced food, the acidity shining brightly, plenty of lovely ripe cherry fruit with a little spice, a bit of heat on the finish on its own, but a lovely glass of wine and I’m glad to have some in storage that I won’t worry for a fair few years yet. 13.5%
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12/3/2022 - grappagunnar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours but definitely needs more. Still a nice wine but with untapped potential at this point.
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11/30/2022 - Joe Fischer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful aromas once first opened and as it evolved. Red and Black cherry, dried rose petals, forest floor, spice notes, and sour cherry. Nice acidity and medium tannins.
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11/30/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
Has lifted aromas of sandstone, iron infused raspberries, leather, cherries, clove hints and diesel oil. This punchy wine is almost profound on the juicy a bit foursquare lightly clovey medium bodied palate which ends mediumish, zingy and tapering. 13.5%. Lay down 10-20 years
Needs 4-5 hrs aeration. The best under 25 Euros wine I know.
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11/25/2022 - jan erik wrote: 92 Points
Yes, still very good.
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11/24/2022 - Oliverl1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 8 hours. It needed it! Rich, concentrated, fabulous acidity with a very long lingering finish. I think it has just started to drink well provided you decant for a minimum of 6 hours or so.
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11/16/2022 - Lazerlar Likes this wine: 90 Points
90 pts for now, decanted 3 hours and consumed over the next 4 with the best glass at the end of that period. Still has to much vanilla /oak that took 7 hours to blend. 3 days later tasted the last left over to be rewarded with a far superior drink.. If drinking now I will be decanting the night before using
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11/14/2022 - VinoRosso wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Perfect with pork tenderloin!
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11/11/2022 - MSheridan Likes this wine: 91 Points
much better than my last experience a year ago. This is starting to come round and showing itself to be a very nice rioja with more potential upside.
It's not all about the oak this time round, the fruit is deeper and rounded and the oak gives a creamy lick of vanilla.
This will continue to improve over a few years yet and I look forward to tracking the progress off my case over time
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11/7/2022 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is in a very good place. Youthful but without baby fat, classically styled, balanced, with secondary notes just starting to come in. Should hold up well for a few more years and potentially improve a bit as well. Screaming value when I purchased it in 2019. Bottle 1 of 6.
Had out at dinner at Urban Wren.
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11/5/2022 - Andershaug wrote:
God vin
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10/30/2022 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 93 Points
WSET 3 tasting group get together (Utrecht): [Not tasted blind as it was my bottle] My first bottle of a case; 5 hour decant. Guesses from the group were Pomerol and SuperTuscan, everybody really surprised to find such an elegant rioja (even more so when hearing its €20 price tag). I was also very happy with the performance of this bottle; medium+ intensity on the nose with cherries, violets, leather, some animal tones, strawberry, spice, black currant, black plum, pencil shaving, forest floor, vanilla, blue berry. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins and a long and lingering finish. Just great and amazing joy and complexity, the wine kept developing in the glass. Looking forward to the development of the rest!
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10/30/2022 - bjbu Likes this wine: 91 Points
Intensity medium (+). Red cherry, red currant, blue plum, blueberry, cranberry, violin, cream, dough, cigar/tobacco leaf, ceder, vanilla, clove, humus/leaves. Acidity medium (+). Tannins medium. Finish medium (+). Very smooth and surprisingly good wine. Not your ordinary Tempranillo style, but nicely balanced.
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10/29/2022 - trepak wrote: 91 Points
1hr decant then drank over a couple of hours. Certainly opened up over that time. Dark red with some bricking on the edge. Rich and full on the nose, lots of vanillary oak - as you'd expect! Still a little dark fruit on initally on the palate, quickly giving way to a layer of oak and a very long, finish with a fair lick of tannin. A very well balanced wine, still with some years ahead, but certainly showing that potential now. This really is first rate old school classical Rioja that will only improve.
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10/28/2022 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 94 Points
I purchased two bottles of this vintage and they both were magnificent. Wines that restored my faith in the possibility of excellence at a fair price. Elegant is how I'd describe this wine. Perfectly balanced in every way. I've had other vintages and have enjoyed them on some level, but 2010 is special.
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10/21/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not much to add from my other notes below but this is consistently excellent (especially for the price) and with an hour+ in decanter begins to open up and bloom beautifully. Layers of complex red fruits, jam, toasty bread and oak, spices, and oak tertiary note eg vanilla. Wonderful nose.
Wonderful structure and balance. Long, complex finish.
Remains my go-to wine to show to friends just what a fine wine can be.
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10/21/2022 - wilkinsmd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very enjoyable. Light bricking at the rim. Perfumed nose of tobacco and flowers. Nicely balanced, long in the mouth, soft drying tannins. Can definitely go for a while longer but great now. Terrific QPR.
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10/15/2022 - Danneskjöld Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fatbombe med vanilje, eik og litt krydder. Lær og mørke bær. Modent preg. En karikatur av Rioja, men godt. Flott konsentrasjon og lengde.
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10/12/2022 - gtonn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very Good
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10/8/2022 - King_Arthur Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect now. Fantastic nose, delivers in the palate.
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10/7/2022 - Ripotz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Silky and subtle
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9/29/2022 - pren wrote: 90 Points
漂亮讨好的oak 衬托下的Rioja。不用醒,第一次醒了,气味散掉不少
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9/28/2022 - D_RICH wrote: 93 Points
My 3rd of 8. This is finally starting to resemble the wine raved about in the reviews on this platform. One hour decant. Initially an off-putting scent that lifts to reveal an intensely aromatic old world nose. Concentrated and complex on the plate. As I noted 2 years ago, this is not for everyone, but for fans of old school Rioja, this is the real deal.
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9/26/2022 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
Double decanted, needed 20 min to blow off, then beautiful nose and palate of red fruit, raspberry, cherry, vanilla, a bit of oak and spices. Medium body, silky tannins, juicy acidity ending in a tart, sweet finish, a bit short. Still primary, but oh so delicious now. Great classic Rioja, I’ll drink my other two in five and ten years.
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9/15/2022 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 93 Points
Some slight browning at the rim. Superb nose of black cherry, plum, forest floor, sweet spice. - a hint of tertiary aromas with leather. This just smells like it’s lots some baby fat in the past 2 years. On the palate, ripe fruit dominates up front but then quite delicate through the mid-palate with well balanced acids and a mineral, earthy finish. This has certainly developed a lot in the past few years showing some class and elegance in place of exuberance. This is going to hit a spectacular sweet spot in around 6-8 years I’d guess. Unfortunately, I only have one left but will hold onto it until then. This is excellent.
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9/1/2022 - kevinpatrick Likes this wine:
Cork Vault Bottle Share 9.1.22 (Charlotte, NC): Popped and sampled both from the bottle and after a decant – was tasty initially but superior following the decant. Intense aromas of rustic cherries seemingly throwing off heat. Delicious and concentrated on the palate – ripe strawberries and cherries with some bramble for good measure. Ripe, fresh rioja with some sexy finesse. Great tonight with years and years ahead of it.
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8/27/2022 - angelcyn Likes this wine:
The fruit is emerging as distinct from the last bottle, very nice Rioja still evolving and at the moment still to much oak showing, will it be absorbed, twelve years in it should have by now, still that dark colour and no obvious rim fading in this bottle, gave it a couple of hours decant.
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8/26/2022 - spillwine wrote:
Covid - c’est de l’eau
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8/19/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 92 Points
No notes from this tasting. Still very good (as usual) but perhaps didn't give it enough time to really open and bloom tonight - wasn't showing as much complexity as usual.
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8/18/2022 - CheviotCellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brilliant. Shedded all the baby fat that was present nearly 3 years ago. Wine is refined and nuanced, the nose bursting with a plethora of aromatics. The clarity is evident from all the racking… all the wonderful elements of oak without the bitter tannins or angularity. This wine is holistic, charming, immediately accessible. Bravo
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8/12/2022 - redders Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still dark but starting to loosen. Oak a little prominent on first day but much more integrated on day two and still going strong for the final quarter bottle on day 3. Still needs a few years to reach peak but delicious now
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7/24/2022 - jan erik wrote: 92 Points
Still exellent!
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7/24/2022 - belfast taxman wrote: 91 Points
No decanting this time - just opened it for 30 minutes. Nose and palate very classical/traditional- this continues to mature nice and slowly
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7/20/2022 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
A blend of Tempranillo (80%) from 30-yo vines and Garnacha (20%) from La Pedriza vineyard planted at high altitude in La Rioja Baja, all picked in mid-October. This is the third vintage that was made completely from fruit sourced from estate vineyards (traditionally at least a part of Garnacha has been purchased). Fermented and macerated in stainless steel, aged in stainless steel tanks until March 2011. The Tempranillo wines were aged for 36 months in American oak barriques averaging 4 years old and the Garnacha wines were aged for 30 months in 2nd and 3rd use American oak barrels. Blended and bottled in May 2015. 13,5% alcohol, 6,01 g/l acidity and pH 3,56. Total production 50,000 cases. Tasted blind.
Moderately translucent and very slightly evolved black cherry color with a pale rim. Very big and sweet-toned nose dominated by classic Rioja aromas of vanilla and wizened figs, some leathery tones, a little bit of ripe red cherry, light toasty notes of mocha, a hint of redcurrant jam and a touch of cloves. The wine is dry, firm and surprisingly fresh on the palate with a medium body and rather oak-driven flavors of vanilla and toasty oak spice and with notes of fresh redcurrants and wild strawberries, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of clove, light sweeter notes of dried figs, a funky hint of sweaty leather saddle and a nice bitter touch of sour cherry. The structure relies mostly on the rather high acidity and somewhat noticeable bitterness, as the ripe and quite gentle tannins mainly contribute to the silky texture of the wine, rather than to the structure. The finish is rich, long and gently grippy with layered flavors of vanilla oak and clove-driven spice, some toasty oak tones, a little bit of dried figs, light red-tone notes of redcurrants and wild strawberries, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of old leather.
I honestly thought of La Rioja Alta from the first sniff and with the first taste I thought this must be either Ardanza or Arana, from a relatively recent vintage. Close enough - right with the first guess. However, although very recognizable for the house style, the wine still felt a bit unbalanced: first off, the nose was not only bursting with vanilla notes, but also showing quite a bit of toasty mocha oak character, which felt a bit out of place for a LRA wine. Furthermore, the wine otherwise came across as a bit more evolved than I anticipated for a 2010 and only from the quite unresolved structure and still very prominent oak tones I guessed that this must be a relatively recent vintage - otherwise I would've went with a vintage 10 years older! Nevertheless, I'd say that the wine might be just lacking in age; it might now feel a bit awkward, but there seems to be good promise for future evolution (even if the tannic structure was surprisingly soft and mellow for a 2010 LRA!). The wine really could use some additional aging and I guess it needs another 10 years or so before it really starts to come together. What I've learned from drinking young and old Ardanza is that these wines really can take on some aging and they really benefit from it.
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7/6/2022 - afields wrote:
Better with a couple hours of air as the oak fades into tomato and cherry.
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7/6/2022 - nsellen wrote:
Surprised to find that this is ready now. Lighter body than anticipated. Oak is integrating but still prominent. Fruit is ripe and fresh. I’m sure this has years to go but its so much more advanced than my last bottle from 75cl.
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7/3/2022 - AleksanderDye Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lette røde frukter på nese, kirsebær og hint av anis, noe sødme, neste som sevje fra selje som også gir dybde
Elegant vin, Lette røde frukter, lyse syrlige kirsebær, ettersmak av litt toastet eik. Litt bjørnebær med nok luft
Trenge mye luft - gjerne 8 timer i karaffel, ellers er den litt enkel, men mye mer fylde med luft!
89-90 uten luft, 92-93 med luft!
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6/26/2022 - StainedGlass Likes this wine: 93 Points
I did not keep contemporaneous tasting notes, but this was excellent. More full bodied but well balanced. Classic Rioja profile with red fruits, leather, earth and telltale dill from the American oak. Compares favorably to a Gran Reserva 904. Just entering its ideal drinking window with more improvement ahead. Drink now -2040.
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6/25/2022 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Encore une fois, le boisé est omniprésent en
ce moment, pas mal trop pour moi.
Prunes confites et mures avec un peu de poivre,
profile animal et un brin rustique.
Tannins serrés et finale longue, asséchante et avec
une peu de chauffe.
Jeune certes, va t'il se replacer...éventuellement, possiblement!
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6/17/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great nose, invoking toast and butter with vanilla and jammy notes from the oak. Ripe, almost sweet red strawberry and cherry. Palate toasty oak - toast and butter - with ripe red fruit,. Lots of layers of fruit, oaky tertiary notes, spices and a touch of earthiness.
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6/17/2022 - Hanibal wrote: 92 Points
Had this with steak. Initially the attack is mostly on barrel treatment but after 1 hour the fruit comes out. Mostly blackberry and raspberries and the finale is mostly on sandlewood and spices. Terrific focus and length …. Seemed still young more upside
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6/15/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very pleasant. Great nose and fruit that fades quite quickly. Surprised it can go through 2060. Save a bottle to celebrate my 100th.
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6/15/2022 - WilD wrote: 92 Points
Very Nice Old school Rioja
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6/5/2022 - jackpickard Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby colour, almost brown around edges.
Nose - rich with vanilla and red fruit
Palette - great fruit cherry and strawberry, nice vanilla but not overpowering. Then cuts through with acidity and smooth tannins.
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6/4/2022 - Kirko80 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb straight out of the bottle. Showing nice aging with rich smooth taste
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5/31/2022 - GAET Likes this wine: 92 Points
Le vin a bien évolué. Avec des arômes que ce soient au nez ou en bouche qui sont beaucoup plus ouverts que ma précédente bouteille.
très bien +
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5/28/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 95 Points
94/95. Almost profound! Has aromas of leather, shale, sandstone, diesel oil, raspberries, vanilla hints, cherries and mint. Its impressive medium bodied lightly oaked , zingy black, blue and red fruits palate has lovely foursquare depth +deliniation. Ends longish, fresh and tangy. 13.5%. Got this for 25 Euros which is amazing value! Lay down 15-20 years+. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Does not have the 2005's Burgundian elegance.
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5/21/2022 - jps3@columbia.edu Likes this wine:
Like all La Rioja Alta Riojas that I’ve tasted this is a well made wine. The nose is delicious & would be worth the price but add in a wonderful wine and it’s a bargain. A worthy Selección Especial.
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5/16/2022 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour, drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. I love how this wine has such energy and lift. The balance between earth, fruit and savory acid keeps this wine light, yet it goes great with a steak.
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5/15/2022 - vigure Likes this wine: 92 Points
80 % Tempranillio, 20% Garnacha, 13.5% abv. Garnet on the rim. Quite simple but bold expressions; cherry, tabacco and cedarwood. Acidity is medium to high and nicely balanced with tannin. I am quite sure that even non-Tempranillio fan can enjoy this bottle well.
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5/14/2022 - VinoRosso wrote: 94 Points
Brilliant nose of cherries, tobacco and spice. Went great with pork tenderloin.
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5/9/2022 - johnnyo wrote: 93 Points
Classic Rioja, drinking beautifully right now
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5/5/2022 - swade wrote: 91 Points
Open two hours. Garnet color. Warm earth and vanilla aromas. Balanced entry. Cherry, strawberry jam flavors and then they drop off a chalky cliff and seem to cling. Plus finish. Elegant, yet structured. Really interesting. 91
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5/5/2022 - WilD wrote: 93 Points
Still performing well. Great flavours of blackberries, vanilla, Llicor. Great PQR.
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4/30/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose toasted oak, blueberry, strawberry jam, hint of vanilla. Strawberry, raspberry palate with buttery toast and a certain jamminess. Ripe grapiness. Hints of mature tertiary notes and truffles along with liquorish. Long finish, good acidity and balance.
Very easy to drink and enjoyed all round. There were a few 'non wine people' around the table who proclaimed after drinking this, they'll never buy a cheap bottle from the supermarket again! And at such a great price, why would they!
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4/30/2022 - Papies wrote:
A very pretty red for sure but we have not done it justice as it was opened at the end of a very long wine dinner and frankly at a time when palate fatigue ruled supreme. Felt sorry for it frankly.
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4/18/2022 - woodap Likes this wine:
Brick red.
Lots of vanilla/coconut on first opening.
Some spice and red fruits later in evening.
At its best night 2 with more leather/raisin notes but still maintaining freshness.
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4/16/2022 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just a fabulous rioja. Give it a long decant.
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4/8/2022 - AndreasMuc Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nachverkostung/Update, siehe frühere Bewertungen. Die Jg. 2012 und 2015 sind fetter und haben mehr Alkohol (hier nur 13,5%, 2012 und 2015 jeweils 14,5%). 2010 ist mein erklärter Liebling, ich hatte aber mehrfach Korkfehler (Zufall?). Wenn er singt, ist der Wein aber grandios, besonders zu diesem Preis. Wunderbare, charmante rote Frucht, natürlich viel Holz (das sich mit Zeit immer besser einbindet) und eine unsterbliche Säure. Ich glaube nicht, dass für diesen Preis (ca. 22-25€) irgendwas besser reift. (95 - +?)
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3/19/2022 - A1002 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweetish and very complex nose. Coconut, chocolate, vanilla and dry strawberries. Also notes of tobacco and mushrooms.
Quite acidic palate at first. Needs some time to mellow. Great balance. Feels silky and balsamic but the tannins still have bite. A long finish.
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3/10/2022 - John McCabe wrote: 92 Points
Pretty good value, medium-bodied, has a kind of sunburned lead pencil profile with some sweetness. Pleasant enough.
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3/9/2022 - cbajustin Likes this wine: 93 Points
12 yrs of age & still plenty to go. This is a superb wine & one of the best values out there for $35 or below.
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3/8/2022 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Eclectic Blind tasting (at my home): See my previous TN
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3/3/2022 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
wine buddies monthly meeting at Adina's (at Adina's): see my previous TN
bottom line: excellent
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2/28/2022 - evold89 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite dark, rich and intense. Drinking nicely, but better with some more age. Very classic Rioja Alta. Nice mix of red, black and blue fruit, leather and slightly balsamic. Lovely.
Bit hard to rate at this moment, lots of potential...
NR. Probably 92 points now with some upside with cellaring
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2/20/2022 - Sean McGrath wrote:
NR. The ninth of my case -- I've really loved this wine. Unfortunately today's was slightly corked. Evi felt it was "too tannic," which it definitely wasn't. I think she was smelling the cork.
In any case, it went well with the goulash. Hopefully the last three will be better.
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2/20/2022 - Likawine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice well balanced. A bit to much vanilla and dill for my taste.
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2/19/2022 - Nick oakwood wrote: 93 Points
I‘ve been drinking this since release and it’s getting better and better. Stunning QPR. Solid 93!! Will get better the upcoming years. Splendid!
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2/12/2022 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine:
Una Noche con Ropa Vieja (Chez Nous): Dark cherry, spices and coconut on the nose. Dark red fruits predominate the palate and are given considerable forward momentum by a good acidity. This acidity is well integrated with sandy round tannins thus containing the momentum within a defined structure. Finishes long and satisfying.
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2/12/2022 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful cherry nose. A little chalky on open, but it improves after 15 minutes or so. Light, elegant fruit on the palate.
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2/2/2022 - belfast taxman wrote: 90 Points
Our latest bottle and a “quiet” one. Double decanted three hours before drinking. This bottle was less vibrant, less intense than previous bottles. Still a very good Rioja and very much a Rioja.
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1/28/2022 - ppandian wrote: 89 Points
Notes of cherries, nicely balanced acid, lovely nose of violets.
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1/26/2022 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was one of the most beautiful Rioja's I have ever had. Lighter in body, but with great fruit. I feel an almost electric beam of verve throughout its journey across the palate. Lovely old world nose. Would have never guessed that this was 12 years old. So lively; it could go for 20 more years.
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1/26/2022 - VinoRosso wrote: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully.
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1/25/2022 - guy12 wrote:
Decanted for 4 hours, I think it needs more time to improve, the acidity was a bit jarring & it overpowers the wine. No doubt it will be excellent but not yet for my tastes.
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1/22/2022 - wcliao Likes this wine:
good wine
taste smoothly and good aroma
aged with soft tannic
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1/21/2022 - vanderpee Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sumptuous and nice, in its drinking window with plent years to go.
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1/20/2022 - cjsadler wrote:
Bright acidity, dill and leather. Drinkable, but seems like it needs more time to develop.
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1/15/2022 - Torchy wrote: 90 Points
A couple of years since the previous bottle. The wine is starting to get around. Light mint, dill, dark and tart fruit. Still a bit oaky, but it's about to lighten. This has many good years ahead of it.
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1/13/2022 - WilD wrote: 93 Points
Give it an hour in the decanter and enjoy. Great old traditional rioja.
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1/11/2022 - Dfortin9 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pale garnet, aromatic and intense showing a lot of sherry, blackberry, plum and licorice. Bright acidity, medium to full bodied with powdery tannins. A serious and well made wine. NI:4, FI:22, FC:8, B:4, L:3
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1/10/2022 - happy712 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just at the right time. Smoky tart cherry and moldy oak. Very nice with most foods.
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1/8/2022 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 92 Points
My last bottle of this wonderful Rioja, drinking very well now. Oak, leather, tobacco, cherry, smoke, blackberry mushroom. Delightful.
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12/30/2021 - johnnyo wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding Rioja!
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12/27/2021 - ppandian wrote: 90 Points
At mount snow. Red berries, firm but well integrated tannins, nice weight on the palate, with a long finish.
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12/24/2021 - Duncan.dewhurst@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Rioja
Intense nose of red fruit and cedar
Still lively on the palate with peppery notes
Long finish ending in intense buttery oak
Great!
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12/20/2021 - redders Likes this wine: 90 Points
First from case. Opened three hours then decanted two hours. Deep colour. Initially oak dominates but the fruit and spice comes through. Excellent mouthfeel , tight fruit . Tannins there and acidity. Good to drink now but plenty of improvement ahead as it comes together.
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11/24/2021 - stray wrote:
4,3 på Vivino
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11/23/2021 - LingonTuvan Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good balance. Need more time. Typical dill in after taste.
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10/30/2021 - up4wine wrote: 92 Points
2nd of 6 by tasting group, my 1st. Ardanza is one of the few wines that I think I can pick out from a blind group because it has such a distinctive palate. It usually has a somewhat oaky nose, which does not come through so much on the palate. There is big, bright fruit front and middle with a tart finish. None the less, I also find Ardanza to be one of the least consistent wines within a given vintage, maybe due to the range of barrels used to age it. However, this bottle was excellent throughout the tasting. Afterward, it began a slow decline from its pedestal.
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10/29/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
93/94. Half Bottle. Has full on aromas of leather, shale, parchment ,diesel oil, raspberries, plums, mint +kirsch and clove hints. Its spectacular punchy nicely oaked juicy,chewy medium bodied palate has wonderful depth, lovely texture and layers and ends longish, lightly zingy and tapering. I would love to try the 904 2010 but it is probably a 95 pointer and this is half the price and almost as good currently. The value on this is insane at around 26 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 6/7 hrs aeration. Lacks refinement compared to my favourite vintage the 2005 which is zingy, red fruited beautifully concentrated, satiny nicely vaniila oaked and ultra long, tangy and beautiful with Rare Lamb fillet dishes and patatas bravas with Mediterranean salad.
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10/29/2021 - 007cellar wrote:
VERY YOUNG, UNDEVELOPED, PRIMARY. NOT CHANGED AFTER 2 HOURS. 11/2021
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10/21/2021 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Definitely needs plenty of air time if opening now. Drank over three nights, and this showed best on night three. Will try to forget about my remanining bottles for a few years.
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10/17/2021 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 93 Points
I have tried to be patient with opening my first bottle but cracked on last night with cepes and duck confit. What a thrilling bottle-- a rare moment when critic hype converges with reality. Subtle but beautiful Middle Easern spices on the nose and a voluptuous mouthul of goodness with weight and balance. This is ready for full enjoyment now with a good long decant (2 hours) and will be exciting to grow with
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10/15/2021 - GregersJ wrote:
Kraftbombe med peber, fad, god syre og meget dejlige nedtonede tanniner. En krydret bulderbasse, der alligevel er både elegant og sofistikeret.
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10/13/2021 - DRBvin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine overall, similar to a good Bordeaux blend, decant 30 minutes, better as it warmed and aired in the glass. Second night stiil good but with less complexity. Approaching peak now.
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10/8/2021 - MSheridan wrote: 88 Points
I’m yet to buy into the hype of this vintage.
This was my second bottle and still didn’t wow me as it has some of the reviewers.
Double Decanted seven hours earlier. Despite this I still think it needs more breathing time because it still didn’t come across as fully open. An initial whack of vanilla oak is followed by red fruit notes with a slightly austere finish. It showed signs of improvement as we got towards the end of the bottle having spent some time in the glass.
Next bottle I’ll try decanting for longer or holding on to the rest of the case for a few more years in the cellar
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9/25/2021 - 559Cheers wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well, nice floral lift. Reserva nuances all there. Roasted and lactic infused meats/charcuterie, and leather. Acidity nice and good for more age.
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9/22/2021 - Grapacious wrote: 90 Points
Stunning silkiness, beautiful tannins. One to enjoy with your favourite hearty meal, but can be drunk alone. Fruit and structure combine to harmonize my experience. Heady and addictive, the fruit is pure, refined and quite rich. Enjoy!
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9/22/2021 - gallu wrote: 92 Points
92 Precioso color rubí brillante, bastante cubierto. Nariz clásica de buen Rioja, con su madera de calidad, sus tostados y vainilla. Bastante fruta roja bien madura por detrás. En boca es estupendo, limpio, frutal, con buena estructura y un tanino muy fino. Se está construyendo un gran vino, pero es muy disfrutable incluso ahora. Merecerá la pena esperar algún año más para la siguiente.
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9/17/2021 - soumamae Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted one hour — not enough time.
Delicate and perfumed, but seemed yet closed. Will try again with 3h decant next time.
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9/16/2021 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Tasted after 2001/2005/2009 Ardanza and next to 2010 904. Brooding and backward on the nose: dark fruit, tobacco, sweet spices, orange peel, hint of floral notes. On the palate finer tannic structure compared to the 2009, a little cooler and more elegant as well. Grippy, vibrant, good concentration of fruit. Very long. Needs a couple of more years to fully integrate but is of course a worthy successor to the 2001 Reserva Especial. 93-94+
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9/3/2021 - CourtlyDoc Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose- tobacco snd forest loam.
Palate - light acidity, medium body and mouthfeel, medium finish.
Pairing - margaritas pizza snd arugula with viniagrette. Very pleasant.
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9/2/2021 - Lousyfreak Likes this wine: 93 Points
Interesting indeed. Very value for money. Would buy a case to slowly see how it could develop
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8/22/2021 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 30 minutes as it seemed a bit tight on opening. Lovely nose from get-go! Most impressions as last bottle a year ago, though this never seemed to quite even out, staying a tad acidic, thus quite nice but with a touch off note compared to prior bottle. Thinking I'll let next bottle sit a while. Still very enjoyable with grilled lamb chops, garden tomatoes, potatoes and parsley.
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8/15/2021 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Ditto note on 8-14 - Served with my first go of Birria Tacos - match add in heaven.
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8/7/2021 - happy712 Likes this wine: 93 Points
30 minute decant suggested. Classic Rioja with bursting fruit, oak, and leather. Excellent with bacon, lamb, and Gouda.
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8/1/2021 - 99tollap wrote: 94 Points
See a copy of my note from 1 year ago. This wine has now taken on a new dimension. If you haven't had a bottle for a while, now is the time to find one and crack it open. Still plenty of room to improve further though.
"Drinking this has made me realise I should be buying way more Rioja. Absolutely super bottle. The nose has so much character. Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry, forrest aromas, dusty leather, cola, bbq'd pork fat and soft herbs, bound in perfectly judged oak. This is the sort of wine where you can get lost in the nose and smell aromas that you aren't even convinced are real. The palette is a tad less impressive, but still fabulous. Rather tight at the moment, with quite a strong acidic backbone which gives great freshness. With air it definitely opens up more, but this wine is indeed only just starting it's journey. Excellent value at CHF 29. Easily 95+ in a few years." 92 points, August 2020.
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7/31/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
93/94. Wonderful. Has full throttle aromas of diesel fuel, leather, earth, vaniila hints, flowers, raspberries, minerals, cherries+figs. Its medium bodied opulent red, nicely vanillary blue and flowery, meaty zingy fruity palate has an opulent middle and ends super long, fresh and tapering. A 95 on the last sip! 13.5%. Only 24 Euros. Amazing QPR. Needs 7-8hrs aeration. This is a lot better than the overwrought 2012. But my favourite Ardanza is the 2005 for its zingy, elegant vaniila infused red fruits, lovely depth and length. It is more typical than this.
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7/29/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely nose of dark fruit, meat, blackberries, and iron. Great balance between the fruit and savory notes. Tons of acidity on the palate with more red fruit leaning flavors, cherries, and herbs. Long finish. I really liked the weight of this wine, it’s light on its feet with fresh acidity but has quite a bit of fruit and stuffing to add oomph. Quite impressive and phenomenal for the price. 94+
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7/28/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
First bottle of 18 (including six magnums). Very happy with the purchases, especially given I've recently had some LRA wines with offputting amounts of dill pickle-ish American oak. Decanted a few hours in advance, based on some recent experiences posted here, but that didn't seem necessary as the wine was broadly (and deliciously) the same both before and after. Really vivid and addictive on the nose, with plenty of ultra-ripe fruit and a lovely aromatic framing from the oak. The sense of concentration carried through onto the palate, with huge weight of fruit, hints of leathery interest and the sort of gourmet, truffley quality one seeks in Pomerol. Long, long palate-staining finish.
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7/28/2021 - Cockneyred Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottle 2 out of 6 and a distinct improvement after an already solid start. Much more interesting experience - oak much less evident, more cherry and a trace of liquorice on the finish. Very smooth, so much so that my wife enthusiastically joined the party and before I could blink the bottle had gone…
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7/24/2021 - BCFrench1527 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: Black cherry, black raspberry, leather, dusty rackhouse, fresh rain on gravel, a faint wisp of light roast coffee.
Palate: The black raspberry note is much more up front. Red tart cherry, leather, a bit of milk chocolate, and light roast espresso to round it out.
Takeaway: Rock solid Rioja with a big raspberry-milk chocolate-truffle thing. If the price was still down around $30 I'd buy it by the case, but now that it's creeping up to $40-50, I think Muga may be a better value proposition despite the slightly more modern style. 3.5/5
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7/19/2021 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Prior bottle was exactly a year ago and the wine has evolved positively in that time. Opened about two hours ahead of time and drunk over an additional two hours. Nose continues to show red cherry and red berries, all underlain with a pleasant earthiness on one hand and more floral qualities on the other. Medium bodied and felt noticeably more open and rounded than my prior bottle, while the fruit profile remains a mix of brighter red berries and softer red cherry. The mid-body did have a touch less depth than I recalled from my prior bottle and from what I expected for today. However, I felt this was balanced by how well defined the fruit was and the balance with the tannins, earth, spice and mineral notes on the back and through the finish. Balance and purity are the strengths of this wine and I'll plan to open my last bottle in June or July 2022.
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7/17/2021 - PaulHig wrote: 92 Points
Only just starting to open up, tasted alongside the 07, which is now displaying it's maturity beautifully. Greater things to come for the 10, try and hold a few bottles!
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7/17/2021 - MattGeneve Likes this wine: 91 Points
Yes the oak is obvious as expected but this is lovely - red fruited and picquant acidity. Very moreish. Fantastic VFM and development potential.
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7/12/2021 - belfast taxman wrote: 92 Points
Eight months on from our last bottle and this certainly seems to have settled down quite a bit. The nose was a lot more restrained and on the palate the wine was much more typical Rioja in character. I remain confident of future improvement with further ageing.
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7/8/2021 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pnp and needed decanting for sure to fully show its stuff, but still has the bones for 94+ range. Tasty but not quite to the level of first bottle so may see some variation.
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6/30/2021 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Top Spanish wines (originally RP 95+) (George & John restaurant, Drisko hotel, TLV): see my previous TN
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6/13/2021 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 91 Points
In a great place right now, Loving the Rioja oak and leather, tobacco, blackberry and red fruit.
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6/9/2021 - Gruffalius Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very distinctive. Dusty cherries? Popular with group.
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5/29/2021 - G.O. wrote: 93 Points
Big step up compared to cheaper siblings Arana and Alberdi. Enjoyed from the first sip till the last drop!
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5/24/2021 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Ramat-Aviv Boys meeting (at my home): at best after 24 hours
see my previous TN
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5/21/2021 - jan erik wrote: 92 Points
- Crimsom color with fast forming legs with a medium finish - Nice vintage of this Ardanza Reserva. 2010 is a collection especial. Needs airing and would keep half a bottle in the fridge for 5 days without ox. Keeper! Violets,dill, some wood and earthy/mushrom. Sligthly acidic and elegant. Long taste, fine grain tannins.
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5/18/2021 - gallu wrote: 90 Points
90 Rioja clásico. Rubí intenso, bastante cubierto. Nariz dominada por la crianza, madera de calidad, tostados, vainilla, todo ello oculta la fruta en estos momentos. Boca fresca, ácida, con buena estructura y un final largo. Jovencísimo aún, habría que dejarlo hasta 2030 para que se empiece a revelar . Recompensará a los pacientes.
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5/14/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
93/94. One glass. Has aromas of leather, earth, raspberries, shale, mint, vanilla hints and meaty blueberries. Its youthful medium to full bodied very meaty decently clovey blue and red fruits full palate has good freshness, a profoundish opulent middle and a very long freshly fruited finish. 13.5%. Lay down 10-20 years+. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Superb QPR at 22 Euros. The last sip was a 95.
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5/8/2021 - auldalliance wrote:
Coravined one glass. Oak too dominant, and not yet integrated. Needs a decant of a couple of hours or some more bottle age.
Prefer the 2005 at present.
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5/7/2021 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
This was the best bottle yet - too bad it's the last. I may buy more of this.
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5/2/2021 - RalfRufus Likes this wine: 82 Points
Heiko sagt sehr runder Rioja mit Vanillatiefe und leichtem Beerenabgang. BBQ 2.Mai 2021
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5/2/2021 - rayq wrote: 93 Points
Lovely combination of fruit and refreshing acidity. This was from a half and it's drinking very well now but for the more aged traditional profile one has to wait.
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5/1/2021 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Assez boisé et tannique en ce moment,
même avec un passage en carafe c'est musclé.
Beaucoup de fruits noirs, mures et prunes avec
un peu de poivre et de chocolat.
Les tannins sont serrés et la finale assez
longue sur la chauffe.
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4/30/2021 - RalfRufus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect R example with vanilla fruit
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4/29/2021 - GArpaia Likes this wine:
Intense, fresh and scented. Sweet spices (cinnamon) mingling with dark cherries, prune and coconut. Open in advance, even better the next day. Lacking mid palate but for the value this is a great buy. Satisfying.
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4/28/2021 - swyang wrote:
A great wine in the making. Just about entering the best phase and one or two more years of patience will be rewarded beautifully. Already so suave, the wood is still present but started to fade away, superbe texture, of fruits and terroir are starting to speak each other. They will soon sing and dance in a most beautiful and harmonious way and can't wait for the uplifting moment that this will provide. I really love Vina Ardanza from about 14 to 15 years old and I would need to show my patience with this '10 vintage. Very aristocratic profile asking for a just moment longer before fully maturing. Cheers,
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4/20/2021 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
see my previous TN
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4/17/2021 - Panchoricardo Likes this wine: 88 Points
First sensation is the acidity. Suprising at this age. Then the fruit and the ripe but grippy tannins. A nice drink, but it was gone in no time.
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4/14/2021 - andrew.white.ke@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Love the totally divided opinion on this wine. I like it, but is an acquired taste - more wood than fruit at this point.
The tartness and acidity are in a nice place, not sure if will improve much. Gran Reservas from here are immortal tho so hope to be proven wrong. Great value in a great vintage.
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4/12/2021 - MS86 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is one of those special wines that is so complex your notes change with each sniff and each sip. It is approachable now but clearly has decades of life and evolution ahead.
Wonderful aromas that you have constantly swirling your glass without feeling the need to taste. The nose is subtle and yet powerful. There is a heavy oak influence but fruit notes are there to be found. A rich vanilla backbone blends harmoniously with cigar box, pine, leather and menthol. There is dill and baking spice, sweet raw cookie dough. There is a resinous and earthy quality. Balsamic and smoked meat. Fruit notes of strawberry, red cherry and red and black plum.
This medium-bodied wine doesn't have the angry, unapproachable tannins of a young Cab or supertuscan. They are present, but fine grained. Acidity is powerful and persistent.
Flavours of black plum, sour red cherry, vanilla, dill, chocolate, leather, sweet blackberry and cassis. There is an interesting clove / nutmeg note. Perhaps it's the cinnamon but there is a persistent spice note. I think it's closer to black pepper and it gives a sense of heat through the finish.
Exceptionally long finish. Like the nose and flavours it is constantly evolving. Leather, dill, sour red cherry, black plum and vanilla.
If given the opportunity today, I would buy a case and open one every few years. Amazing wine.
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4/11/2021 - DrBad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Moved up a notch or two since first bottle a year ago with the acidity and tartness not as prominent. Nice cherry and smoke aromas with red cherries, currant, oak, vanilla and some earthiness on the palate. Great pairing with Palestinian take out.
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4/10/2021 - Deer and pigeon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 4/5 hours and rewarded with rose, bay, cherry, smoke, leather, herbs, forest floor and long finish. Has several years to go.
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4/4/2021 - Subtek wrote: 93 Points
Very Nice Rioja.. at the beginning lots of vanilla and a bit rough tannins. After 30 mins, smooth and round. Lots of strawberries, a hint of vanilla left. A classic Ardanza. Everything well integrated. Excellent bang for the buck!
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4/2/2021 - Danneskjöld wrote: 91 Points
Moden søt frukt. Mye vanilje. Fat og svakt av lær. Bra konsentrasjon med godt avslipte tanniner. God lengde. Klassisk Rioja.
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3/30/2021 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
A delicate but complex wine. Tastes better in a narrow-rim glass that traps the aromas. Flavors of sun-dried tomato, prunes, cigar box, violets, and macadamia butter. Light mouthfeel, with silky tannins providing much of the weight. Good stuff.
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3/29/2021 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 90 Points
Better day 2
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3/27/2021 - WilD wrote: 92 Points
Nice rioja flavours. Liqour style. Nice acid but not the traditional LRA acidity backbone. Mid palate a little thin. Good but not great at this stage.
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3/21/2021 - Harrie Likes this wine: 90 Points
New to this wine, it comes across to me as remarkably young and tight for its eleven years. My 60 minutes of air are clearly insufficient to open up. That said, the quality is there, unmistakably. Classic rioja nose, confirmed on the palate. Question is whether it comes out tomorrow or only in five years. I guess the latter.
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3/19/2021 - sarahstinebaugh Likes this wine: 96 Points
Exceptional vintage. Dried cherries, worn leather, and spice on the nose. Subtle tar, vanilla, and cherry liqueur on the palate. Bright acidity and the silkiest of silky tannins. Smooth and long finish.
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3/16/2021 - Bob23 wrote: 89 Points
Given the price, I am not a fan. There’s too much vegetal/dill in their flavor at this point.
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3/6/2021 - Tudz Drkl wrote:
Coconut oak notes. Red fruits, chocolate, spice and anise with some farm. Savory fruit and rising profile with long finish
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3/2/2021 - drwine2001 wrote:
A test run for this rarely released cuvée of Viña Ardanza. Decanted for 5 hours. Light garnet center. Strong fennel and pine resin. Lighter weight, some glycerine. There is nice red fruit underneath, some cocoa, and fine acidity, but the green elements dominate, and the finish is unrelentingly astringent due to the wood tannins. There are a number of things to like here if you can see your way past the herbaceous woodiness. Unfortunately for me, I just can't. It's another swing and a miss with La Rioja Alta, and I should know better by now than trying yet another bottling to see if I somehow find the magic. The style is just not for me.
With a nod to the comments below, sleeker, slightly sweeter, and more high toned, gentle menthol perfume after recorking this overnight, so there is hope for the future, but the greenness is in the genetic code of the winemaking at this property. There is no getting around that.
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2/26/2021 - Gwjrobertson wrote: 91 Points
Beginning to get into what I would consider a drinking window—fruit forward, still slightly harsh tannins, lots of tertiary aromas
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2/21/2021 - Mark Bostock wrote:
Viña Ardanza is aged three years in barrels, then further in bottle, resulting in a graceful, classically styled Rioja that is is smoky and smooth.
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2/20/2021 - Wadham Cellar wrote: 88 Points
Third of six. This fresher than last two. But remains hard to escape what seems to be a hint of TCA or at least a feral component that, in this case, detracts rather than adds to the wine. Based on other reviews perhaps this has come from a poorly stored case.
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2/19/2021 - bobbylion wrote: 93 Points
Once again a fantastic showing with huge promise. I noted some discussion on ageworthiness of this. In my view it is very much a wine to age.
It drinks way above its under 20 euros price now and, my feeling, will be beating 50-60 Euro comparable peers in 10-15 years.
Also I think it is well corked, so should survive another decade or two without too much corkage problem.
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2/14/2021 - MichaelMA Likes this wine: 88 Points
A good, but not great rioja. Flavors were muted thought wine was smooth and finish was long.
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2/12/2021 - Tylerk wrote: 92 Points
With paella after decant an airing about 90 min- ? too short as wine continued to blossom over dinner-this us still young for a rioja but I wanted to try to see where it was- maybe let cellar another 2 yrs or so?
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2/12/2021 - kstoddard wrote:
Undrinkable
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2/12/2021 - CharlatanDario wrote: 94 Points
Dild. All over. Forest floor, mushrooms, cherry. Kapoow.
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2/9/2021 - Misology24 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear, medium garnet. Dry, medium(+) acid, medium(+) body, medium tannin, medium alcohol. Developing. Medium(+) intensity and long finish. Aromas and flavors of dried red and black cherry, dried plum, dried black currant, orange peel, violet, dark chocolate, tobacco, forest floor, coffee, black pepper, clove, dill, and trace vanilla. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha. Oak notes nearly fully-integrated. Outstanding quality (B,L,I,C). Drink now; not suitable for aging or further aging. Exceptional value for the price
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2/7/2021 - Weinberg Falls wrote: 88 Points
Nose of vanilla, red berries, some tobacco and dark chocolate. Very tart palate of sour cherry and blackcurrant. Medium spiced finish. Either this was a bad bottle or I am seriously missing something here, this was only just above bog-standard Rioja.
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2/6/2021 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine:
Initial open: cherry, chocolate, vanilla, butter, delicious, very prominent nose
after 90mins open: more subdued nose, mocha, chocolate, cherry, bell curve profile, long toasty finish, unbelievable QPR
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2/3/2021 - Ennike wrote: 87 Points
I´m ambivalent about this wine. At age 10 the aromas are spicy and nicely matured. But it´s spicy oak, not spicy fruit. Same with palate... spicy oak, no spicy fruit. Finish is a bit short and hollow. Not elegant, just simple and thin. Sorry, maybe I get this wrong.
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1/31/2021 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
One glass. This has deep aromas of plums, cherries, raspberries, vanilla hints, coffee, forest floor and a hint of beef stock and minerals. Its medium bodied foursquare, smooth yet broadly shouldered beefy lightly clovey zingy blue and red fruits palate ends long, fresh and tapering with some grippy tannin.. 13.5%. This is very different to the elegant, perfumed yet punchy +silky red fruited 2005 that I admire. Vive la difference. This is a more serious and extracted long term wine. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 6hrs aeration. Superb QPR at 22 Euros.
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1/30/2021 - Arsene wrote: 92 Points
Mørk rød med lett mursteinsrød rand.
Dette er klassisk Rioja.
Sursøt røyk. Fatlig. Landbruk, fjøs og rått høy. Røde bær som heller mest mot bringebær. Hint av nype.
Mektig og sødmefull vin. Røde bær, halvtørr. Modne plommer eller til og med svisker.
Fin, elegant lenge med noe tobakk inn i slutten.
Høy kvalitet og verdt hver krone.
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1/22/2021 - denver_vinder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really, really enjoyable wine. Oprn nose with sweet forrest fruits, vanilla and Tobacco leaves. Fine, fresh acidity, medium+ well integrated tannins, cherry skin, eleerberry, strawberry, radpberry, vanilla and smoky notes. Medium+ aftertaste.
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1/22/2021 - Steve Simmons Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had during Sunfish cellars online Zoom tasting. Very aromatic, Still young, tannins more aggressive than I would have thought but very smooth, high acidity day, good complexity. More elegant and reserved that the vina alberdi which we had first during the online tasting event. Would buy again.
Day2 and day3 were even better than day 1. My misstep having day1 with only 1 hour decant. Day 3 with pork roast was fantastic.
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1/19/2021 - Barnsbar Likes this wine: 97 Points
So, the wine that got lots of critics excited and at £22 it could be the best purchase ever......?!
Deep, dark and very youthful appearance. Almost impenetrable and it's 10yrs old.
The nose just screams; "I'm a huge, full flavoured Rioja". It has tonnes going on with the nose. Strawberry, blackberry, spice, cigar box with a huge frame of vanilla oak. You just know it's too young but the bottle is open and it's still a joy to drink.
Medium full bodied and pretty tight. Tannins are ripe but plenty of them, beautiful line of acidity running through it. The palate matches the nose but it's like an over stuffed suitcase, we're only tasting the bits that are escaping and they are superb! Give it time, lots.
I've got 5 bottles left and if I open one every 5yrs I think the wine will cope. Where I'll be in 2046 who knows but I believe this wine will still have something to give.
If you've got some, enjoy it! If you haven't, try and get some. Great wine.
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1/17/2021 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very well
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1/16/2021 - ducster72 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Like the note I posted for the 2009 Faiveley, the thing that stands out about this is the wonderful texture. Certainly there are tannins, but time and concentration render them silken. Just on the edge of too oaky for me, but I'd give it the benefit of the doubt with a bit more time. More blue and black fruit than red. Fabulous but (again) oaky nose. Incredible bargain for what it is.
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1/16/2021 - Danneskjöld wrote: flawed
Flat og tam. Ingen fruktighet. Litt sur. Returnert.
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1/13/2021 - philmtl wrote:
Beaucoup trop jeune et en plus je n'ai pas pu carafer. Bref, aneth et vanille au nez et en bouche. Il y a beaucoup de fruits et une bonne dose de tanins. C'est bâtit pour vieillir. La prochaine dans plusieurs années.
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1/9/2021 - swyang wrote:
Stunning potential, but still needing a bit of time, in my humble opinion. I have known the Vina Ardanza at exquisite states, which this will surely deliver, no question, in a year or two.
For now it is still in its primary delivering gorgeous fruits, dark and barely fading, but a glimpse of generous terroir and secondary elements are coming up at its horizon and soon this will have a great balance of fresh tannin on a high note, of gorgeous fruits in the tenor and as a bass its terroir. Patience will be rewarded handsomely. Cheers,
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1/7/2021 - redz wrote: 90 Points
Comes on strong, with nice aged american oak on nose. Fades a little on palate, medium finish. Should improve with time.
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1/6/2021 - asgerG wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Medium red, red rim, 5. Generous aroma of red fruit and herbaceous stuff, rather youngish. Harmonious palate, mT, mA, intense red fruit in the finish. Nice now but I'd wait at least 5 years for more complexity.
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1/4/2021 - Dibbs wrote: 92 Points
I have had a few bottles of this in the past and it always has been a bit underwhelming. But this time around this really shone through. Beautiful integration of the fruit with the tannins and balanced acidity. I couldn't get enough of it. Given the price point, I am not sure, it can get any better but this is still primary, needs good 5 years to really hit its stride.
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1/2/2021 - snipes Likes this wine:
Showing very well with just a little bit of air time in the glass. Light on its feet, but plenty of stuffing and interest. Drink or hold.
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1/2/2021 - Mads Eriksen wrote: 93 Points
I starten næsten vulgær i næsen med de tertiære noter. Efter 4-5 timer falder den til ro. Langt liv foran sig.
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12/30/2020 - MSheridan wrote: 87 Points
Hmmm a bit disappointed here. I’m sure I’ll get berated for my score but this was far from expectation.
After all the hype from other CT reviews I had high hopes.
This bottle was all oak and acid.
Wood initially on the palate, a bit of sour cherry leading to more wood
High acidity and medium velvety tannins.
I’m sure (hope) the oak will integrate at a later stage to show its true credentials
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12/28/2020 - CWilliam wrote:
Decanted for 30 minutes - really needed air (very mute on first taste).
Medium red color with a clear meniscus. Acetone, sweet cherry, all-spice and soy on nose. Medium body, medium+ acidity, integrated tannins and long finish. Flavor profile on palate of tart cherry, strawberry and earthy undertones. 91+/- Not as enjoyable as my last bottle from 1/2020.
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12/28/2020 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium garnet,medium(+) rose,red cherry,red plum,black cherry,tomato leaf,fennel,liquorice,ripe fruit,wed stones,cedar,charred wood,smoke,coffee,tobacco,dry,medium(+) acidity,stalky medium(+) tannin,high alcohol,medium(+) body,medium(+) finish,very good wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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12/27/2020 - SPLJEG Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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12/25/2020 - s204460 wrote:
Very good!
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12/25/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
It has full aromas of vanilla hints, cherries, flowers, raspberries, leather. This is a medium bodied profound and potent taut vanilla flecked red and blue fruits wine with lovely zingy freshness and length ending with nice food friendly grip. Delicious with Spanish fare such as rare lamb fillet and patatas bravas and hard goats cheese. Amazing value at 22 Euros. 13.5%. Lay down 5 years+ easily
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12/25/2020 - Arsene Wengert Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nach zwei Tagen betörender Duft nach Flieder, süßen, dunklen Kirschen, Milchschokolade, Bratensauce mit getrockneten Pflaumen, Kokos. Mittlerer bis voller Körper. Auch im Mund eine ganz konzentrierte Spur von Beerenlikör und welkenden Blumen. Darüber schwebt Volumen einnehmend die Kirsche. Richtig betörend. Heute gefällt mir der Wein am besten, heute ist er einfach so dermaßen vielschichtig und sich entwickelnd und dabei intensiv... die letzten Tage dachte ich „ahja ganz guter Rioja, nichts außergewöhnliches“. Jetzt aber doch außergewöhnlich. Gute Säure, die etwas Frische beisteuert. Ganz feines Tannin. Hinten raus Tabak, Lakritze wenn überhaupt nur ganz leicht. Das ist wie ein Raffiniertes Bounty mit Beeren.
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12/24/2020 - Too much practice. wrote:
Having just finished a case of the 2004 and most 2005s, by comparison this was very disappointing. Strongly recommend leaving it until at least 2023 before trying again. Just lacked the depth and balance. Bit more youthful acidity to it, masking the deeper tones.
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12/23/2020 - malbrecht wrote: 89 Points
Pours a dark purple, with no sign of bricking. Opens with tons of fruit, dark cherries and plums, before transitioning to subtle notes of savory and earth. I adore the RA Gran Reservas and was hoping this would be close. But whereas those wines feature wonderful tertiary flavors on the back end, this was much more fruit forward, reminding me a bit of some of the modern-style rhone wines. Still an enjoyable experience. But I may try and wait a few years to see if this evolves further.
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12/22/2020 - LotionInTheBasket Likes this wine:
This hits above its weight class. Strong Rioja. Tonight was a southern BBQ night... plus, I'm in the south. Pork butt, ribs, sausage, beans, hush puppies, rings fries... all the goodies. Sauces from vinegar-based, BBQ, to mustard-based, delicious. This paired amazing with it. Strong flavors, weight... strong wine, bold, and it rose to the occasion. I wish I could say that I planned this, nope. Just a good guess. So it hit a mark for me. PnP with a glass on 30 minute decant, rest was wide-based decanter waiting on deck. Dark with deep garnet and ruby hues lightening it up. Super opaque, deep color to the edges. The nose is fragrant, enjoyable, sucks you in. Palate is bright raspberry, aged oak, some spice and pie crust mixed in. Fruit forward raspberry, zing for some tart, good acidity hitting the middle, fruit consistent to the finish. Light tannin to be felt, more mouth-watering acidity punching out the end.A nice ride with a balanced structure lending a hand. Its a good wine, and as noted. Its more than I thought it would be. It kills it.
6 hours later, after a nap lol, it still is singing in the decanter, more cherry popping through; still bold and lively acidity; still singing.
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12/22/2020 - denniswdern@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent. Wonderful fruit, but not overpowering. Refined tannins. Even at $40 a bottle, this wine strikes me as a bargain.
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12/21/2020 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium ruby. Expressive nose with perfume and ripe red fruits. Dry, full acidity, taut tannins, on palate ripe red cherries, raspberry and clove. Medium body. Medium long finish. Good balance. Guess New World Cab Sauv 2016. 90(4). RESULT SPANISH RIOJA 2010 (5).
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12/20/2020 - Nipperu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear medium ruby
Pronounced nose
Initial whiff of black plums, cherries
Followed by strong, woody/herbaceous notes: mint? Dried leaves/herbs?
Backbone of dried animal dung and coconut
Dry
Med body
Med+ acid
Med alcohol
Fine medium tannins
Med+ finish
Tastes like perfectly ripe fruit warmed in the sun, beginnings of dried fruit (yellow raisins) on the finish
Drinking well now. No reason to wait but curious to see how it turns out.
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12/17/2020 - jvphoto Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great for the price
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12/14/2020 - ctjared Likes this wine:
drinking very well
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12/12/2020 - asheio wrote: 91 Points
Best vintage I have tried. Even though the oak is very present, the fruit quality is excellent. Very bright future.
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12/12/2020 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
PnP & slow-ox 2 hrs prior to diner in Burg glasses & btl. I grabbed the last btl at my local retailer for $40 which seems a smidge high for Rioja at this level but not reds of this quality, in general. Semi translucent red color. Berries earth and vanilla on the nose. This is sleek & silky while maintaining very good energy & lift. There's a harmonious, rich & tasty mix of; cherries, dark raspberry, earth, licorice & mineral. Only knock is the vanilla needing more time to integrate. Hopefully this shows tertiary aspects further on down the road. Alc is a very respectable 13.5% alc. I really like this but still have an overall preference for Lopez's Bosconia Reserva. The new label design incorporating soft blues & grays is classically lovely and a nice touch. Drinks very well now but would be fun to see where this goes in 3-10yrs.
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12/12/2020 - vlzat Likes this wine: 95 Points
80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha
Medium body, mature cherry to ruby color. Impressive but delicate and very complex aroma of red fruits, cinnamon, toasty wood, pepper and balsamic notes. Fresh cherry and currants palate following by lingering rounding and spicy finish. Harmonious and balanced wine, wild berries acidity and silky tannins. Food friendly, tasted with chicken paella. Open three/four hours ahead. Serve 18ºC - 21ºC. Ready, drink now and next ten/twelve years.
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12/6/2020 - xiangjing91 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium garnet. Leather and oak dominates the nose with red fruits in the background. Medium+ tannins and low-medium acidity. Excellent finish. Should cellar well, time to source for more bottles
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12/2/2020 - tedcholl wrote: 91 Points
Love the Riojas from this producer, always excellent. Well balanced and full of classic Rioja flavors of blackberry, blk plum and blk cherry, dill, oak, leather and sweet spices.
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11/28/2020 - D_RICH wrote:
No contemporaneous notes. My second bottle, this from my girlfriend's small collection, a gift from me. Drank this over 2 days. Day one: Decanted, started tasting about 15 minutes later. There was an unpleasant, sulpher-like nose, which blew off after about 45 minutes. The wine had an old world, slight oxidation taste. Light-medium bodied. Drank over two hours. Stored in half bottle with vac-u-vin. Day 2: Again, drank over two hours. By the end of the now fourth hour, the wine finally settled down. At that point, very nice, quite concentrated. In short, this wine needs time in the bottle or lots and lots of air. Will hold my remaining six bottles and revisit in a year or two. My sense is that this is not a wine for everybody. Drink the '08 or '09 for now if you have those; they are both drinking well. Judgment reserved.
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11/28/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
Pours somewhere between ruby and garnet. Actually a tad light in the glass, transparent to the core. The nose is lifted, complex, and harmonious. Notes of dried strawberries, dried mushrooms, leather, smoked meat, dried orange peel, and dry hay waft. The palate is really where its at on this wine. The sweet red fruited entry is augmented with bright citrus orange zest. Tannins are medium minus acid is medium plus. The finish is medium plus with notes of leather and dried strawberry and orange peel. Loving this.
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11/26/2020 - Jackstraw212 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cherry pits, toasty oak, vanilla, and earthy peat moss. Very approachable now, but should become more complex over time. I’ll wait another 2 years for the next one.
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11/23/2020 - DaBUBBLE Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank causally at home across 3 days. It got better down the road! Sweet nose w/some still obvious tannin on 1st day. Nose started to get quite a bit better from 2nd day onwards. Vanilla, caramel all came out nicely on the nose, very very enjoyable! Palate-wise still seeing tannin even on 3rd day, but quite mellowed out already. Overall very good value btl! Looking forward in trying more btls later on.
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11/21/2020 - Cockneyred Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very promising Ardanza debut. Elegant and quite unusually perfumed. Vanilla and oak abound for now with some cherry but no doubt will become more interesting with maturity.
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11/13/2020 - rraaffaa Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is very nice especially for the price point -- but I don't see the '10 as being better than the '09, so am hopeful that it'll evolve with some age. Tons of great dark fruit, some cherry, tobacco and wood. Still a bit alcoholic, hopefully that'll even out with some time.
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11/11/2020 - mpdonnel Likes this wine: 90 Points
This is a very good wine, but I don't see the 95 point rating, at least not today. Even with a few hours of air it never seemed to come together. Some nice dark fruits with vanilla notes, but also had a bit of a medicinal element that was not a positive. Much better with food on this night than on its own.
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11/7/2020 - Jannah Likes this wine: 91 Points
Elegant red fruit flavours on the nose and first sip which develops into more complex flavours of tobacco, smoke and a hint of liquorice. Gorgeous *chef’s kiss*
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11/7/2020 - Paul852 wrote: 85 Points
Tried my second bottle today, having found a big disconnect between my impressions of the first bottle and most other reviewers here.
And my initial views stand. With a 3 hour decant, this is a medium- acidity, medium- tannin, medium+ oak, very smooth, fruity, but rather uninteresting wine. Great party wine. Perhaps the epitome of Parkerisation for the American market.
I'd be buying more at US$12-15 for parties/BBQs, but at US$30 my money goes elsewhere.
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11/6/2020 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 85 Points
Color: Transparent ruby. Nose: Too much oak for my liking. Some fruit. Mouth: A bit thin. Too much oak (clove, vanilla, cedar box). A bit sour. Quite standard. Much better after some aeration: Now there are cherries and some oranges, too. The wine has become fuller while still retaining its leanness. Much more expressive now. Hence 7 more points.
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11/4/2020 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
I really enjoy this wine. It’s an excellent rioja with layers of flavor.
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11/4/2020 - Lionshield Likes this wine: 93 Points
Total classic Rioja..
Farven er flot lys teglstensrød/murstensrød.
Duften oser af dejlig klassisk god Rioja. Den dufter bare godt.
Duft af tørret røde blomster, røde og mørke kirsebær på en støvet/tørret måde. Klasse toner af sød virginia tobak, smooth vanilje toner, lidt sødlige røg toner, fine lette tjære toner, fine cedertræ toner.
Alt i duften er pakket ind på en smuk, let, feminin, silke agtig måde.
Smagen er smooth af et godt sammensurium af duften. elegant, saftig, frugtrig, fint krydret, lækker blød i frugt strukturen.
Dejlig ret lang eftersmag af smagen...igen på en elegant og ret sofistikeret måde.
Glas: Zalto Burgundy.
96 points James Suckling
95 points RobertParker
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11/3/2020 - Yagil Likes this wine: 91 Points
light red-brown
med intensity aromas of dry cherries, plums, earth and roses;
developing - for many more years;
light-med body, high acidity, med(-) tannins, med a.b.v., med body, med(-) flavors intensity, long finish;
ready to drink - can age 15 years more.
uncork 1-2 hours, at least, ahead of consuming;
overall excellent!
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11/1/2020 - bridgemaster wrote: 97 Points
This has a long life ahead of it. Interesting to see how it develops over the next 10 years. It is already bursting with flavour.
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10/27/2020 - barrkel Likes this wine: 94 Points
The half bottle I had was better than the full bottle, better integrated and zinging with energy. Halves age faster I understand, so this wine has some time to go before peaking.
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10/26/2020 - daveste Likes this wine: 91 Points
Day1 PNP, closed but not bad.
Day2, lovely nose, v.g. with red meat. A keeper
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10/26/2020 - K&J Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic Rioja! Drink soon after opening meaning don’t recork and try to drink after a few days because it turns sour quickly after reopening.
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10/25/2020 - bordeauxman777 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Starts with a typical 'woody' character, but that blows off in half hour or so. This is perfectly drinkable Rioja now, but perhaps will benefit from further cellaring? We shall see, shan't we? Lovely.
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10/24/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
93/94. Half Bottle. A prodigious vigorous, versatile aromatic blue, red fruits and clove hints wine. Its medium bodied multidimensional freshly fruited and smooth palate has superb depth and excellent tangy length. Has only vanilla hints. Is not dominated by the wood. 13.5%. Lay down 5 years+ but is ready to drink now. Had this with a Gulasch and this accompanied the dish well. Excellent QPR at 22 Euros here.
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10/23/2020 - Sohpmalvin wrote: 60 Points
Decanted for 1 hour before tasting. It’s a bit spicy with the smell of berries. The hidden flavour could have been stronger if decanted longer, I believe.
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10/23/2020 - amateur62 Likes this wine:
Decanted 2 hours before dinner and it still improved in the glass. Red berries with earthy notes and ethereal in the background, fresh and elegant with long finish, the oak is well balanced and will support further development, but does not dominate.
It's not the first vintage of this wine I am tasting, but it's very different to the others, less primary fruit and less expressive than usually in this stage but there is an elegance and balance that is very promising, while already very good, I think that this wine will honour the one having enough patience, should be great in 5 to 10 years. Superb price to quality relation.
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10/21/2020 - Bandreas wrote:
Dark red color, blueish tinge at the rim.
Typical Ardanza smell and palate feel; quite intense and still somewhat primary.
Has much more tannic backbone than the 2009 or the 2008 vintage and will need considerable time to shed or attenuate those tannins.
Quite a lot of acidity shining through, as well.
I think this wine needs another 5-10 years to really start being at its best.
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10/16/2020 - jonathanknowles Likes this wine: 90 Points
Creamy vanilla, red berries, very fine smell, nose filling and bright. Cedar and tobacco. Medium bodied and jewel like cranberries and redcurrant in the mouth, really expands to fill the mouth. Concentrated sappy fruit. Really lots of oak but that's the style. Tight tannins. Long elegant finish. Rather richer and fleshier than most Rioja. I personally prefer the standard Ardanza.
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10/15/2020 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From half bottle,
quite more open and balanced than the normal bottle some months ago,
lucious red and black fruit, balsamic aromas, spice on the nose,
the grip is nearly stunning perfect, mouthwatering, a Riesling in red, but on the other hand all components begin to integrate in this format, deep, flavourful, this is fresh and spicy, lingering finish here,
great showing again, will improve over the next decades, magnificent QPR at 22,23€ in good old Germany, **(**+?), 92, 93(+) potential
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10/14/2020 - Alc13%byvol Likes this wine: 91 Points
Expressive nose and light, full and long on the palate. A little oaky and light on acidity but may integrate further. Enjoyed it so much now that I bought another two cases. Not as sure about the longevity as others so will enjoy over next 18-24 months and perhaps keep a handful of magnums a tad longer. With great QPR like this I really don’t care if it’s for the long haul or not.
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10/14/2020 - Jzizzle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Loads of coconut oak on the nose which carry over to the palate (it seems only Rioja gets away with this, but it does work). There is also a concentrated yet light red fruit liquor wrapped in that wood spice. The wine feels relatively light and bright with high acidity even while conveying some power. The length is extraordinary. A style clearly built to age, I am enjoying this a lot right now.
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10/13/2020 - yasha Likes this wine: 93 Points
Like this wine a lot
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10/12/2020 - Corporateslaves Likes this wine: 91 Points
First bottle broached to set an initial marker to follow this over the coming years. Very young profile, high acidity and tannins but not in an unobtrusive way. It’s obvious this wine has so much potential and it’s lovely now too. The fruits are all very concentrated.. almost like a cordial. Not a delicate wine, this is very assertive. Most enjoyable.
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10/12/2020 - Jpaar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium ruby with garnet rim. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cedar, leather, chocolate, balsamic. Almost high acidity, medium+ chalky tannins, medium body. Long finish. Sofisticated, great balance, well integrated, complex. Quality this high for less than 20€ is excellent.
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10/11/2020 - belfast taxman wrote: 92 Points
Maybe 91 at the moment but bags and bags of future potential. This was the first of a full case and boy does this pack a punch. Sweet ( in a good way, well balanced), smoky, spicy, savoury, this wine had it all. It does just feel like it has yet to completely knit together, but you can see why they thought this vintage was special.
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10/10/2020 - Christian von Dresky Likes this wine: 91 Points
Today quite closed but with a beautiful structure and great finesse. Right now young and I will let rest my bottles for some years. Maybe I try a half bottle, from tikme time.
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10/7/2020 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bu sur 3 jours et le troisieme fut le meilleur. Tres belle concentration, cerise, leger boise, leger sous-bois, de beaux amers, longue finale. Belle rioja qui flirt entre le moderne et le traditionnelle. Lacidite, la matiere, le fruite et la barrique vont porter le vin loin dans le temps selon moi. La prochaine dans 5 ans
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10/7/2020 - pdbender Likes this wine: 88 Points
fragrant, lucious red cherry nose,not much else going on....think this wine needs some time to open up. black currants, faint licorice and chocolate notes...very light bodied, almost pinot noir in nature.....in
other words, bordering on delicate! But certainly not detracting from the enjoyment of the swill.
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10/6/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
A powerful core of cranberries and minerals surrounded by cherries, tobacco, roses, and sandalwood. The bracing acidity of traditional Rioja, with light drying tannins. Intense; better with food.
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10/6/2020 - chbeaumont wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet core, faint bricking at rim; fragrant nose, coconut oak, florid fruit, strawberries; smooth tannins, plush red fruits, ample, underpinned by refreshing acidity, spicy overtones, harmonious; vivacious finish, firm edge to extended length. Will benefit from another five years - will age well beyond this.
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10/4/2020 - barrkel Likes this wine: 92 Points
There's no doubt it's a very finely balanced Rioja, and it's cheap (relatively) bought from Spain (I got mine from GourmetHunters when it was in stock). But I struggle to rate it higher because it lacks a wow factor. It's simply very well made and poised.
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10/4/2020 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gave it another point for a very good QPR. Wood, acidity, tannins. All very present and the whole thing will need more time.
VERY expressive rioja. With a whole explosion of flavors. In 5 years or so will be pretty close to my 2010 904, albeit somewhat lighter ( in a good way) in style.
SLO ox 5 hrs then PNP. Might improve with decanting for another hour or so.
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10/3/2020 - jdporter3 Likes this wine:
Well, I am going to differ on a number of comments here I guess. Day 1 PNP lovely notes of vanilla, but a bit short and modest in depth. A good wine, but I don’t sense its greatness. I have had Ardanza that I liked much better. Day 2 brings more depth and acidity along with the autumnal feel. But now somewhat unbalanced and predominately blue fruits. Dill coming through more. So, I think to be fair it needs to be open awhile and consumed on Day 1. I bought a case, so that will happen!
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10/3/2020 - Iron76 Likes this wine: 91 Points
3h vorher geöffnet. Rote früchte, johannisbeere, kirsche, dezente vanille, leder. Präsente fruchtnoten im mund. Am gaumen im moment noch etwas viel holz. - wird sich hoffentlich im laufe der zeit harmonisieren. Guter wein mit potenzial für mehr. 91+
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10/2/2020 - auldalliance Likes this wine:
All oak at first, despite an hour or two's decant. Better on second night, spiced fruit, gentle tannic edge at end. Long way to go.
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10/2/2020 - Paul852 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Decanted for about 3 hours before drinking with a tartiflette.
I have to say that I really don't get the hype around this wine. And I just simply cannot comprehend some of the notes that talk of high or even huge acidity.
To me it's a pleasant simple, straightforward fruity wine. It's short on acidity (which is what I had hoped it would have to complement the tartiflette) and there are only rather light, smooth tannins (which come to the fore on the finish). Yes, the fruit is nice: various red berries on the nose and the palate along with hints of garrigue. But the finish is relatively short and I don't get much complexity here at all. It's a crowd pleaser for sure - would make a great party red wine - but it's certainly not something I'm rushing to buy more of at ~US$34. It would be OK QPR at US$20.
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9/30/2020 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Layers of flavors and spice with an acidic backbone. This is a unique experience and a very good bottle of wine.
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9/27/2020 - jorgen.jordet Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark red on colour. Ripe dark fruits. Plum. Oak. Paired with rioja-braised lamb shank. Smooth and really nice rioja
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9/26/2020 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
Ardanza never disappoints but I think this might be the best one I have tried. With aromas of tobacco, coconut, cedar, aromatic almost minty notes, and autumn fruits, I could just smell this all day. It doesn’t disappoint in the mouth either. Buy all you can, it’s only going to get better.
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9/25/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
93/94. This is mightily impressive and is a 94 on day 2. Has fragrant aromas of blueberries, vanilla, chalk, strawberries and cherries. Its opulent medium to full bodied palate is spherical with a lovely mesh of tangy vanilla flecked blue and red fruits and impressive depth, freshness, length and tannin. 13.5%. Lay down 5-10 years+. Needs 5-6 hrs+ aeration. A bargain at under 23 Euros.
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9/21/2020 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Directly after pouring, nice aromatics with lots of ripe fruit dominated by strawberries and a dose of vanilla. After a while some red currant comes through. Great fruit, smooth and savoury and with soft character with a bite. Really balancing acidity and overall a very likeable wine. Is it an 18 points wine? I don't agree. To me, more like the Cellartracker average at 92. Ready to drink but should keep for years. Still, great value and a bargain at only 30 USD.
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9/20/2020 - Jaymnik Likes this wine: 92 Points
A slight step up from the Rioja I usually have in price, but much better in terms of complexity and enjoyment. Cherry and nutmeg aromas, deep savoury flavours balanced with light oak, then a very long finish, with saline and a hint of liquorice. Lovely texture and balance.
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9/18/2020 - Stein E Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark colour, medium acid. Long lasting taste that just fills up very nice. Need e few hours out in the open before drinking. I like!
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9/15/2020 - rama Likes this wine:
Some bricking. Pronounced off-putting dill on opening, fades to the background with air. Full bodied, medium/high acid, medium tannins, loooong finish.
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9/12/2020 - iDrum4Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a beautiful expressive Rioja that will improve even more over the next 4-6 years, but should last until 2030. I’m thankful for the remaining ten bottles in my cellar.
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9/10/2020 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Diesel, spices, floral, hint of vanilla on the nose. On the palate, nice acidity, lingering taste, well made. Great QPR.
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9/9/2020 - ohne_musik wrote: 90 Points
Lots to love about this wine, but like I find in most LRA wines, the American Oak sticks out like a sore thumb. Initially it's overwhelming, but after 4 hours it feels partially integrated. Beyond that, intense but well-delineated black fruit, savory minerals, a hint of garrigue, rhubarb acidity, and a sinewy structure. Finish is sneaky long. I think better in 5 years when the oak has had time to integrate, or perhaps decanting 8 hours ahead.
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9/5/2020 - vespasian Does not like this wine:
I cannot understand the hype around this wine. It smells of oak and the palate is dominated by oak. Wow - well that’s different! I was really hoping for something that was going to recalibrate my feelings about Rioja but sadly it’s a as boring as they usually are. Meh.
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9/5/2020 - Jayjay100 wrote: flawed
Flawed !!!
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8/31/2020 - Osiris021 Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes. QPR is amazing. And it is just going to get better.
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8/31/2020 - WilD wrote: 93 Points
Good and solid as always. Great wine.
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8/30/2020 - BillyNelson Likes this wine: 91 Points
An unbelievable crowd pleaser. I just love these wines - the 904 and the 890 are of course even better but I fail to see how you can’t be ecstatic with the QPR of this wine ..... The nose is entoxicating and the oak is heavy but appropriate. On the palate is does, of course, reveal its modest standing but we’re being fickle here. Ardanza is great wine one would never regret buying (or serving)....
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8/28/2020 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful, elegant nose with complex aromatics of fresh red fruit, vanilla, wet forest floor, soft spices. Relatively disappointing on palate and balance with dominant tart cherry. Medium body and finish.
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8/25/2020 - RodNey12 Likes this wine: 90 Points
It has some age. You need to decant for at least an hour.
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8/24/2020 - ppandian wrote: 90 Points
Notes of cherry and blackberry. Firm but balanced tannins. Will integrate and improve in 12 - 24 months.
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8/23/2020 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow, a deep, dense, really high quality wine praised by multiple notable critics ! Having a luscious nose of red and black fruit, vanilla and coffee notes. The body is round, rich and lovely - earthy, more black fruited, black peppery...and a long, pleasing finish that's not too dry or racy, tannins really integrated by now. An outstanding wine in a fruity, modern, international style.
So, what's not to like? This wine has lost its old-world Rioja soul - almost no traces of historic Spain anymore - ever since Garnacha has been increasingly added to the blend over the last 10-12 years...
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8/22/2020 - 99tollap wrote: 92 Points
Drinking this has made me realise I should be buying way more Rioja. Absolutely super bottle. The nose has so much character. Beautiful dark cherry, blackberry, forrest aromas, dusty leather, cola, bbq'd pork fat and soft herbs, bound in perfectly judged oak. This is the sort of wine where you can get lost in the nose and smell aromas that you aren't even convinced are real. The palette is a tad less impressive, but still fabulous. Rather tight at the moment, with quite a strong acidic backbone which gives great freshness. With air it definitely opens up more, but this wine is indeed only just starting it's journey. Excellent value at CHF 29. Easily 95+ in a few years.
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8/22/2020 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 90 Points
Brick color. Light bodied. Cherry notes. Restrained fruit and higher acidity. I was not a big fan of this wine. Perhaps I’m not accustomed to this old world style of wine (restrained fruit and higher acidity). Seems overrated to me.
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8/15/2020 - wineotim wrote: 93 Points
Exactly what I expected based on the many reviews here on CT. Medium brick color, huge acidity, hi-toned cherry fruit with complexity on the nose and palatte. Good value for $40.
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8/14/2020 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Deacanted 3 hrs. Yes, the initial hit is some American oak, vanilla (for whatever reason I never have detected dill in these though I know so many people do) and then a nice savory mix of herbs and blackberry fruit. Good zest and much fresher than my earlier bottle. Cherry and vanilla again on the palate. Serve with rich foods. One of the better buys out there at $34.
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8/12/2020 - Benj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oh my god. Pure infanticide here. I know that these wines are immortal but I need more of this to see it to its peak. Nose is gorgeous, mouthwatering, with just-ripe blackberry, resinous dried mint, dill, nutmeg, pina colada, cigar box, cola. Palate has huge juicy acid, lovely medium leathery tannin, cherry, beautifully savory at the end. I'd suggest not even touching this for another 5 years - the oak still needs some time to integrate and the development of tertiary flavors will help round out the acidity. But, at this stage of its development, I think this is the best Viña Ardanza since 2001 - it has the same incredible vivacity of that vintage. It might even be better. I can't believe I only paid $25 for this - are you kidding me? Even at its normal retail of $30-40 it is a screaming QPR. 13.5%
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8/6/2020 - Glencoewine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over two nights with no decant. In a good place with 90 min of air, but no need to rush. This has a long life ahead and is a great QPR. Will buy more.
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8/6/2020 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very well made wine with crisp layers of red fruit. The oak is there, but not overpowering. It is vibrant and elegant on the palate and finishes long and fresh
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8/4/2020 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very well made wine with crisp layers of red fruit. The oak is there, but not overpowering. It is vibrant and elegant on the palate and finishes long and with fresh
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8/3/2020 - stayhappy21 wrote: 88 Points
Drank this at Yummy Palace with my wine mates. Theme of the night: Wines that start with A.
The only old world red of the evening. Some ripe cherries with red berries with beautiful purity of fruits. Good finesse and a well crafted wine. Good balance and integrated.
This wine can easily hold and mature for the next 5 years. Don't be in a rush to open.
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8/3/2020 - gallu wrote: 92 Points
92 Un excelente vino. Inicialmente se muestra con notas metálicas, de lata de conservas. Evoluciona mostrando buena fruta ácida, y en boca es pulido, limpio, con fruta carnosa y buena acidez. Se crece en la copa.
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8/2/2020 - ricard Likes this wine: 95 Points
Viña Ardanza is the epitome of classical Rioja. Rich, generous, vibrant Tempranillo fruit, gentle oak, perfect sweetness, perfect acidity and pure elegance. But Selección Especial is where it really shines. La Rioja Alta make this only in occasional, outstanding vintages. The 2010 is shaping up to be a classic. At 10 years, it's still full of the vigour of youth. I don't doubt that this wine will still be giving pleasure at 50 years of age. After all, I'm 52 and I've heard rumours that I still give pleasure, so if I can achieve that, so can this wine. The colour is a dark red ruby with hints of inky blue and no orange tint of age whatsoever. Fragrance is wonderful: blackberry, cassis, nutmeg, vanilla. Tannins soft and silky. Perfect structure, long and luscious finish. There's a lot more to come. When it ages, we're going to see tertiary notes - spices and fruit compote. For now, the wine tastes great, is a stunner, in fact. Another great virtue of this wine: it is amazing in every decade of its lifecycle.
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7/26/2020 - Jobu wrote: 94 Points
Wow, what a beautiful Rioja. Cherry and red berries with warm spice. Well balanced. Scores of 94 - 96 by different pros. It’s right in that range.
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7/25/2020 - Jessie and Max Likes this wine: 93 Points
We're still novice tasters, but it was clear to us why this is getting such good scores. It's very nicely balanced and a good example of what it means for a wine to have complexity. We kept picking out flavor after flavor -- smokiness and fig were the two that I saw immediately, but with things like cherries and curry emerging as we sipped. Medium garnet color, medium+ acidity on opening, tannins that made a point but did not dominate, and a finish that's like a gymnast's clean landing. Very nice!
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7/23/2020 - Alvarovazquez Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is somehow between a traditional and a modern Rioja. Not that acid, not that fruity. Perhaps the 2010 different blend explains it. Still young, but approachable. Some air will do the trick to enjoy it now. Room for improvement. So, perhaps a 93 in two-three years.
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7/23/2020 - kingkanu wrote:
Test driving the Viña Ardanza 2010 this evening, obviously youthful with more tannin than I remember from other vintages, it takes an hour or so to get going, but it’s pretty impressive, the aromatics show lots of mixed spice, and maybe a touch of heat showing although It’s 13.5%, the palate has a good depth of flavour, plummy, warm spice and cracking acidity which makes a deliciously long and moreish finish. Definitely a very good Ardanza, hopefully it will last and develop further, approachable at the table now
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7/23/2020 - SimonHea Likes this wine: 91 Points
Outstanding but needs more defined acidity. Concerned how this will age.
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7/22/2020 - Song103 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Approachable with a short decant. Crisp acidity, medium body, black ripe fruit, aroma of coconut and asian spices. Better precision than the 2005 904, but it lacks the structure, depth and length of the latter wine. The wine is ready and will envolve for years to come, but I don't think that the overall score will improve.
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7/19/2020 - Tsum Likes this wine:
Good, second choice if cannot get valserrano rioja gran reserva.
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7/18/2020 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy red cherry, dried red berries along with light spices and vanilla on the quite pretty and aromatic nose. Medium bodied (13.5% ABV) with really impressive fruit: generally, a combination of red cherry and red berry. The red cherry shows brightness upfront, but excellent depth through the middle. The red berry notes contribute likeliness upfront and balance to the mid-body. Backside shows spices, earth and mineral notes, with a nearly seamless integration to the mid-body. The mid-body is where this wine truly shines: it feels balanced and expressive, really showing off the fruit to great effect, but with the structural qualities to promise a long life and future improvement.
At $32, really high QPR here and plenty of future potential. I'd look for it to score higher going forward. Spanish wines sometimes seem to suffer from a bit of hype from the professional critics, but in this case, the high praise this wine has received is well deserved. I'll plan to get a number of additional bottles so I can open my next in Q4 2020 and keep track of how this wine evolves.
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7/7/2020 - fozzibaer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Already excellent and will become better.
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7/5/2020 - niloc36 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cracking good Wine! Much better even than the 2001 Reserva Especial. It achieves went great Rioja aims for: just so mixture of tot elegance, brilliant fruit, and supple oak. Still a bit young, and the tannins, though very fine, too rise up at the finish, but this is a small detail that some aeration or a few more years in the bottle will easily take care of.
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7/4/2020 - Slaz Likes this wine: 92 Points
The amount of dill, oak, and pronounced acidity is overwhelming, even after 3-4 hours of decanting. Paired smoked BBQ ribs nicely. Bodes very well for some years from now. Hold.
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7/4/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 94 Points
Half Bottle. This is a cracker! Has lovely aromas of raspberries, flowers, strawberries, clove hints and cherries. Its medium to full bodied silky, spherical and elegant layered plush vanilla flecked zingy blue and red fruits palate has superb depth. Ends super long and tangy with soft tannin. 13.5%. Needs 6hrs+ aeration. Will certainly develop over 5-10 years+. Superb value!
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6/28/2020 - MC wrote:
Ripe red fruit, lots of vanilla on the nose. Smooth fruit with some oak and tannin on the finish, but clearly this has some age on it. This wine is rich and layered, but fits in between the heavier style of Rioja and the more elegant style of say the 2015 Muga Riserva. I enjoy it, and for the price very good, but you need to be ready for the oak influence. A-
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6/28/2020 - hmathien Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice and strong smell of ripe plum and blackberries right after opening. Fruit aromas not as persistent in mouth as they re at the nose, short finish but overall a very pleasant red to drink in summer. Great value at around 20 pound a bottle.
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6/27/2020 - Opus 52 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted it for three hours which still wasn’t enough. This one really needs a lot of air. But: Then it shows a wonderful nose with wild berries, mint, cinnamon, tobacco and leather. Something to explore, really. On the palate medium bodied with a great structure, good freshness and fine-grained, silky tannins. Very fruity here, complex and beautifully layered. The Grenache probably adds this nice sweetness to the nose and palate. Just very lovely. Finally a long and demanding mineral finish which shows the long time potential of this excellent Rioja vintage 2010. Looking forward to see how this one will develop. Grab a couple of bottles and store them - as will I.
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6/22/2020 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
best bottling for this cuvée that i have had. Needs air but lots of fruits, leather, tobacco and moka. Great balance and a great QPR
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6/20/2020 - guy12 Likes this wine: 90 Points
needs time
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6/20/2020 - EvansRakowski Likes this wine: 83 Points
Lots of powerful fruit bursting in the mouth after a lovely nose. Great summer everyday drinking
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6/19/2020 - Dale M wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 3 hrs. Solid and very good Rioja, plenty of dark , tasty plums and good spice. Slight raison though note detracts a little, but all in this is very good. I did find this a clear notch below the 904
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6/19/2020 - DavilaDC wrote:
PnP and for that reason I'm not able to give it a score.
Right out of the bottle the barnyard hits you in the face with sour cherry on the palate. Over the next 30-60 minutes, the sour cherry evolved to a softer "tart" and the barnyard blew off to reveal a more enjoyable earthiness. The tannins were at a medium level all the way through.
This bottle is a baby and needs at least another year or two of sleep. If you want to enjoy it now, give it a minimum of 60-90 minutes of air.
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6/17/2020 - guzmana Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent Rioja with balance and nuance.
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6/17/2020 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured for me by longtime friends Barry & Beth for a wonderful outdoor dinner at their home on a surprisingly warm evening in W. Marin. PnP, and contrary to some other TNs, I think worked well with this, and since we finished the bottle in less than hour, I can't comment on development. Fairly robust nose with mostly sweet cherries, forest floor, spice, earth, vanilla and oak with consistent notes on the palate. Medium dark purple, medium bodied, thick legs. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins were rather silky, no heat. Medium to medium+ persistence, complexity and intensity. I rarely drink Spanish wines--I have one in my collection and I think that this is the first I've reviewed on CT--but this wine really impressed me with power, length and elegance beyond what I'd expect at the price point, matched wonderfully with grilled chicken. This was an interesting contrast coming after an '11 Vitanza Riserva BdM, (which I didn't separately re-review, but I'd give another 93 to), which was a bit more powerful but a bit less elegant. Tastes like it's in a prime drinking window which is in no danger of going away and with some potential for improvement although I have no familiarity with this bottling. If the W-S price in the low $30s is a price at which this is generally available, outstanding qpr. 92-93
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6/14/2020 - dubbeloseven wrote: 90 Points
Pours medium garnet, semi opaque. Body is medium+, as is acidity, medium tannin, medium alcohol. Intense vanilla and baking spices, caramelised brown sugar on the nose, shisha smoke, cherries, maybe some freshly cut grass. Obviously has been in new oak for extended period. Dry - cherries and strawberry jam on the palate, some raisin and rosemary, longish (slightly smoky?) finish. Can't say I've picked up on the petroleum note as others have. A really lovely wine - on the first day the bottle was open, I thought the vanilla aroma a bit much but it mellowed on days 2 and 3. I suspect more time in the bottle will benefit the wine - around 2025 may be the sweet spot for this fine 2010 vintage.
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6/13/2020 - mimik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Quel nez. Vraiment une belle réussite en 2010. Pas trop boisé avec des notes de cerise, cassis, et moka. Carafé pour 2-3 heures et là, c’est devenu beaucoup plus expressif. Très bien fait avec une élégance marquée pour un rioja. Prochaine dans minimum 5 ans si non plus.
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6/9/2020 - KAT9 wrote: 92 Points
Someone mentioned diesel, I am getting that. Cherry, earthy, forest floor, good acidity, decent tannin, good finish. QPR is strong.
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6/6/2020 - K&J Likes this wine: 94 Points
Awesome juice! But, it did have a somewhat peculiar tone on the palate. Parker called it hints of beef blood, cherries in liqueur, curry, diesel, old furniture, and forest floor. What an imagination! And, was the reviewer drinking beef blood? Anyway, a very good wine.
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6/5/2020 - Sotto325 wrote: 90 Points
An amazing QPR in an exceptional vintage. Having said that, while I am a devoted LRA advocate (esp the 890 and 904), this very young entrant is a bit on the New World side compared even with their 2009. The 20% grenache gives the wine more girth and some nice sweet plum and barnyard character, and of course the wonderful Tempranillo clay/smoke/moist oak, dark cherry and leather notes are there. It needs a good 75-90 minutes in the decanter right now despite an appealling first taste from the bottle.
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6/3/2020 - MalcolmV Likes this wine:
Medium garnet, pronounced nose. Balsamic, cloves and cinnamon, vanilla and coconut.
Medium+ acidity
Lovely long finish. Outstanding wine
Q:4
V:3
X:2
QVX: 9/10
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6/2/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Darn this is such and amazing bottle of wine. Especially at its price.
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5/30/2020 - junetoaugust Likes this wine: 92 Points
fantastic cigar box nose, acidity is huge on this one, lingering dill finishing...
body is lighter than I would expect, really an enjoyable drinker
really a tremendous QPR for sub $40 USD
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5/29/2020 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Opened about an hour in advance. Full of vanilla on the nose, plush fruit, and notes of oak. The oak is rather prominent on the palate with lots of vanilla, ripe, dark fruit. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I expected, and the wine isn't all that intense. I hope there will be more development with time.
So far it doesn't live up to the good words I've seen on here.
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5/26/2020 - ppandian wrote: 89 Points
Very good..nice tannins but will integrate more in a few years.
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5/26/2020 - allenn1999 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very tasty wine. I’ve had multiple vintages of this bottling and this stands out as more expressive and deep. Earthy deep red fruit and spice nose and bloody tomato oak palette and more tar earth and spice leaning towards black or oolong tea. Good deal at $30
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5/24/2020 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 93 Points
Quite brooding on the noise with tar, clove, dark cherry, sweet dark plum, black currant. Super smooth and polished on the palate. This expertly treads the line between ripe fruit and airy, weightless balance. Drank over 2 days - I’d say this has the structure to last 10-20 years but there is no real need to wait. For me, 2010 is a great Rioja vintage and LA Rioja Alta are one of the producers to knock it out of the park.
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5/23/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
93/94. Half Bottle. This is the most profound Ardanza that I have ever had. The 2009 was impressive, but this is a step up. Has fragrant aromas of flowers, strawberries, clove hints, cherries and raspberries. Its medium bodied spherical satiny multi dimensional lightly oaked fresh red and blue fruits palate has superb+depth. Ends super long, fresh and zingy. 13.5%. Wow! Lay down 10 years+ although it is delicious now. Needs 4-5 hrs+ aeration. Outstanding QPR at 23 Euros!
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5/20/2020 - fc1910 Likes this wine: 93 Points
As you might know if you sometimes read my TN´s I got a problem with the change of style at La RIoja, most of the bodegas and LRA is no exception unfortunately have changed their bottlings to an more easy going more tasty driven fruit style young,
same with the 904 I tasted some time ago, so when I glanced on the label there are again this 13,5% ABV, which normally indicates a warm, fullbodied red from Haro,
this is the fourth vintage labeled as an Especial, following 64,73 and 2001, so there are expectations..........
being curious purchased one bottle and now pnp,
NO fruit driven nose, more balsamic, tertiary and red fruit in the background, meat,
initially biting acid, a surprise for me, this one is not easy going on the palate, should have decanted for a while,
very savoury cherry fruit, still a little unbalanced acid following, the tannin punches back, clean and expressive, what the hell?
My prejudice about the fruit bombs from La Rioja and elsewhere is wrong this time for sure, the 13,5% alc is totally covered by the punching acidity, all components tigth, very fresh and with enormous tension,
lingering finish, I am really surprised by this one, again a vintage and bottled liquid for the next decade(s)!
And this is a bargain, around 20(+)€ per bottle in the old world, will try to find some magnums for cellaring! Highly recommended! *(***-*****), 93- 95(+) potential
5/21/2020: last third of the bottle, more balanced showing now, the fruit savoury still, and meaty as meaty can be, in a very good way, multilayered, no aromas of oxidation, supporting lively acid, will mature gracefully for about two decades for sure!
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5/19/2020 - Bgropp4 wrote: flawed
Flawed :(
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5/18/2020 - Will Devize wrote: 91 Points
Rich, ripe and exotic with coconut, coffee and gorgeous red fruits. Medium bodied with ample support. More forward than the 2001. Drinking beautifully now.
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5/17/2020 - hfindlay Likes this wine:
The aromatics of this wine remind me of why I give a #%&! about fine wine. Such complexity. Definitely sandalwood, cigar, Christmas spices, dried cherries, a distant forest floor of rotting pine needles. The flavors are almost as interesting (more dried cherry, tobacco, orange liqueur), and the texture is so lovely, so silky, leading to a satisfying finish. Cries out to be paired with jamón iberico and olives.
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5/16/2020 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Blind Tasting Box (Columbus, Ohio): (Blind) Medium dark color. Nose is dominanted by oak notes with a bit of meaty elements. Some dark plums. More oak on the palate with vanilla and mocha. Disjointed and honestly kind of gross. Some brick dust notes. A bit of red fruits on the finish which can never quite materialized. Hard to say - I think it is a Syrah that has been tortured? Rôtie 2016 from a very modernist producer? Really not a clue here.
Wow. Both horribly wrong and disappointed. I love this producer, but this is an abortion of a Rioja and never improved all night. Just gross.
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5/14/2020 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Wow. Solid QPR. Loads of black and red fruits, plum, a bit of salty soy, sandalwood in the nose- very primary, some minerality. In the mouth, the wine is elegant, there's not a lot of brash oak, but there's definitely oak. Flavors are still youthful, black/red dark, rich & fruity, a bit of anise, vanilla, and wood. Med + acid, prevalent green tannin- loads of structure as well. This is such a baby, but it's easy to drink with food now. The hype is real.
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5/14/2020 - despore Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still lovely!
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5/13/2020 - AGSattack Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a great wine.
Definitely needed a little time to fully open up (1 hr +) but when it did...wow. Don’t think I’ve had a wine punch like this for $30 (or maybe I got a good deal). Nose of cherry and vanilla. Tasted mint, very subtle hints of fresh herbs, some peppery spice, and, of course, a lot of dark berries and some sour apple. Medium tannin/acidity. Balance defined. Pleasing finish. Was great on its own but fantastic with some manchego.
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5/11/2020 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Rioja style in a fantastic vintage. Incredible nose right out of the bottle. Nose softens on day 2 but tannins firm-up. Drink now or hold for another 5 years.
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5/10/2020 - Karoline.phillips Likes this wine: 89 Points
Mature garnet in the glass. On the nose black morello cherry, dark chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, pepper and cloves, a touch of animal. Gorgeous! Palate is still fresh, tart cherry and raspberry, with sweet spice. Lovely wine.
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5/8/2020 - eric12@ptd.net Likes this wine: 91 Points
1 hour decant, drank over 2 hours. Medium ruby. Dark cherry on the nose, tertiary notes at the fore, with prominent leather and a touch of vanilla. Fair amount of body and quite juicy, flavors are well-integrated despite its youth. There’s a lot of complexity here, nice long length and finishing with spice and tobacco. Drinking great now, will only get better. Incredible value. Even better day 2, calmed down and more in balance. Paired nicely with pepperoni pizza.
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5/6/2020 - Christian von Dresky Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very young, so for now 92. Really fantastic wine with much more finesse than modern Rioja but compared with the Gran Reserva 904 from the same year you can see or rather feel and taste the power of the 20 % Garnacha from the Rioja Oriental. In price, quality ratio I must admit that Ardanza is maybe my winner. But the 904 is such an impeccable wine, I would never wanna miss getting a case of 6 bottles or more. 2010 is a fantastic year and I totally agree to make a Seleccion Especial for the 4th time (I think). I have no doubt this will evolve over the next decades and I hate to say all my 2001 has been emptied. So I had 7 bottles of 2010. One for tasting and 6 for aging. We will see how far I will make it with them. This is at approximately 20 Euro a must have. If you don´t get it is your own fault.
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5/5/2020 - franm Likes this wine: 91 Points
cheers - yup, delicious....I'll try to wait a few years before drinking the other bottles
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5/5/2020 - daosailor Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of many wines tasted during our Monday Night Wine Night...Zoom edition. Slight oxidation on the palate, cedar, light acidity and no over powering tannins. Decanted for over two hours. Very nice wine...has some complexities but I'd say this wine has another five to ten years of aging.
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5/3/2020 - ccbradley Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is drinking wonderfully now.
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5/3/2020 - tedcholl wrote: 91 Points
Love the wines from this producer and had to buy some bottles after seeing this Special Selection for the first time. The fresh red fruit and dark fruit flavors immediately got my attention as well as the less pronounced oak and leather from other Ardanza's I've had. This one can be enjoyed now after a short decant but will be great for many years to come. Looking forward to seeing how this wine will evolve over the coming years.
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5/3/2020 - Gdubya Likes this wine:
Wouldn’t have drunk a bottle of Rioja in many years, but picked up a couple of these recently.
Decantered for 2 hours and the drunk over the next 2. I won’t try to describe, but I will say this was gorgeous and I am going to buy more for sure
I would cautiously put this in the 93-95 range
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5/2/2020 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Concur with many prior notes. Out of the bottle, lovely nose and tasty palate but a bit edgy with acid and tannin. Decanted and it was better balanced after an hour and continued improve. Notable lift in nose, fresh fruit, kind of dusky light oak, floral notes, tobacco. Palate of red fruit--cherry, mix of others, earth, bit of oak. leather, a delicious quality that is not sweet just essential. Moderate body, good length, tasty and evolving. Seems like it is just getting started at 10 years old. Glad to have several more to try over next couple of years. Jumping on this bandwagon:)
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5/2/2020 - stkilda Likes this wine: 93 Points
La Rioja Alta are true masters of their craft having consumed many vintages of this wine I can see why this was declared Seleccion Especial. Its ready to drink now but obviously has a very long life ahead. Its voluptuous with wonderful fruit and a little more weight than previous vintages though I thought both 2004& 2005 of the regular Ardanza were outstanding also. Its worthy and consistently known as one of the best bargains in fine wine. Hats off to La Rioja Alta for their generous pricing strategy. Highly recommended.
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5/1/2020 - MexCB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super lecker. Keine störende Tannine, nicht zu viel Säure. Mega feine Nase, im Gaumen nur Spass. Bin absolut begeistert von der Qualität. Top für diesen Preis. Habe 24 Flaschen bestellt, muss noch mer bestellen! War noch nie so überzeugt von einem Wein in dieser Preisklasse. Mega!
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4/28/2020 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Pop and pour, and let it sit in the glass for 15 minutes. The wine is medium-bodied while managing to have some more burly flavors in it. Red-fruited with savory earth and a bit of funk. There was some dill pickle, which I am sensitive to, but it was very much in the background.
There was great complexity in this bottle and I'm glad I bought 3.
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4/25/2020 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
Checked in on this again since there had been a discussion on the board about heavy dill pickle flavor. Though we got the dill notes, it was just part of the whole picture with plenty of blackberry and typical coconut oak, which was also not overdone. It's drinking really well now. Probably some upside, but I don't think it needs it so much.
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4/24/2020 - rjmp96 Likes this wine: 94 Points
A wild, barnyardy note leads the nose. Then comes the really nice cured meat, cedar box, purple flowers, Mediterranean herb, baking spice and roasted black cherry. So fresh and pure. Outstanding length & depth on the finish.
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4/24/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
And then that is delicious.
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4/23/2020 - DrBad Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the perfect weeknight wine. Well balanced and lively seems to be a good descriptor. Spice and oak aromas. Medium bodied with well balanced acidity along with cherry, vanilla and forest floor on the palate.
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4/21/2020 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 87 Points
We drank a lot of the 2001 version of this wine, and I remember those as richer than this bottle, which came across as bright, medium-bodied, under the oakiness. This is still a provocative wine, a real value, and one that I am hoping will improve with another five years or so in the cellar.
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4/21/2020 - pilot360 wrote: 92 Points
this bottle had dill pouring from the nose, vanilla, cherries. Young, and should improve with age. Light bodied, but complete palate.
I can’t keep from drinking these!
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4/19/2020 - progenitive Likes this wine: 93 Points
Truly impressive at the current pricing. Tawny in appearance. Soft tannins, but we feel a bit more acidic than the 2008. Classic Rioja. Can’t get 2008 any more; going to stock up on this.
Drink at 61F!
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4/19/2020 - tadams66 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Given the notes, I gave this about an hour decant and drank over a couple of hours. This went very well with a pork chop. Had smoky notes, dark fruit, and integrated tannins. This went will with the rub on the pork and the fat. This will last many years but is very nice now with a decant.
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4/18/2020 - aknot13 wrote: 94 Points
Grapes: 80% tempranillo, 20% grenache, aged for 36 months in american oak. Color: see through cherry red, orange rim, very advanced. Nose: lots of oak, vanilla, tobacco, leather, red fruits, spices - no heat from the alcohol (13,5%). Mouth: all red fruits (red berries, strawberries, red cherry) slighty sweet but not jammy, very good acidity, tannic, excellent structure and mouthfeel, long finish. Still very young but high quality and potential to age 10+ years. Somewhat atypical as this is not a heavy rioja but a lighter or more elegant style of wine that is so easy to drink. At €24, am amazing value, I am buying more. 94 pt
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4/17/2020 - 10xM Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank with NY Steak.
Didnt take notes but this was young and delicious. Things that stood out was that its tangy, little oak was noticed but it wasnt overbearing. Well made wine. Would like to buy an older vintage to see how these age.
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4/16/2020 - Justin S Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is one of the more elegant, lithe, and juicy vintages of the Ardanza. Very well balanced and predominantly red-fruited, with melted tannins and good freshness. Though there is some oak influence, it is much better integrated than the '08 and '09 vintages, though on day 2 this wine showed quite a bit of spice on the finish. The added refinement bodes well for this wine.
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4/16/2020 - Lunabaer Likes this wine: 93 Points
I love this wine. Bright red juicy fruits on the nose and taste. Jammy and delicious. Had it with quail, but went best with spiced brussel sprouts. Definite buy again.
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4/16/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This is the Seleccion Especial and it is absolutely outstanding. Great fruit character but also touches of savory with a very long life ahead.
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4/11/2020 - despore Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still great, might even improve to 92/93 with a little time.
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4/10/2020 - Phillip.Panda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Med+ body, cherry, red fruit with leather, sharpness. Med+ acid, med+ tannin.
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4/10/2020 - R J Lewis wrote:
Informal note. I think this is delicious. Notes of development (dried fruits, earth, wet leaf). The fruit is quite concentrated and on the darker, plum, prune end of the scale but the acidity is fresh enough. Alcohol is in balance. No question, there is lots of oak here and that clove, cinnamon stick, dill note hits you straight out of the bottles but it mellows with a bit of air. I don't think this is to young to drink at all, plenty to enjoy now, but time will calm that oak down. A great textbook high quality Rioja.
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4/4/2020 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Too young. Tasting mostly of vanilla dill and coconut, with some pleasing red cherry fruit and orange peel. Textbook ardanza, although maybe a little darker and deeper than the standard bottling. A clear winner for 5-10 years down the road and a killer QPR at 30 bucks. Wondering how many i should buy at that price.
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4/3/2020 - daveyk39 wrote: 92 Points
2020: Top Ten Wines; 1/1/2020-12/31/2020 (Redwood City, CA): As we enter the 3rd weekend of lock-down, it seemed like we deserved something special, so I broke out one of these, which I have been seeing raved about on CT fairly consistently.
Gave it 2h air to allow it to open up, based on those notes. Medium-Garnet with brick around the edges. Strong aromas of red cherry, dill, wood smoke and lime peel. Silky texture, with red cherry, dill and smoke on entry and dark fruit in the mid-palate. A broad, lifted finish with a hint of spice and rounded tannins.
Seductive, deep, with further room to evolve and improve. Drinking one tonight made the situation a little bit better, but very glad I have more for later!
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4/3/2020 - yasha Likes this wine: 93 Points
Love this wine. will looking for more
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4/1/2020 - Mr. Wine Delight wrote: 90 Points
Brown red, red berries and dried fruity fruit, well developed, aromatic and complex
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3/30/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of energy, bodes well for the future. Classic Rioja acidity (balsamic, tart dried red cherries). Oak is still prominent and not yet integrated. Hints of orange peel and sea salt. I think this wine needs more time to develop (e.g., 2023-). My rating of 92 is based on prediction for the future; for drinking right now, I would rate it 90.
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3/30/2020 - travelculture Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Powerful and concentrated red fruits, good accompaniment for some dishes but no finesse. (Revised)
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3/30/2020 - HPringle Likes this wine: 90 Points
Once allowed some time to breath this show a wonderful interplay between red fruit, acid, and restrained vanilla. Still taut and reticent, this should improve and I'd reckon 92-94 in a couple of years.
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3/27/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 94 Points
Is this the greatest QPR on the planet right now?!?! 🔥🔥🔥
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3/26/2020 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 90 Points
A continuation of the slightly more modern approach to the traditional Ardanza stable.
Clearly built for a long life, quite dark and dense now, starting off from a base of dark fruits, touch of vanilla and a menthol edge (though my drinking partner picked up something more botanical akin to sasparilla).
I think a few years will tell on these. Not as easy at the moment as others from the vintage so far, but this is a marathon-runner not a sprinter.
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3/26/2020 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a winning Rioja! 80% Tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Beautiful color, especially in the swirl of the glass. The nose is extremely spicy and full of cherries, red currants, and strawberries. There is a subtle but present barnyard funk note on the nose, but it is nowhere on the palate. Wow, this is a great wine that is drinking wonderfully now and has a decade or two to go! The QPR is off the charts.
Day 2 - its is holding strong with very little change. It's in it for the long haul.
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3/25/2020 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
Deep red colour touch of brown at the rim
Really rich smell, tobacco, coconut, cedar, aromatic almost minty notes, and autumn fruits.
Light to medium body, refreshing crunchy fruit, fills out in the middle and the waves of nutty oaky rich flavours. Very clean juicy fruit. Soft smooth tannins.
Excellent vintage of an always great wine. Showing well now but will improve for years.
About £20, hard to think of a better wine for the money.
17.5/20
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3/24/2020 - Billigan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Night one, this showed a bit too polished, with glossy blackish fruit and a big hit vanilla and oak. By night two, it has settled into a more familiar, classical Rioja profile, albeit it with loads of stuffing for the long haul. Hold.
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3/21/2020 - magyarsvensk wrote: 92 Points
Powdery fruit. Lightly perfumed. Plums later. Juicy on the palate with a bright, lilting finish. The brilliant saline plum berry-compote flavor is the real highlight here.
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3/18/2020 - ddamron wrote: 96 Points
Lots of dark fruit, cherries, blackberry, cedar, tobacco. Pnp and paired with a Dominoe’s pizza. Perfect combo for a quarantine in DC. This wine will her better with age and I’ll try to open the next in 5 years. The structure is there.
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3/18/2020 - RoyaltyCoins Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium-pale garnet.
Nose: Dried bing cherry, candied strawberry, potpourii, oak paneling, dried tobacco notes.
Mouth: A smooth pool of dried black cherry and raspberry pates des fruit segues into a cedar/sandalwood midpalate before becoming a long finish of sweet pipe tobacco, sous bois, and light blood notes. A buried energy ripples through, keeping this graceful as a light fine grained mineral tinge takes the very end.
Overall: Gorgeous dried woods kept in balance by polished, lightly candied fruits, very polished. Showing beautifully now with 10 years of estate age for free, the price on this is unreal. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache. Drink now - 2026
95.
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3/16/2020 - abc55 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Varm næse med søde røde bær, læder og kaffe. Lidt vanilje, som dog er langt mere udpræget i smagen. Her blander sig mentol, sød tobak og vild syre, men dyb moden frugt. Stort!
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3/15/2020 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent bottle that just keeps getting better the more air it gets. Lots of oak with the perfect amount of acidity on the back end.
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3/14/2020 - M.Y. Chong Likes this wine:
Excellent full bodied Rioja with red fruits, tobacco, and orange rind. Bursting with fruits on the palate with a good long finish. Very good value.
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3/9/2020 - gratefulbbq Likes this wine: 92 Points
Absolutely delicious, drank over 2 nights. Day 2 even more expressive with lots of cherry, strawberry, faint smoke, tobacco, and earth. Bright acidity, supple texture and a great finish. 9 more bottles and will try to pace myself...it’s excellent and I want to see where it goes.
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3/5/2020 - tbabes wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Notes of red fruits, sous bois, and spice. Medium bodied, bright and a bit high toned, classic in structure and style, with good acidity. A great QPR that is a perfect (for me) complement for meals that are a bit too light for Bordeaux.
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3/3/2020 - RichardP wrote: 91 Points
This is appealing now, but it should get much better. The Cellartracker drinking window looks at least several years too short. It's hard to keep my hands off them as they are, though. The value for money is excellent to outstanding.
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3/2/2020 - yasha Likes this wine: 93 Points
Like this wine very much. will safe my other bottle for a couple years.
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3/1/2020 - GAET Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nez sur le caramel, un peu sur la vanille.
Belle longueur en bouche.
Encore un peu jeune. Mais beau vin en devenir.
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2/29/2020 - happy712 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slight bit too young. 10 minutes in the glass brings out the oak and complexity
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2/25/2020 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great QPR rioja. Bright red fruits, lively, spices, cherry, tobacco-y. I rarely drink rioja but this was the best rioja I have had.
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2/15/2020 - jps3@columbia.edu Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicious Rioja that's drinking wonderfully now. Fantastic QPR. Buying more. On second day it held up beautifully.
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2/13/2020 - Laz4wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Freaking delicious with take out Poke, 93+ and will likely get even better over next 3 - 8 years. Looking like best QPR of any winery we've discovered in the past decade or so, everything in balance - fruit, spice, aromatics, and finish just continued to impress drunk out of a plastic community cup, can only imagine what this will do in a proper setting!
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2/13/2020 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 90 Points
Definitely a la Rioja Alta wine. Vibrant, young, quite solid but drinking now (or next 20 years).
Is this any different wine than the reserva?
13.5%, cork
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2/10/2020 - johnnylaw1222 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet. Cinnamon, baking spice, and cherries on the nose. Ripe—but not over ripe—red fruit on the attack, fading to sweet cocoa and tobacco.
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2/9/2020 - Empirate wrote: 92 Points
youthful fruit, well balanced. better day 2. 92+
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1/31/2020 - CheviotCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
4 hr decant. Dark cranberry with orange tint. Nose is cherry, vanilla, black molasses. Great weight and texture. Thick, silky, bursting with bright, acidic fruit; cranberry, pomegranate, honey also orange, mushroom, dill. Wound a little tight, I do think this will get significantly better, more integrated with time. But there is no reason not to try it now. Very delicious now, particularly with the right food pairing.
Drank against a 2010 Macan Clasico. Completely different styles for the vintage. The Macan is a silky, showy dame. The Ardanza, a full-figured, unrefined teenager.
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1/31/2020 - awever Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ganz klassischer feiner Rioja
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1/25/2020 - CHINACAT wrote: 89 Points
Ripe and rich, but tannic and oaky. Will be a very good wine, but needs some time.
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1/25/2020 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Had at the Suckling Great Wines of the World 2020 tasting. Maybe a touch to fruity. Liked the 2009 better.
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1/19/2020 - Ken332 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Served at a large dinner at a friend's house, so I do not have extensive notes.
As noted at a previous tasting about a month ago, it took a couple of hours for the wine to open up and became better after a couple of hours. This wine needs 2-3 years to integrate the flavors and should be much better in 2022-2030. I think it may ultimately be a better wine than the 2009, but not as well integrated at this stage.
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1/18/2020 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Really nice wine, if way too young. Lots of spice, some apparent oak, and a lot of sweetness to the fruit. Good depth of flavors and excellent length. A few years should help the oak and sweetness come into more balance. Will bury the rest for a bit.
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1/16/2020 - despore Likes this wine: 91 Points
Huge wine, still in it’s infancy yet drinking well now, oak starting to integrate, medium to full bodies, vibrant acidity and silky tannins, finish is good but feel that it will get better with time/air.
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1/12/2020 - Valbonne Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent QPR.
Recognizable Rioja Alta flavor profile but at this stage more fruit still forward.
I think it will develop and the fruit will move back some but I also think it’s very approachable and enjoyable now. I plan to continue to open bottles at this stage. (I see I may be an outlier with that recommendation - I agree with others that it will like evolve from where it is - just think this one can be enjoyed younger than typical RA)
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1/12/2020 - Wuhan Joe Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nose of briars and forest floor. Flavor is concentrated with blackberries, black cherries and hints of licorice, forest floor and herbs. Smooth and balanced with a long satisfying finish. Drinking nicely but feels as if it will develop much more. Wait at least a year before opening the next bottle!
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1/10/2020 - JimTaft Likes this wine: 93 Points
Have this bottle open a few hours now, continuing with a little late night sipping.
Maybe a bit closed when opened but still enjoyable. Now all opened up and on full display.
True to old world values, this has a distinct sense of place and will never be confused with a New World wine.
Extremely long finish, intoxicating aromatics, medium body, huge fruit and soaring acidity make for a lot of excitement on the palate.
Great now and certainly for years to come. Unusually hard to find for a wine that is usually available year round.
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1/9/2020 - DNABog wrote: 90 Points
It seemed a little closed up but still drinking well. Love the leather and old school color and softness.
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1/7/2020 - CWilliam wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes and drank over 3 hours. Much, much, better with air.
Dark red color with no apparent sediment. On nose, red currants, tobacco, dill, and bing cherry. Similar flavor profile on palate with nice savory notes that showed up with airtime.
Medium+ body, medium+ acidity, integrated tannins and very long finish - this gained weight with air. Wine, especially with air, showed more complexity than I'm able to describe.
Still very young. 91+ on open, 93++ with airtime. Will probably buy some more.
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1/3/2020 - Torstein. Heimdal@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good, but ned some more year on its back. Great potentials, I’ll test it again In 2 years time. 4 bottles left in my cellar.
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12/29/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
I always saw Ardanza as the fruit bomb in the Alta lineup on account of the garnacha. That's not the case this vintage - if you'd poured this next to the 904 (which I had a few weeks prior) I might have suspected the bottles had been switched because this has the fully tertiary, mature-wine profile I'd be more likely to expect from the 904 while the 904 was still holding on to some fresh, juicy fruit. Not so here - it might only be 9 years old but (especially for the price) this is a great wine to have on hand in quantity for whenever the itch for something nicely aged needs scratching - streamlined and suave with a perfume of leather and dried flowers, this is the profile you put wines in the cellar hoping to arrive at, but it usually takes longer. Not to say it's in any danger of decline but there is no reason to wait. Not even on the oak front, which has been aggressive in some past Ardanzas but is already fully integrated here.
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12/28/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Spanish Reds [ALL @ the least Tempranillo "Blends": 4-Riojas & 2-Castilla y León] (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Closed; Smoke slightly atop cherries
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it seamlessly evolves into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a delightful tangy/swtness to the few relatively unoffensive, but firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve for 6-12 mos, then (safely) drink into '24? 13.5% ABV; VERY nicely done! My EXC; [This vendor's $29.95 now puts it in the TOP 20% of wine-searcher's postings.]
Note: Also tasted on 10/5 & 10/12/19, notes fairly consistent.
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12/28/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 91 Points
I was super hyped about this, as it was super hyped to me. A very nice ardanza with lots of clean earthiness for a 10 year old wine. The best way to describe this wine is that it drinks just like a Bordeaux from a weak vintage ( like a 1997 or a 2002 from a good producer) with lots of floral qualities. The Rioja give away is the vanilla finish, and the sourness. That lets you know that you are most likely drinking a Rioja. The acidity will keep this young going for 20+ years...The nose should become incredible with time! Drink or HOLD
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12/26/2019 - boston617 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent. Earthy and fragrant notes with mushroom hints.
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12/25/2019 - failed wine merchant Likes this wine: 93 Points
Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 2010
Only the fourth vintage in 70 years which has been designated "Selection Especial."
Wonderful example of traditionally aged rioja, a deluxe blend of tempranillo from plots in the rioja alta and garnacha from a single vineyard located in the rioja baja subjected to ageing in barrels of new American oak.
Vivid, deep red colour once poured, expressive, opulent and pungent on the nose with primary notes of new oak, tobacco and leather mixed with prominent berry fruit, silky and rich in the mouth, tannic, potent and lush on the midpalate with undertones of soft oak and leather, nice long finish with a hint of oxidation.
Showing evolution so drink now and over the next 12 months, though rioja traditionalists would probably argue this bottling has time on its side yet. Tasted December 2019.
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12/23/2019 - shleepy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprisingly great already. Figured it could benefit from more aging, but maybe not. No detectable tannins.
Vanilla/oak, but not overwhelming in the least. Subtle floral/perfumy aromatics. Complex, balanced; I wouldn't say "light," but certainly not heavy-handed for an Alta. I'm glad I have at least a few more bottles!
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12/23/2019 - ccbradley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good fruit flavor early transitioning to smooth and earthy with a slightly tannic finish. Overall - Nicely balanced and ready to drink now.
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12/22/2019 - Ken332 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Purchased a case of this vintage of the Rioja Alta Ardanza after enjoying the 2007 and 2009. Double decanted this wine about an hour before serving and served with grilled pork tenderloin. Nose of cassis, black cherries, spice and touch of wood, which continued into the mid-range with a touch of alcohol in the finish. it took a couple of hours for the wine to open up and became better after a couple of hours. This wine needs 2-3 years to integrate the flavors and should be much better in 2022-2030. I look forward to trying other bottles as it matures.
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12/20/2019 - afields Likes this wine:
Fresh, lively tension, bright cherry and red berry fruit but even more it’s savory with tomato and herb (oregano, tarragon?), hints of orange and pepper. There’s buttery oak too but not as wood and vanilla forward as young Rioja can be. M to M+ acid, M tannin, M body, a very long finish for a wine of this price. Not especially complex at least at this stage but just so well made and enjoyable. It’s hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this wine. Drinking great now and I assume even better down the road, although this feels more like a now through medium term wine than one to hold for decades. There ain’t much better for ~$30. 7.5-8/10
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12/15/2019 - ivarsen Likes this wine: 91 Points
wauw, this is really nice. great nose with cherry, tobacco, orange peel and a little flower. medium body, medium acid, a little dryness in the ending. elegant wine where the taste just keeps beeing there. Palate with lots of tobacco. Needs to be quite cold
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12/14/2019 - fwota Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic, complex. A little tannic right now and it’s probably still super young. Will let this sit for a while an open again in a couple years. Excited to see how this evolves.
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12/14/2019 - jdporter3 Likes this wine:
Dill predominates and fruits need to come forward. I rather think we shall let this case sit a bit. A lovely wine with some force but will get much better.
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12/13/2019 - RichardP wrote: 90 Points
Vanilla on the nose. On the palate, candied cherry, cranberry, and strawberry, with notes of vanilla oak and light black pepper, with moderate tannins and strong acidity on the medium finish. This has plenty of room to improve, although it's drinkable now. It was an excellent value at about $35.
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12/12/2019 - pilot360 wrote: 93 Points
Strawberry, red currant, very floral, pure lilac 6 hours in. Strawberries macerated with vanilla and whipped cream. Red plums fill out the base notes. The fruits seem pure , and you can really focus on the wine and smell the spectrum. Has a dusty smokiness tapestry.
After several hours in the decanter, some of the creaminess subsided, presenting a well structured wine with all the fruit described, in a more precise presentation. White pepper throughout.
Developed increasing elegance over the night. Changes over the hours. This seems like a wine for now and in 20 years. The oak is present, and I’ll wait a while longer before revisiting because of this, but I like what’s in the bottle. Or decant over hours. 2nd case to be acquired. I see enjoying this wine over a few decades. Benefits from braised short ribs. Great food wine.
Drank from open decanter over 6 hours.
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12/8/2019 - Kcornett Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic Tempranillo blend. Leather and plum on the nose. Good tannins, pepper, leather on tongue with fairly high alcohol and acidity. Great with mezze platter.
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12/7/2019 - dbay Likes this wine: 91 Points
medium garnet in color. On the nose the wine has medium intensity aromas of sandalwood with a hint of red currants, black plums, vanilla and violets. On the palate the wine is dry with medium acidity, medium plus fine grained tannins- almost creamy, medium plus body, medium alcohol, and medium intensity flavors of baked goods (cinnamon, cloves, nuts), cherry yogurt, red currants and a medium plus finish of red fruit and spice. The wine is balanced and demonstrates length on the finish with some complexity on both the palate and finish. The wine is ready to drink now but may hold another 3 yrs.
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11/29/2019 - Danneskjöld wrote: 91 Points
Søt moden frukt. Treverk. Lær og vanilje.
Medium fylde. Elegant og ren. Veldig klassisk Rioja. Fine, lette tanniner.
God lengde. Sødmepreget utgang.
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11/28/2019 - lovanc@outlook.com wrote:
More fruit forward Rioja. Did not have the dusty earthy flavors of old school Rioja but still a very well made balanced wine.
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11/27/2019 - CarpeVinum Does not like this wine: 85 Points
This is my fourth bottle from this vintage. Very inconsistent between bottles and I think the bottler is having a cork issue. One of my bottles was flawed and one other cork was such poor quality that the corkscrewed pulled out leaving the cork stuck in the bottle. I really wanted this wine to match the ratings but for me it doesn’t
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11/20/2019 - DFBW Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely wine even this young. Two glasses on Saturday night and then returned to it four days later and the wine was singing. Quite light in colour but bags of fruit and oak with a hint of creaminess. Very smooth and delicious with a great future ahead of it. Cracking value wine.
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11/15/2019 - sjw_11 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet red. You can’t escape the hype of this release so I know than will colour my views. Still, drinking this immediately after the 2009 this is noticeably fresher and more bold. Vanilla cherry coke on the nose, opening with more air into a leathery high toned red berry character I feel is how I see the house style. Fresh and clean on the palate. Slightly more tannin grip than the 2009 although it shares the formers crunchy acidity. Better on day 2.
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11/12/2019 - cjsadler Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sampled via Coravin. Definitely some vanilla and other notes from the oak that need to be integrated. Seems like a bigger, bolder Ardanza than 2009 or 2007, both of which I've had recently, but wow this is good, and tastes like something far above its price point.
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11/7/2019 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 92 Points
23NOV19 UPDATE: Tried a 2nd bottle purchased from a different retailer. To my total surprise, it tasted like a TOTALLY different wine. All that overwhelming vanilla and oak was not present at all, and the wine was very nicely balanced. This is what I had hoped for in my first bottle, so glad I found it in my 2nd. So the big question is, what happened to that first bottle?!! It did not taste "off" or corked or anything like that. I'll dabble with a few more bottles before buying a bunch of this, I don't want to end up with a bunch tasting like that first one!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I am a huge fan of the 2008, my wife is a huge fan of the 2009. We both like this one, but prefer the other vintages so far. The 2010 definitely has a noticeable, overwhelming oak-vanilla flavor. Bottle almost has to be flawed.
Day 2, let bottle sit overnight on counter with cork in. Wine was much smoother than Day 1. Oak/vanilla still very present, although it did calm down a little. Not sure what to expect over the long haul on this one. Going to try a 2nd bottle in a few days to see if it tastes the same. Although it is a nice wine, I'm not sure how I feel about loading up on it for the long haul. Wondering if they changed their wine-making process?
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11/2/2019 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good wine for the price but the Spanish seemed to have learned well from the Napa Valley alchemy. Horrible headache the next day. Wouldn’t drink more than a glass of this unless you’re younger than 30.
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10/30/2019 - BillStensrud Likes this wine: 96 Points
From The Wine Exchange
La Rioja Alta is one of Spain’s greatest and most beloved wineries. It produces classically elegant and polished Rioja wines that are always released after quite some time aging in their cellars. They do all the work, you don’t pay the price.
It’s a treat visiting them. It’s kind of like wine church when they throw open the doors of their massive aging cellars and you get the rush of decades of greatness just sitting there…waiting…for you. The only difference being most folks generally don’t have the Pavlovian reaction of uncontrollable drooling when actual church doors are opened.
And, honestly, this estate, which was already the pinnacle of Riojano winemaking, has taken their game to another level.
Case in point? The La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Viña Ardanza Seleccion Especial 2010, one of the finest wines ever made in Rioja, and virtually historically unmatched for the price.
The winery only produces their Viña Ardanza in outstanding vintages and they only make the wine a ‘Seleccion Especial’ in the greatest of greats.
How picky are they? Since 1964 there have been exactly four Viña Ardanza Seleccion Especial wines, 1964, 1973, 2001…and this wine, the epic 2010.
The 2010 harvest is indeed going to go down as an all-time great one in Rioja. The quality here is easily that of other legend harvest like 1964, 1994, 2001, 2004 and a couple others I’m probably leaving out. In short, perfect growing conditions lead to what may be the perfect example of classic Rioja.
How did we get to this point? We’ll let the folks at La Rioja Alta tell you.
The Tempranillo grapes (80%) come from our 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. The Garnacha (20%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja). This 70 hectare property offers unbeatable conditions for growing this variety. Its nutrient-poor soil, covered with boulders, results in low grape yields and significant varietal typicity, rich in aromas, with a pleasant, elegant structure.
In March 2011, the selected wines were put in barrels to start ageing separately: the Tempranillo for 36 months with six manual rackings in American oak barrels averaging 4 years in age and the Garnacha for 30 months with five manual rackings in American oak barrels with two and three wines. The final blend took place after barrel ageing was completed. The wine was bottled in May 2015.
After that, the wine rested in bottle for several more years until the winery deemed it fit to release. Honestly, even at almost 10 years of age the wine remains remarkably embryonic, it is certainly still basking in the glow if its youth, quietly chuckling at those that would even assign a ‘drink’ or ‘full maturity’ date to it. Those dates simply don’t exist in this wine’s world, all of us will be able to enjoy its delight for the next half century…at least.
It’s certainly up there with the 2001 and 1964 as a pinnacle Rioja experience considering the absurdly reasonable price charged. There’s a reason us ‘normal’ folks drink buckets of Rioja, and this wine’s price/value is it.
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10/12/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Spanish Reds [3-Riojas, 2- Grenaches, & 1-Mourvedre] (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Vanilla, cherries, & other unparsables
P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the few, firming, dusty tannins. Approachable now IF one enjoys/craves high acidity, but DESERVES/needs through '22 (& can take longer), then EASILY making its 15th. 13.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC. [This vendor's $29.95 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
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10/5/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 8 *shared* bottles] from 10/04/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Vanilla with smoky aspet & notes of spice; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED, TANGY/swt (60:40) finish to the dusty tannins. Approachable now IF one enjoys/craves high acidity, but DESERVES/needs through '21 (& can take longer), then EASILY making its 15th. My EXC-/EXC; 13.5% ABV. [This vendor's $29.95 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
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10/3/2019 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 90 Points
brief notes, Armit at Claridge's
Nose oddly mute
T....good concentration, sound structure, the acid's up at moment, feels youthful at 9 yrs old; Foodie style? Well-made classy wine.
VFM?....RRP £32.00....feels worth that, especially as it will improve in cellar
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9/27/2019 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 91 Points
The aging is clear on this bottle. Proper aging, that is. The color is starting to turn medium garnet with no bricking. Cherry, blackberry, tobacco and cedar on the nose. Dry on the palate with ripe rounded tannins and medium plus acidity. It’s been a good vintage for this bottle. The notes of red fruit, leather and soil arise on the palate. The finish is lively and of medium plus length. This can age for a decade and will be drinkable every year.
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9/15/2019 - dhp. Likes this wine:
Noticeably tighter than recent vintages - The fruit is coiled and very dense but still retains the medium/lighter body and elegance of traditional rioja. It is not an unctuous, thick wine.
On the nose, there's good purity of fruit and the underlying spices from the oak - oak is very well integrated on both the nose and palate. I'm not really so sensitive to the american oak notes like others can be, so take that for what it's worth. I think other recent vintages, including 07-09 are more open for business, but there's a lot of potential here.
I would be curious to hear about the 01 especial on release compared to this. Also, I love the new label design. The color though, I'm ambivalent on
Tk No. 728252
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1/2/2019 - ClayAE Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice wine. Decanted first over and hour. Still needs a few more years. Cherry, lots of spice. Bought 6 more.
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8/26/2017 - angelcyn Likes this wine: 90 Points
Old style Rioja, berries oak on the nose reasonably smooth fruit berries again in the mouth some length.
Needs a bit more bottle time and maybe the fruit will emerge more.
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6/19/2017 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 92 Points
Colour is garnet with light browning on the edges. The nose shows deep hedgerow fruit, with good oak levels. A lovely, smooth, rich wine with great balance of oak. Very good overall.
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5/9/2017 - wgoelen wrote: 90 Points
Rustic old style Rioja. Barnyard, oak, cherries and totally dry with an acidic streak. Very drinkable now but could do with 3-5 years of cellaring. Great PQR (12€ (in Spain))
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