2012 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva
Community Tasting Note
Callum's Corkers Likes this wine:
Friday, July 15, 2022 - Bought Majestic UK £24.99 Sept 2021
Tasted at room temp' at the kitchen table dinner time, decanted 30 mins at least.
N....intense, young at 10 yrs old; mocha, espresso, leather, liquorice, oak is there but is subtle, some red black fruit. But it faded sooner than I expected (10 mins); big and bold but short-lived.
C....red with a hint of tawny at edge, doesn't yet look 10 yrs old.
T....lovely floury soft tannins give structure; soft mouth-feel and great fruit but it has elegance, it's not a mushy desperate-to-please mess, I'm pleased to say; it feels med-H body; gorgeous red/black fruit; style is med-dry; some decent length of flavour here; coffee, bitter dark chocolate, some savoury flavours; at 10 yrs is in a settled drinking window, a nice balance here. Just a lovely glass of Rioja.
Not yet mature, obviously; feels like it will get pongy and interesting - more interesting - later on towards maturity, maybe another 5 yrs?
VFMoney?....costs almost £25.00 but feels worth twice that. Proper bargain. Good Rioja off the shelf in the UK continues to be one of the great UK wine bargains. What's not to like about a 94 score wine with 10 yrs already on the clock for less than £25.00?
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6 comments have been posted
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (6,914 views)
Comment posted by Stoic Warrior:
9/21/2022 11:37:00 AM - FYI, Just bought more of these today at Majestic, price still £24.99, more than a year later. I don't know many wines which deliver such a great QPR.
Comment posted by Callum's Corkers:
10/12/2022 8:52:00 AM - Stoic Warrior.....agreed, brilliant VFM/QPR. Rioja just isn't fashionable, maybe that's because more people are moving over towards lighter reds. I have to admit that's me too, even though there are some amazing bargains around like this wine I reckon I'm drinking less of the 'big' reds - and I've more or less stopped drinking Claret altogether, and Rhone reds. BTW, my latest bargain in lighter reds is at The Wine Society UK, a Greek red: Xinomavro Jeunes Vignes, Thymiopoulos, 2020, at £11.95; a classy quaffer, vibrant and juicy and light(ish) with plenty of personality, drinks like a £15.00+ wine. Perfect example of the huge progress Greek wines have made in the last 15 yrs.
Comment posted by Stoic Warrior:
10/12/2022 10:18:00 AM - Yes Callum, I too am at an age when I should be indulging in lighter wines. However, my cellar is handsomely stocked with a good selection of more robust and elegant wines, many just coming into their best drinking windows. Mine are not silly money auction-able wines, just well chosen favourites with great QPR's. So while I may have a tough job ahead of me I shall persevere :-). And, yes, I saw that offer on TWS for the Thymiopoulos Xinomavro. I shall consider it. In return I commend to you my most recent pleasures in lighter wines - Loire cab francs ... I was down there this time last year and there are some lovely lighter ones out there for us these days.
Comment posted by Callum's Corkers:
10/31/2022 8:42:00 AM - Stoic Warrior.....cheers re heads-up re Loire Valley Cab Franc, any you especially liked that are available here in the UK? At the Wine Soc' maybe?
Comment posted by Stoic Warrior:
11/3/2022 2:55:00 AM - I haven't been overly impressed with the cab francs from the Wine Society; among their Chinons the Noblaie I bought was okay but the Bouchardiere Cornuelles was not to my liking (it may have been an off bottle). Last year from the Loire I brought back some lovely Chinon from Bernard Baudry as well as both some Bourgueil and St N de B (Domaine de la Butte and Amirault, respectively). From here in the UK I have recently bought a case of Thierry Germain's Saumur-Champigny Les Memoires. Except for the Baudry the others will lay in my cellar for a few years yet.
Comment posted by Callum's Corkers:
11/3/2022 11:20:00 AM - Stoic Warrior.....cheers for the recommendations. Will follow up via wine-searcher.