2009 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva

Community Tasting Notes (252) Avg Score: 91.3 points

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  4/13/2024 - grappagunnar Likes this wine: 92 Points

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

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  4/1/2024 - DevenStephens Likes this wine: 94 Points

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

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  2/25/2024 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 91 Points

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

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  2/20/2024 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 92 Points

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

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  1/11/2024 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 94 Points

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

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