2015 La Rioja Alta Vina Arana Gran Reserva

Region: Rioja, Spain

Grape: Tempranillo, Graciano

Culinary Suggestions: Roasted Meats, Grilled Lamb Chops, Charcuterie, Mushroom Dishes, Hard Cheeses

Vineyard Practice: Sustainable

About

Few would dispute that La Rioja Alta is the leading quality focused producer in Spain's most famous wine region. Since the coming together of five growers to form the estate 130 years ago, they have produced some of the most highly regarded and longest-lived examples of Rioja. Their wines are ready for consumption on release, but will keep and evolve for many more years in bottle - decades in some cases. A situation so rare in the world of wine! - Importer Note

Tasting Notes

Brilliant ruby. Energetic, spice- and smoke-accented black raspberry and candied cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of rose oil, coconut and cured tobacco. Youthfully chewy and focused on entry, offering concentrated red and dark berry, cherry cola and candied licorice flavors that deepen steadily with air. Floral pastille and oak spice notes linger on the impressively long, smoke-tinged finish, which shows excellent clarity and polished tannins. 

94 points - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media April 2021

Drink: 2024 - 2034