La Rioja Alta : Gran Reserva 890 2005

Tasting characteristics and serving advice for La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 2005

Tasting

Appearance
The wine displays a ruby-red hue with emerging brick highlights, reflecting the maturity of this exceptional vintage.

Nose
The bouquet offers a classic Rioja profile with intense aromas of tanned leather, candied plums, and raisins. Notes of tobacco, sweet spices, vanilla, and dark chocolate intermingle, creating a complex and elegant whole.

Palate
On the palate, this wine enchants with its elegant, mature character, boasting remarkable structure and perfectly balanced acidity. Silky tannins accompany a generous, complex, rounded mouthfeel, leading to an elegant, persistent finish.

Food and wine pairing
This Gran Reserva pairs ideally with delicate dishes in light sauces, meat stews, and chocolate desserts. It also makes an excellent digestif to conclude a refined meal.

An exceptional Gran Reserva embodying La Rioja’s centuries-old tradition

The estate
La Rioja Alta, S.A., founded in 1890 in Haro, Rioja, remains a family-owned estate passed down through six generations. The group cultivates several hundred hectares of vines and also owns Torre de Oña, Lagar de Cervera, and Áster. Led by Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, the estate belongs to the descendants of the founding families and stands out for its extended aging and its emblematic 890 and 904 cuvées.

The vineyard
The grapes come from estate-owned vineyards in Briñas, Labastida, and Villalba for Tempranillo and Mazuelo, as well as from the Montecillo vineyard for Graciano. These Rioja terroirs benefit from ideal climatic conditions for the flourishing of these traditional varieties.

The vintage
The 2005 vintage saw a classic budbreak, followed by moderate, well-distributed spring rains that supported optimal canopy development through fruit set. September was marked by moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights, imparting to the grapes the typical characteristics of Rioja.

Winemaking and aging
After manual harvesting, gentle destemming and crushing, Gran Reserva 890 2005 underwent a slow, unhurried fermentation. The wine was then aged for six years in barrels with ten traditional rackings. Several selections during aging allowed the final blend to be composed from 199 barrels. Bottling took place in March 2012 without filtration.

Grape varieties
Tempranillo (95%), Mazuelo (2%), and Graciano (3%) comprise this traditional Rioja blend.