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More wines available from La Rioja Alta
Pre-Arrival
La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2001
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$203.95
No doubt about it: ‘This is the best 890 in our history,' declares Julio Sáenz, technical director of La Rioja...
Pre-Arrival
La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2005
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$198.34
The aromas to this are stunning with dried strawberry, stone and fresh mushroom. Full body and very tight with...
Pre-Arrival
La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2010
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$190.98
This is really refined and complex, with dark mineral, savory berries, mussels, walnuts, sweet spices, truffles,...
Pre-Arrival
La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 2001
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$108.43
This is a very complete wine with such beautiful length and intensity. It’s compact and very driven with a great...
Pre-Arrival
La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 2005
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$179.11
The 2005 Gran Reserva 904 is a superb blend of Tempranillo from the villages of Briñas, Labastida and Villalba with...
More Details
Winery
La Rioja Alta
Vintage: 2010
2010 saw extremely high quality viticulture in many parts of the world, with an exceptionally long and hot summer providing huge benefits for wineries across many countries, especially in the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere and Europe saw something of a cooler summer and flowering period, but this was by no means as disastrous as it could have been. France, especially, had a fantastic year in 2010, with the world renowned Burgundy region proclaiming that their white wines of this year are ones to look out for, and despite yields being relatively small across much of the country, the quality was exceptionally high. Spain, too, received some cooler weather, but Rioja and the rest of central Spain are hailing 2010 as a very good year indeed, again as a result of smaller, finer yields. California also received similar climatic conditions, but again, wineries are highly positive about the overall effect this had on their produce, as the slightly challenging conditions resulted in smaller yields of much elegance and distinction.
2010 was really Australia's year, and in South Australia and across the Mornington Peninsula, Chardonnay vines produced good yields with a lower sugar level than in previous years. As such, the majority of South Australian white wines from 2010 are superb, and packed full of character. Shiraz also had a great year, and most Australian wineries have been proclaiming 2010 one of the great vintages. Both the Argentinian and Chilean wine industries benefited from some ideal climatic conditions this year, and are reportedly ecstatically pleased with the fact that their 2010 wines ended up with lower alcohol levels, and were beautifully balanced wines packed full of flavor.
Varietal: Tempranillo
The wines made from the Tempranillo grape varietal have gone down in history as being some of the finest in the world, with the Spanish region of Riot being one of the most famed and respected examples of a quality red wine made with this grape. Elsewhere in the world, the Tempranillo grape has had plenty of success, and grows best in regions with a mixture of hot sunshine and cooling breezes. These grapes hold plenty of intense and interesting flavors, and are often said to hold many of the most sought after flavors to be found in a red wine. Leather, tobacco, plums and herbs are often noted in wines made with Tempranillo grapes, and the blended wines made with this varietal are often seen at the top of world rankings.
Region: La Rioja
La Rioja is by far the most famous wine region of Spain, and remains one of the world's great wine producing regions, consistently offering deep, complex red wines of character and distinction, partly due to the fact that La Rioja benefits from excellent soils, rich in minerals and nutrients, and plenty of sunshine. The climatic conditions allow the fine grape varietals to reach full ripeness and express plenty of the best features of their terroir, making La Rioja wines some of the most interesting to have ever come out of Europe. The Cantabrian mountains to the north provide the perfect shelter from the colder, wetter influences of the Atlantic oceans, and in the beloved vineyards of La Rioja, wineries have been cultivating exceedingly flavorful Tempranillo grapes for generations for the inclusion in their fine single variety and blended wines.
Country: Spain
From the deep and intense Rioja wines, or the dry and refreshing Ruedas, from Tempranillos to Verdejos, the range and quality of Spanish wines is always going to impress and fascinate. With several thousand years of traditions and expertise leading the way, Spanish wineries are currently producing some of the most flavorful and interesting wines to come out of Europe, striving to overcome the reputation problems the country suffered in the mid to late twentieth century. Despite being one of the largest producers of wine in the world, with billions of bottles being filled each year, Spanish wine producers are more interested in quality over quantity than ever before. The results of this are some truly world class wines rivaling even the finest produce of France in regards to balance, character and flavor, gaining new fans and enthusiasts every day.