La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 2011

Originating from Spain in the La Rioja region, specifically within the Rioja Alta DOCa sub-zone, La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 2011 represents the pinnacle of traditional, long-aged Spanish winemaking. Founded in 1890, La Rioja Alta S.A. is one of the region's historic benchmark estates, and Gran Reserva 890—named in honor of the winery's founding year—is produced only in exceptional vintages. Sourced from the oldest estate vineyards in Briñas, Labastida, and Villalba, the vines grow in clay-limestone soils at high elevations along the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria. Under technical director Julio Sáenz, the winemaking philosophy incorporates traditional manual harvesting, meticulous berry selection, ambient yeast fermentation in oak vats, and extraordinary barrel aging for six full years in neutral American oak barrels crafted at the winery's own cooperage, racked manually by candlelight ten times. The result is a profound, silky Gran Reserva that marries classic Rioja oxidative complexity with vibrant freshness and decades-long cellaring capacity.

Wine Description

The wine presents a clear, luminous medium ruby red colour with distinct brick and amber-garnet reflections along the wide rim. An expressive, highly complex bouquet opens with noble aromas of dried red cherry, wild strawberry, black plum, and dried fig, interwoven with sophisticated notes of cigar box cedar, vanilla bean, coconut, cured leather, dried rose petals, pipe tobacco, truffle, and warm clove spice. On the palate, it is medium-to-full bodied, silken, and energetic, delivering concentrated flavours of dried fruit, savory minerals, and dark tea leaves, all supported by a bright, mouthwatering spine of natural acidity. Framed by fine-grained, polished, velvety tannins and an exceptionally harmonious mid-palate structure, it concludes with a long, persistent finish marked by lingering red berries, toasted oak, sweet spices, and a clean mineral grip. Composed of 95% Tempranillo blended with 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, this 2011 release offers an optimal drinking window of 2024–2050+. Stylistically, it effortlessly combines traditional Rioja elegance, aristocratic leather-and-spice complexity, and supreme structural polish.