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Gran Reserva 890 2004 75cl

DOCa | Rioja | Spain
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2001 2004
Critics scores
94 By Robert Parker
94 By James Suckling
94 By Wine Spectator
The 2004 Gran Reserva 890 is the top of the range here, a wine that is only released three/four times per decade in exceptional years. They start by sourcing grapes from their oldest vineyards and going through a slow process of aging the wine in American oak barrels for six years, with ten manual rackings, and each time there is a selection of only the best barrels. The bottled wine is 13.5% alcohol with a remarkably low pH (3.0) that to me means 'quality' of the acidity, which is a healthy six grams per liter (in tartaric). The nose is all about forest floor aromas, game, cigar ash, incense, old furniture and some smoked meat. The palate shows what the technical data was hinting--very fresh with slightly dusty tannins and nice acidity. It's polished, but feels livelier than some older vintages. 38,000 numbered bottles.<br/>
Producer
La Rioja Alta
The most classically styled Rioja can be found in Haro, the capital of Rioja Alta, faithfully produced by one of the most popular bodegas in Spain, La Rioja Alta. It was originally founded in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families, some of which still have a share in the company. In 1996, they invested in a state-of-the-art winemaking facility to further embody their founding pillars of quality, elegance, innovation, and evolution. Renowned for some of the finest traditional Reservas and Gran Reservas in Spain, the bodega produces five estate-grown wines on their 450-hectare property. Planted principally with Tempranillo, they also grow local varieties like Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo, that are essential parts to their vinous identity. Gran Reservas 904 and 890, see five to eight years of cask-aging in American oak, ensuing the strictest Riojan traditions. The end results are balanced, intense Tempranillo blends.