TASTING NOTES
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2005 Gran Reserva 890, ‘Selección Especial’
La Rioja Alta S.A., Rioja Wine Region, Spain
Drinking Now 2035
Bottle 75cl
Case of 6
Tasting Notes
A blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, the wine was matured for 6 years with 10 traditional rackings. Only the very best barrels were then selected, with 199 making it into the final blend. The intensity of the wine is immediately visible from the deep, rich colouring and the fresh, crisp nose which is both pure and refined, with notes of old leather, cigar and spice. The palate is full of character, precision and finesse. Its classic Rioja bouquet stands out; big, complex and round, with an beautifully elegant finish.Armit Wines
Reviews & Scores
The aromas to this are stunning with dried strawberry, stone and fresh mushroom. Full body and very tight with incredible depth and structure. It goes on for minutes. One of the greatest ever? The new 1964? Available January 2018.
98 points, James Suckling
Made with grapes from some of the winery’s oldest parcels in Briñas, Labastida and Villalba, this really is one of the best ever 890s, produced in an exceptional vintage for Rioja as well as La Rioja Alta. Blending Tempranillo with 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, it combines the grace and elegance of a great Musigny with the sweetness, focus and balance of a classic Rioja grown on limestone soils. Scented, complex and very long, it’s unashamedly traditional and all the better for that. Drinkable now but will reward further patience. Drink 2017-30.
98 Points, Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com/reports/2017-rioja-special-report
La Rioja Alta...
S.A. has once again placed its 890 Gran Reserva at the top for the second consecutive year with another great vintage, 2005. Fineness, complex tertiary nuances, acidity and elegance are part of its credentials, a stately, serious wine that is already part of the living history of Rioja wine…
98 Points, La Guia Peñín
The unmistakeable style of classic gran reserve, with its vanilla tones, this is so refined and long, so so delicate. Great.
96 Points, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW
All about truffles and forest floor. Rich and velvety textured with red berries coming through. Confident, superb.
96 Points, Sarah Jane Evans MW
The classy nose suggests proper traditional-style Rioja. Complex and savoury, yet fresh, round and graceful.
96 Points, Pierre Mansour
Ruby-red with an incipient brick rim. Classic aroma. Intense, with notes of cured leather, stewed plums and raisins, tobacco and sweet spices, vanilla and dark chocolate. Elegant, mature, complex mouthfeel. Outstanding structure and well-balanced acidity with silky tannins. Its classic Rioja bouquet stands out, big, complex and round, with an elegant finish.
Julio Sáenz, Winemaker
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98 Points, La Guia Peñín
The unmistakeable style of classic gran reserve, with its vanilla tones, this is so refined and long, so so delicate. Great.
96 Points, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW
All about truffles and forest floor. Rich and velvety textured with red berries coming through. Confident, superb.
96 Points, Sarah Jane Evans MW
The classy nose suggests proper traditional-style Rioja. Complex and savoury, yet fresh, round and graceful.
96 Points, Pierre Mansour
Ruby-red with an incipient brick rim. Classic aroma. Intense, with notes of cured leather, stewed plums and raisins, tobacco and sweet spices, vanilla and dark chocolate. Elegant, mature, complex mouthfeel. Outstanding structure and well-balanced acidity with silky tannins. Its classic Rioja bouquet stands out, big, complex and round, with an elegant finish.
Julio Sáenz, Winemaker
The top of the range is only produced three or four times per decade, and the current vintage is the 2005 Gran Reserva 890, which refers to the year, 1890, when the winery was created. It all starts by selecting grapes from their oldest vineyards (over 40 years old), harvested into 350-kilogram cases that are transported in refrigerated trucks to the winery, an improvement implemented in 2005. 2005 was an excellent vintage, and this 890 might challenge the exceptional 904 released some four years ago. Here the Tempranillo is complemented by 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in 199 oak barrels for six years with ten rackings. It's a very balanced and polished classical Rioja with moderate alcohol (13.5%) and good acidity (6.1 grams of tartaric); it also has a silky texture, resolved tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel. It has complexity but is a little closed, and it feels a little evolved, at times even a little tired. The fruit feels quite ripe, with some liquor notes. The palate is polished, with fully resolved tannins and fine acidity.
94 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
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