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

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