2005 Vina Ardanza Reserva

[Nicklasss]

Alta Rioja.

Slightly oxydized blood red color. Nice nose of balsamic vinegar, sweet cigar tobacco, light vanilla oak, blueberries, plums and dark red berries. A very nice and perfumed nose. Mouth is tasty, with dark red berries, prunes, nuts flavors, bright acidity, sweet oak, vanilla yogourt. Refined tannins, with a long aftertaste of acid spicy oak (hard to define). One of the WS top 100 wine, rated 92 and I have to admit, a very accurate and fair rating. Nothing too invasive, keep a nice balance.

Nic

[AKR]

I have been mulling over these, or whether I should just wait for the 10's.

Rioja is making better wines each year, and there seems to be much less hulla balloo about them, except for a handful of names.

[AlexR]

Yes. RIoja represents great value, and has for some time.
Yet it never seems to garner the attention it deserves.

I agree: the overall quality is improving all the time.

All the better for the wine lover rather than the label drinker.

Makes me want to go back there soon (4 hour drive)

Alex R.

[Nicklasss]

I guess the 10 years mark is important here. Oak is integrated. But what it was looking like at age 3?

But I agree that Rioja is producing his better wine, since the last 10 years.

Nic