| Region of production: | Rioja Alta |
| Winery Location: | Haro |
| Year Established: | 1890 |
Vineyard Holdings
300 ha
Top Wines Produced
- Gran Reserva 890: Primarily Tempranillo from selected vineyard sites, with some Graciano and Mazuelo. Commemorates the estate’s original winemaker, Monsieur Vigier, and his first wine, the Reserva 1890. The wine is aged in a combination of new and three-year-old American oak barrels, then racked multiple times before bottling.
- Gran Reserva 904: Primarily Tempranillo, with a small proportion of Graciano. Commemorates the 1904 acquisition of the Ardanza Winery. The wine is aged in used American oak barrels for an average of four years, then racked numerous times before bottling.
- Viña Ardanza: 70 to 80% Tempranillo, 20 to 30% Garnacha, from old vines in the warmer Rioja Baja region. The grapes are aged separately prior to blending and spend about three years in used American oak before bottling.
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
La Rioja Alta is one of the leading high-quality producers in Rioja, committed to traditional Rioja techniques in both the vineyard and the winery. Five Spanish growers, with origins in Basque country and Rioja, established the winery in 1890. This was a lucrative time for Rioja, as phylloxera had swept through Bordeaux and other French wine regions, leaving an opening in the marketplace for fine wine. In 1904, La Rioja Alta merged with the Ardanza Winery, commemorated with the Reserva 904. Today, about 80% of the estate’s production is of Reserva or Gran Reserva quality.
Style & Vinification Techniques
La Rioja Alta describes its style as very traditional. They typically destem all of their fruit, use extended maceration techniques, and, in addition to having a cooperage onsite, employ the use of American oak for all of their wines. The majority of their wines are of Reserva or Gran Reserva quality, but even their Crianza wines see extended aging beyond the legal requirements and can be classified as Reserva.
Producer Website: La Rioja Alta, S.A.