Gran Reserva 904 by  La Rioja Alta

Harvest

Despite water shortages during the first few months, our vines in the upper areas of Rioja managed to attain a balanced canopy thanks to accumulated reserves. The end of the growing cycle was marked by sunny days and cool nights, a temperature gap that benefited grape ripening up to harvest. Magnificent colour component, significant polyphenol load and an outstanding condition resulted in wines that were particularly suitable for long aging. This vintage was officially rated “Excellent”.

Vineyard

Tempranillo (89%) from vines over 60 years old planted in Briñas, Rodezno and Villalba, and Graciano (11%) from our Montecillo vineyard in the municipality of Fuenmayor. The grapes were collected in boxes and transported to the winery in refrigerated vehicles to preserve all their integrity. After destemming and light crushing, the grapes were put in tanks where they underwent alcoholic fermentation for 17 days. 

Batches were selected and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation naturally over 75 days. In June 2012, the wine was transferred to four-and-a-half-year-old American oak barrels (made in-house), where it stayed until March 2015. During aging, the wine was racked eight times using traditional barrel-to- barrel methods. The final blend was bottled in November 2016.

Tasting Notes

Intense, deep cherry-red with a garnet-red rim. Intense and complex aromas, domi- nated by fruit (blackberry jam, raspberries and orange zest) that reveals underlying spicy and balsamic notes of cigar box, cedar liquorice, cloves, chocolate mints and toasted wood. Elegantly refined entry. Fresh and lively in the mouth, nicely bal- anced with polished, silky tannins and a gentle, delicate finish. Very long aftertaste, with citrus and balsamic notes that provide long, complex final sensations.

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Winery

In the difficult art of creating great wines, we combine the wisdom of tradition and the state of art. In addition to the century-old winery in Haro, we have modern facilities locate in Labastida, where we make wine from our own grapes with employing the most advanced technology.

Oak is at the core of the aging process and we therefore manufacture our own barrels using completely artisanal methods. We import the wood from the U.S and dry it in the open air for two years. Our coopers make every barrel in the cooperage of our hundred-year-old facilities in Haro. 

Every six months, we manually rack every barrel by the light of a candle. It is an art to enhance the development of the wine, removing sediments in a natural way and monitoring each barrel individually.

After a stay in barrels, the wines continue aging in the bottle, where they polish their personality, rounding off and fully developing all their qualities.

Winemaking

Sustainability

Website: La Rioja Alta