La Rioja Alta Reserva Vina Alberdi
Regular price $69.00
Unit price per
A deep purple-coloured Tempranillo, that has notes of caramel, coconut and vanilla, from Rioja Spain
93 points (2016) - Decanter World of Wine Awards
93 points (2018) - James Suckling
92 points (2018) - Wine Advocate
- Grape: Tempranillo
- Flavours: caramel, coconut and vanilla
- Region: Rioja, Spain
- Serve temperature: 18 degrees
- 13% alcohol
"Full of assertive red fruit, strawberry, sun-dried tomato and Victoria plum characters. Palate has lovely sweet oak and a gentle vanilla note. Full of vitality and panache!" - 2016
“A pretty nose of raspberries, cassis, fresh herbs, vanilla and sweet spices. It’s medium-bodied with round tannins. Creamy and fruity with chocolatey character on the mid-palate. Supple finish with excellent length. Tangy acidity. 100% tempranillo. Drink or hold.” - 2018 James Suckling
“Their young and fresh red 2018 Viña Alberdi, already a Reserva, matured in oak barrel for two years - in new barrels for the first year and in used barrels for the second year. During the élevage, they racked the wine manually from barrel to barrel four times. 2018 was a year of lower alcohol and more freshness in the wines, and they thought the wines were not designed for the long haul; so, they didn't produce any other wine, and so the only wine from 2018 IS VIÑA ALBERDI! Which means that all the Tempranillo grapes that were destined for 890, 904 and all the other wines went to this wine. They didn't use the Garnacha (which was sold in bulk). So, this is a super- Viña Alberdi, which shows more Crianza style in this cooler vintage but with very good depth and complexity, perhaps a more modern and fresher style. The wine has a seamless palate and a juicy texture, with more colour than other vintages, more intensity, more fruit... It has grapes from very good vineyards and poor soils that were never destined for this wine. Highly recommendable and very versatile. It has potential to age.” - 2018 Wine Advocate
About the winemaker
My favourite white Rioja by a mile. The sort of wine that is not made anywhere else.” Jancis Robinson MW Although they operate at a much smaller scale than many Rioja producers, Finca Allende are among the finest growers in the region - or anywhere in Spain for that matter. For the last eight years renowned Master of Wine and Spanish specialist, Tim Atkin, has published an annual Rioja Classification that has become the definitive report for Spain’s most famous location. Each year the report details 15 ‘First Growth’ estates, and Allende has been one of these every year since inception - alongside such luminaries as La Rioja Alta, Lopez de Heredia, Roda, and Contino.
Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, one of the great revolutionaries pushing for modernity in Rioja, is the man behind this project. Rather than focusing on extended oak ageing, de Gregorio is a staunch defender of terroir. He seeks to express individual vineyard qualities rather than highlight barrel ageing - from his village wine up to his most renowned single vineyards. As such, you will never find Allende wines labelled as Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva even though their maturation often extends far beyond the requirements for these designations.
All Finca Allende vineyards are in Briones and neighbouring villages on the right bank of the river Ebro, where the soils are composed of red clay and gravel and the vineyards face north. Allende practices organic viticulture without the use of pesticides or herbicides, and all cultivation is done by hand or with the help of horses. The resulting wines present the house signature: power with finesse, considerable concentration and a judicious use of French oak - never American.