2014 La Rioja Alta S.A. Viña Arana Gran Reserva Rioja

This is peak Rioja. La Rioja Alta has been around so long that this estate is a large part of the reason that Rioja is what it is today. The Viña Arana is the flagship Gran Reserva of the estate, it commemorates the history and those that worked here throughout. With over 7 years since harvest, this bottle is drinking very well right now, but it certainly has the legs to cellar well for another decade. Whether you plan on drinking this daily or making it a special occasion bottle it is a very safe bet for deliciousness.

The Gran Reserva labeling in Rioja has very strict regulations on the amount of time that the wine spends both in barrel and in bottle prior to being released. This strict regulation gives us as consumers the opportunity to drink perfectly mature wines at their release. La Rioja Alta always overachieves these aging requirements, in place the estate opts to release the wine once it is firmly in the drinking window. 

Aging: 4.5 Years in American Oak Barrels

Tasting Notes: 94% Tempranillo, 6% Graciano. Lively, clean, medium depth, garnet–red with an incipient pink rim. Intense aromas with outstanding notes of redcurrants, raspberries, wild blackberries, and ripe red plums creating a complex bouquet together with the balsamic notes from the barrel: vanilla, cloves, coffee, caramel, and brioche. Very tasty in the mouth, evincing the brand’s distinctive classic texture. Fresh, vibrant, and well-balanced, with amiable sweet tannin.