La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2017 is a premium Spanish red wine that showcases the best of Rioja wine-making. This complex and well-balanced wine is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes that have been aged for three years in American oak barrels and a further three years in bottle before release. This gives the wine a mature and refined character, with a beautiful balance of fruit and oak flavors.
On the nose, it exhibits a fresh and spicy aroma, with notes of sweet cherries, redcurrants, and ripe strawberries complemented by hints of black pepper, sweet liquorice, nutmeg, coffee, mocha, and cinnamon. On the palate, this wine is intense and well-balanced, with a soft freshness, delicate tannins, and a silky finish that lingers with a good aftertaste.
Vina Ardanza Reserva 2017 is a perfect pairing for roasted lamb, red meats, barbecues, large game, spicy fish casseroles, smoked and aged cheeses. It is a wine that will impress both wine enthusiasts and novices alike, and is perfect for special occasions or as a gift for a wine lover. This wine is ready to drink now, but it can also be cellared for several years to come to develop further complexity and depth.
Critic Ratings
James Suckling Review - Rated 95:
A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Drink or hold.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate Review - Rated 94:
2017 was not an easy harvest, but it produced some beautiful and classical wines, like the 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, which shows a little more advancement and polish and is ready to drink. It was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyard La Pedriza in Tudelilla. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 for the Garnacha (that was harvested 15 days later), with six rackings. It's ripe and aromatic, tertiary, with 14.5% alcohol and mellow acidity, a medium-bodied palate and sleek tannins. It has a pungent note of clove and pepper, some licorice and ink and the cherries in liqueur from the Garnacha. An updated classical Ardanza.
Wine Spectator Review - Rated 92:
Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2032.
