Description

The 2019 shows all the elegance and finesse for which Ardanza is renown, with lifted floral notes, classic spices and beautifully silky tannins.  In the words of winemaker Julio Sáenz “An exceptional vintage, one of the best in our history, concluding an extraordinary decade for Viña Ardanza. This wine offers great complexity and aging potential. I believe it is the Viña Ardanza that will improve the most in the coming years.”

A blend of over 30 year old Tempranillo (80%) grown on steep high altitude clay-limestone soils in La Cuesta (Fuenmayor) and Montecillo (Cenicero), and 17 year old Garnacha (20%) grown at 550 metres above sea-level in deep pebble-rich terrains in La Pedriza (Tudelilla-Rioja Oriental). The grapes are cluster selected and hand-harvested before being optically sorted before fermentation which lasts 17 days, followed by a natural malolactic fermentation. The Tempranillo is aged for 36 months and the Garnacha for 30 months in seasoned American oak barrels made in their own cooperage. They are traditionally racked by candlelight 5 times before being bottled in December 2023.

“2019 is a very good year for them, a small crop of powerful and concentrated wines when they produced all their brands, an exception. This is spicy, structured, balanced and powerful in this warm year, reaching the customary 14.5% alcohol and keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.5grams of acidity. It’s still very young and undeveloped, with the classical profile, generous in American oak aromas and flavors that should slowly integrate in the wine with years in bottle. For them, 2019 means a change in Ardanza, less spicy (but still quiet spicy, with clove, vanilla and tobacco leaves) and a more fresh fruit from the Garnacha. But the year is a modern version of 2015.” – Drinking window 2025-2038 Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate

Located in the Barrio de la Estación area in Haro, La Rioja Alta S.A. founded in 1890, is an iconic and one of the most historic wineries in the region. It was founded by five families including the Aranas, Ardanzas and Alberdis, who’s names are celebrated in their wines today. The company expanded gradually and in 1996 build a new state of the are winery, which enabled them to focus on improving all aspects of winemaking to reinforce their position as one of the most respected wineries in the world.
They own over 550 hectares of vineyards across the region and also boast their own in house artisanal cooperage using oak imported from the USA which is air-dried on site in Haro for at least three years. All this gives them complete control over every aspect of the winemaking process ensuring a combination of the greatest traditions alongside state of the art technology.