Autumn is the best season to drink the wines of La Rioja Alta. The first smoky wisps of winter, scents of fading flowers and the irrevocable sweetness of summer are glimpsed in these, most delicious bottles. The fruit is brighter than when I first drunk these wines 20 years ago and the tannins richer. There are, however, still the cola, spice, floral, herbal, earth, smoke and cured elements interwoven with fruit, acid and tannin. Such a synthesis of flavours is to be found nowhere else but Rioja, making them the most ambiguous wine of all.
Perfect balance of tannin and fruit
Tasting the wines together, beginning with Vina Alberdi, you are struck by the apparent openness and strong oak presence. Those of us who have our fair share of early 2000’s Hunter Valley shiraz will be struck by the similarities. Vina Alberdi is perhaps the most stereotypical of all the wines, the oak flavour being the most pronounced and least integrated.
From here however, every successive wine builds in intensity, focus, brightness and structure. By the end of the tasting I was awed by the immensity of fruit, complexity and sexiness of tannin. Indeed, it’s the quality of tannin that gripped my attention. Rich, ripe and perfectly integrated, you couldn’t escape them. And here is the wonder that is Rioja. Despite all the tannic presence, from the front of the palate, through to the close, it was the sweet fruit, flowers, cured meats, herbs, earth and smoke, that dripped and melted and teased away the structure, and not the other way around.
Single Vineyard Reserva
There is a new addition to the range for us, and tasted for the first time – Finca Martelo. I was almost determined to dislike this wine. Departing from the La Rioja Alta tradition of wines being blends of estate vineyards, Finca Martelo is a single vineyard. Made as a Reserva, so not a complete revolution, this is certainly the brightest and most structured wine of this release. It is also my favourite – loving its energy, thrust, pure fruits, salivating acidity and unctuous tannins.
Tradition at its best
I know of no other red wine style that fits so well with so many palates, and La Rioja Alta is without doubt, the greatest proponent of traditional Rioja. As poised as claret, ethereal as Burgundy and as sexy as Barossa shiraz, I have never understood why this space gets so little attention comparative to other regions. Versatile with food too, in fact, more so than Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Barossa Shiraz. Autumn in Sydney is beautiful, and made more so with a bottle of Rioja.
La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva 2016
Gorgeous nose of creaming soda, nutmeg, cherry, raspberry and thyme. Plush and round in shape, with strong oak influence and some tertiary notes poking through. Aniseed, sandalwood, cinnamon, vanilla and sweet Jamon. These I suspect will become more prominent with time. Utterly idiosyncratic and a beautiful introduction to traditional Rioja.
La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2015
A giant leap into the La Rioja Alta nexus of sweet fruit and rich, tannic power. Cherry cola, mushroom compost, red fruits, blueberry, cigar box and cinnamon. Rich, almost full bodied, the fruit is ripe and glossy, the tannins, initially tight, but sweeten and melt with time in the glass. A terrific combination of charm and energy, so much presence and power, but never losing its poise. One of my favourite wines of 2022.
La Rioja Alta Vina Arana Gran Reserva 2014
Apart from the beautiful 904 and the magisterial 890, Vina Arana is the most “classic” and traditional of La Rioja Alta’s wines. Expressive aromatics, indeed the most complex of this release. Blueberry, cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, dive spice, Mediterranean herbs, vanilla and unlit cigar. Rich, full bodied and creamy. Very complete and balanced, interwoven flavours and layers, effortless precision. Claret like in it’s poise and drinkability, the curves and line of Barossa shiraz and the haunting, sensual quality of Burgundy. Immensely beautiful, very long carry and fine lacy tannins. Shall be very long lived.
La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2011
The most traditional of wines, and one of my favourites from anywhere. Dried flowers, dried herbs, plum, blueberry, cherry, blackcurrant, sage, lavender, balsamic and tobacco. Presence. Ethereal and charming, with a lightness of touch, all the flavours and nuance threaded silkily together. And power. An iron fist in velvet glove kind of power, as the fruit is still sweet and pronounced. Very long carry, spice and acidity holding and holding. Less firm than recent releases.
La Rioja Alta Finca Martelo 2015
Intensely complex and aromas of blueberry, sweet raspberry, dark cherry, blackberry, lavender soap, lavender wood and five spice. Boom! So much energy and muscle, super tight, tense and coiled. Even the tannins are complex, sleek, firm and finally, powdery. Deep core and not the concentration of sweet fruit, but a deep core of savoury, spicy, earthy and tangy fruit that needs years to unwind. A first taste for me, but I feel this needs at least another 5 years before approaching again. Absolutely magnificent. A triumph.
