Review: Rioja Alta 2004 Gran Reserva 904
- vinterest
- Apr 2, 2015
- 2 min read
The low-down: The La Rioja Alta 2004 Gran Reserva 904 is the 4th, and sadly the last, in our series of Rioja's leading traditional blends - along with a 2001 Faustino I Gran Reserva, a 2002 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia and a 1999 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Blanco.
Rioja Alta's history spans 120+ years. They follow the old Rioja school of light Vanilla oak (usually five years barrel ageing) to create delicate, aromatic beauties! Across their bodega they have 400 ha under vine.
Rioja stands out for its size and its affordability. The region has 62,000 ha under vine spanning seven rivers and three different administrative regions. Rioja has also experienced considerable growth over the last 20 years: from an annual production of half a million barrels to 1.2 million today. What we like about Rioja is that it offers the opportunity to access aged wines at affordable prices.
Indeed, we picked this up for 21 Euros last November in Spain, impressively cheap for a 11 year old leading wine. The blend is Tempranillo (90%) and Graciano (10%)
The 2004 vintage was officially declared "Excelente" by the Rioja Consejo Regulador. This bottle has some barrel and bottling age - curious to see what it's going to be like!
The take: Brown-orange red. Much lighter and transparent than the 2002 Dehesa La Granja we opened on the same evening. Thick voluminous legs. On the nose sweet and savoury, indeed a bit meatier than the Dehesa, with notes of chalk and the sea. A very smooth attack. Savoury base but some delicious hints of peach, maple syrup and tart fruits. Good fleshy acidity. Later it becomes a little jammy with coffee. Yum!
In closing: Simply elegant.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Fact corner:
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja (DOC) Gran Reserva
Producer: La Rioja Alta
Vintage: 2004
Grape: Tempranillo, Graciano
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Serving temperature: 17°
Price range: Mid-range
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