Viña Ardanza Reserva 2020

Vina Ardanza Reserva 2020 comes from La Rioja Alta, whose cellars sit in the Barrio de la Estacion in Haro, the historic district that grew up around the railway station opened in 1860 and carried Rioja's wines to the wider world. The blend is Tempranillo with a substantial share of Garnacha, the latter grown in warmer sites to add ripeness and breadth. Rioja Alta's continental climate, cooled by Atlantic air, ripens the fruit slowly and keeps acidity firm, the backbone needed for long ageing. The wine spends thirty-six months in oak barrels and twenty-four in bottle, an extended elevage in the traditional manner. The slow oxygen exchange through the wood over three years softens tannin and builds the tertiary, savoury character of a true Reserva, while the long bottle age integrates and rounds the wine before release. It is elegant and medium to full bodied, with juicy cherry, dried flowers and a hint of orange peel, vanilla and clove from the oak, and developing leather and tobacco. The tannins are fine and the finish long. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanting ahead.