La Rioja Alta is my favorite winery. Their products provide incredible value, and I love their use of American oak (although I certainly understand why their use of oak does not fit everyone’s palate). Their entry-level wine, Vina Alberdi is a great introduction to the winery for ~USD$20, with Vina Ardanza a noticeable step up for ~USD$40. Vina Arana is the next step up in their product line, before getting to the 904 and much more expensive 890 products.
For Vina Arana, I am more familiar with modern version, and am unsure what the production differences were several decades ago. For the current vintage (2017), the blend is 95% tempranillo supplemented by graciano. Aged in American oak barrels for 3 years with racking every 6 months. For recent releases, I think extended aeration is very beneficial. I often open bottles the day before to let them breathe in bottle.
This bottle of 1985 was acquired from K&L for ~USD$80. It was previously part of a private collection. I opened it with a Durand, and the cork came out easily and was in fantastic shape. In retrospect, I likely could have removed it with a standard wine key. After pulling the cork, I had a clear whiff of the American oak influence that I love in these wines. On pouring the wine, there was less sediment than I expected. The nose still had the classic La Rioja Alta smell, that always transports me back to when I stood in their cellar a few years ago. The palate was much thinner than a modern vintage. More of medium palate that felt like a barolo with completely resolved tannins. There was a slight leathery component, almost with stewed plums. Almost no fruit left. At first I thought it was a little bit tired, but still hanging onto life. As we drank it over the course of 2 hours, it did seem to wake up a bit. Overall very enjoyable, but if I had any other bottles, I would drink them in the next year or few.
Paired with a 2.5 inch, 50 day dry aged porterhouse. A more concentrated wine may have been better, but it was a great Valentine Day’s dinner nonetheless.
WineOptics
Oof man that looks and sounds phenomenal. That cork is goddamn *pristine*!
2 Comments
1985 La Rioja Alta, Vina Arana.
La Rioja Alta is my favorite winery. Their products provide incredible value, and I love their use of American oak (although I certainly understand why their use of oak does not fit everyone’s palate). Their entry-level wine, Vina Alberdi is a great introduction to the winery for ~USD$20, with Vina Ardanza a noticeable step up for ~USD$40. Vina Arana is the next step up in their product line, before getting to the 904 and much more expensive 890 products.
For Vina Arana, I am more familiar with modern version, and am unsure what the production differences were several decades ago. For the current vintage (2017), the blend is 95% tempranillo supplemented by graciano. Aged in American oak barrels for 3 years with racking every 6 months. For recent releases, I think extended aeration is very beneficial. I often open bottles the day before to let them breathe in bottle.
This bottle of 1985 was acquired from K&L for ~USD$80. It was previously part of a private collection. I opened it with a Durand, and the cork came out easily and was in fantastic shape. In retrospect, I likely could have removed it with a standard wine key. After pulling the cork, I had a clear whiff of the American oak influence that I love in these wines. On pouring the wine, there was less sediment than I expected. The nose still had the classic La Rioja Alta smell, that always transports me back to when I stood in their cellar a few years ago. The palate was much thinner than a modern vintage. More of medium palate that felt like a barolo with completely resolved tannins. There was a slight leathery component, almost with stewed plums. Almost no fruit left. At first I thought it was a little bit tired, but still hanging onto life. As we drank it over the course of 2 hours, it did seem to wake up a bit. Overall very enjoyable, but if I had any other bottles, I would drink them in the next year or few.
Paired with a 2.5 inch, 50 day dry aged porterhouse. A more concentrated wine may have been better, but it was a great Valentine Day’s dinner nonetheless.
Oof man that looks and sounds phenomenal. That cork is goddamn *pristine*!