Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial 2001 launch at Lutyens restaurant, London, Tuesday 1st March 2011.

A wonderful tasting to launch the Reserva Especial 2001. Guillermo de Aranzabal the president of La Rioja Alta, Javier Amescua the export manager of the company and to finish, Julio Saenz the winemaker were present to introduce their new wine alongside older vintages.

The winemaker, Julio gave us a magnificent tasting of seven vintages from La Rioja Alta. All from the best years produced by the estate. We started with a 1970 followed by an 1982, then came a 1985, a 1989, a 1996 and the recent 2000 and to finish the Reserva Especial 2001.

Vina Ardanza 1970.
Aromas of leather and chocolate, the colour was surprisingly dark for a 41 year old wine. This wine was incredibly fresh, with good acidity, with a taste of stewed fruits such as warm cherry. A soft round wine with a very long finish. After its fermentation in oak vats, the wine has been in oak casks for 36 months !

Vina Ardanza 1982.
A hint of volatile nose, with a spicy note. The mouth was deep, but the fruit component disappeared, maintain by a spicy, black pepper taste. This wine was very enjoyable, but it is perhaps a little past its peak.

Vina Ardanza 1985.
A nice fruity nose with a bit of alcohol. Chocolate on the palate with nice discreet tannins, an elegant fruit character and a stronger alcohol sensation than the two previous wines.

Vina Ardanza 1989.
A more subtile nose than the other wines, less fruity, but with a bit more alcohol. More tannins in the mouth but the alcool remained. This was not a bad thing because it encouraged a longer finish.

Vina Ardanza 1996.
This might be the best wine of the tasting. The spicy nose made me think about the smell of an nice indian sauce, this with balanced good fruit and alcohol. A nice palate with a plenty of fruit and a the finish was reasonably long. This wine was racked every six months when in casks, and has just been bottled in 2000.

Vina Ardanza 2000.
The nose was nice and discreet. The mouth was composed of savoury notes of leather, spice and toasty coconut, which comes from the three years of ageing in barrels.

Vina Ardanza 2001.
Hazelnut nose with ripe fruits notes and aromas of coconut. A structured and balanced mouth with silky tannins. All of that with a pleasant after taste.

Following this, guests went for a refreshing glass of Albarino 2009 from La Rioja Alta’s Lagar de Cervera at the members club while our table was being set for lunch. Lunch provide us the opportunity to match the wines from the morning with a delicious menu prepared by the chef :

To start a Roast stuffed squid with romesco sauce followed by beef braised in Rioja (Vina Alberdi 2003) with mashed potatoes, that was in style of that classic « Bœuf Bourguignon ». To finish we had some poached yorkshire rhubarb with Ginger and orange. Delicious !

The left over bottles from the tasting were free to enjoy. So, they enjoyed pairing the wines they liked with the food.That was a great way of exploring these wines further ! A very enjoyable experience that wasn’t bad at all.

Text & Photos
Charles Lachaux