Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Guest Blogger and sommelier, Laura Diaz, takes us to sunny La Rioja this morning. Like, Laura, TWC has always been a fan of Rioja wines. One of my personal Top-Ten-Finest-Wines-Ever, was a Torres Gran Coronas.
The power of high quality wine has gone further than expected, especially in La Rioja, Spain. Not only has it delighted and surprised fellow wine fanatics, but it has focused the attention and respect of the international wine community on Spain, even inspiring Gran Reserva (Vintage), one of Spain's most successful telenovelas.
La Rioja wine has broken through geographical and often tense political boundaries between La Rioja and the Basque Country where the wine is jointly produced. To our delight, it has given a common identity to this Spanish region as they share the success of their wine. La Rioja Alta winery has produced one of the finest and highest rated wines, with a profound and complex character that shouldn't be missed.
La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2001 is a delectable wine produced from Tempranillo grapes (90%) from 40 year-old vines located in Briñas, Villalba and Labastida that are perfectly complemented by a 10% touch of Graciano vines from Melchorón and Rodezno Briones vineyards, all of which belong to the DOC of La Rioja.
In February 2002, the wine was transferred to the self-made, 4 year-old American oak barrels being racked through the traditional barrel-to-barrel method for 4 years, every 6 months. The wine was bottled in June 2006 and has been maturing in the company's cellars for over six years. In order to preserve maximum organoleptic components, the wine was subject to a gentle filtration, which can produce few sediments with age.
Now is a perfect time to acquire this fiercely anticipated red wine from La Rioja. It is worth the effort of purchasing it simply for its exclusive quality and extraordinary taste, but it will also be a great acquisition for any wine cellar as it will continue to evolve for 5 to 6 more years, and has great drinkability until 2040.
SIGHT: Ruby red, with a slight garnet rim. Very bright, has thin and elegant tears.
SMELL: Fresh, vibrant, with fine notes of candied fruit, spicy black fruit, excellent ripeness with a hint of coffee and chocolate mint.
TASTE: Solid structure, round and sweet elegantly polished tannins. Silky, soft and durable aftertaste.
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
SERVING TEMP: 17 ° C (That's 62 degrees American) decanting recommended
PAIRING: Red meats, Añejo or other semi-soft cheeses, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
As Always,
TWC
Tip of the glass to Ms Diaz, who has spent some time wandering La Rioja, enjoying the fine wines that the region has to offer. She also writes the fashion blog, Lalishion. We appreciate her efforts on behalf of The Wine Commonsewer.
Photo Credit (unless otherwise noted): ©TWC, all rights reserved
