About the Wine

Unique, special, timeless, and eternal is the most accurate description of this out-of-this-world Rioja Gran Reserva. 

This wine was born in one of the best vintages for Rioja in the century. A vintage that was blessed with 96+ points by Vinous Media, who described it as “An outstanding vintage that produced wines that combine power and vivacity, with the acidity and tannic structure to ensure long-term cellaring.”

This luscious and very special wine has gained worldwide recognition and has been highly praised by some of the most important wine critics in the world Robert Parker called it “Classicism in a bottle” in its 97-point review, and James Suckling described it as “Elegant, with a velvety texture and a long finish,” auguring this year a great aging capability. The 2010 La Rioja Alta S.A. 890 Gran Reserva Rioja wine was awarded “Best Rioja” by the renowned Spanish wine guide, Guía Peñin.

Indeed, this is peak Rioja. La Rioja Alta has been around so long that this estate is a large part of the reason that Rioja is what it is today. This winery is recognized among “The World Most Admire Wine Brands” in 2021 by Drinks International.

The Gran Reserva labeling in Rioja has very strict regulations on the amount of time that the wine spends both in barrel and in bottle prior to being released. This strict regulation gives us as consumers the opportunity to drink perfectly mature wines at their release. La Rioja Alta always overachieves these aging requirements, in place the estate opts to release the wine once it is firmly in the drinking window. 

2010 La Rioja Alta S.A. 890 Gran Reserva Rioja is a wine that is meant to drink with contemplation. This wine is a protagonist, so we strongly recommend preparing a great meal around it. 

Tasting Notes: 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo. See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Reviews

~99 Points, Guía Peñin

~98 Points, Tim Atkin.

A fragrant nose of blackberries, plums, earth, dried flowers, leather, cloves, sweet tobacco, and cigar box. Full-bodied with seamless tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and layered with great tension. Elegant, with a velvety texture and a long finish. Such length and beauty now with so much age. Drink or hold. ~97 Points, James Suckling.

They were eager to show me their 2010 Gran Reserva 890, their flagship wine from one of the most heralded vintages of recent times, the next vintage of this wine since 2005.It's 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo that fermented destemmed and crushed with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats for 18 days, the Tempranillo and Mazuelo together and the Graciano separately. After letting the wine settle for the winter, they selected the lots that would age for six years in used American oak barrels with 10 manual rackings. The wine epitomizes the classical style of Rioja Alta with long aging in barrel, developed and tertiary wines with a silky palate and a complex and decadent nose of forest floor, truffles, cigar ash and cedar wood. They need a very special selection of vineyards at higher altitude that take longer to ripen, and they don't do it fully every year. If they don't, the grapes go to Ardanza, but in 2010, the days were warm and the nights very cold and the grapes ripened thoroughly and could stand the long time in barrel without being oaky. They have stopped the last rackings to keep a little more freshness, and the wine feels phenomenal. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this wine. It's drinkable now but should also age for a very long time; it's intense, complex and elegant. A selection of 236 barrels were blended and bottled unfiltered in March 2017 into 61,643 bottles, 4,189 magnums and some larger formats. There will be a 2011 of this wine and then 2015 and possibly 2016 (but no 2012, 2013 or 2014). This is a very intense 890. Classicism in a bottle. ~97 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

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