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La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2001 750ml

size
750ml
country
Spain
region
La Rioja
appellation
Rioja
DC
97
WA
95
WS
93
Additional vintages
DC
97
Rated 97 by Decanter
No doubt about it: ‘This is the best 890 in our history,' declares Julio Sáenz, technical director of La Rioja Alta. Aromatically, it is overflowing with cherries, sweet spices, vanilla, rose, truffle, tobacco… The palate is laden. Superbly approachable now but with many years ahead. A total of 25,000 bottles produced; only made in the very best years. Gently aged: rackings were reduced from 12 to 10 times over the six years in barrel. ... More details
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La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2001 750ml

SKU 943229
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$1229.70
/case
$204.95
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
DC
97
WA
95
WS
93
DC
97
Rated 97 by Decanter
No doubt about it: ‘This is the best 890 in our history,' declares Julio Sáenz, technical director of La Rioja Alta. Aromatically, it is overflowing with cherries, sweet spices, vanilla, rose, truffle, tobacco… The palate is laden. Superbly approachable now but with many years ahead. A total of 25,000 bottles produced; only made in the very best years. Gently aged: rackings were reduced from 12 to 10 times over the six years in barrel.
WA
95
Rated 95 by Wine Advocate
2001 is a great vintage for all the wines from La Rioja Alta but the long-awaited 2001 Gran Reserva 890 is otherworldly. 2001 was a slow maturing vintage which produced smaller grapes especially in the old vineyards on the slopes of the Sierra Cantabria in the villages of Brinas, Labastida and Villalba where the vineyards that make it into this wine are located. The final blend contains a majority of Tempranillo with 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo. The wine ferments with the natural yeasts attached to the grapes in stainless steel vats and is aged for six years in used American oak barrels with 12 manual rackings. A selection of the best barrels were blended together and bottled unfiltered in March 2008. Only 15,000 bottles were produced. It shows (even) younger and more concentrated than the 2004 904, a darker shade of red and a somehow backward and reticent nose (relatively speaking) of forest floor, cold bonfire, antique shop, truffles, game, sandalwood, nutmeg and clove. The fruit is also a little darker and the palate more austere, but still showing vibrant and supple, with clean flavors and a great finish. This is my favorite modern time 890. Bravo! Drink 2016-2026.
WS
93
Rated 93 by Wine Spectator
Firm and polished, this red is a lovely example of the traditional style, with tea, tobacco and sanguine notes framing a core of dried cherry, orange peel and spice. Fresh, focused and long. Drink now through 2021. 4,150 cases made.
Winery
This is an excellent wine, currently drinking very well.Given the length of time it has spent in cask, the colour is showing some age. On the nose it is the quality of the aroma that particularly stands out, having complexity and a slight toastiness, that will continue to develop as time passes. It also shows complexity in the mouth. Well-rounded, with both body and finesse. The finish is elegant, intense and persistent. Although at a very attractive stage in its development, this wine will keep for some years. We recommend that it be served at 18oC, and that the bottle be opened for an hour before drinking.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
Spain
region
La Rioja
appellation
Rioja
Additional vintages
Overview
No doubt about it: ‘This is the best 890 in our history,' declares Julio Sáenz, technical director of La Rioja Alta. Aromatically, it is overflowing with cherries, sweet spices, vanilla, rose, truffle, tobacco… The palate is laden. Superbly approachable now but with many years ahead. A total of 25,000 bottles produced; only made in the very best years. Gently aged: rackings were reduced from 12 to 10 times over the six years in barrel.
green grapes

Varietal: Tempranillo

For millennia, the Tempranillo grape varietal has been esteemed and revered by winemakers in their native Spain. These grapes are packed full of intense and fascinating flavors, often rewarding wine drinkers with notes of tobacco, leather, plum and herbs alongside their spicy and full bodied character. Their thick, black skins result in their wines being very deep red in color, and often high in tannins. As such, Tempranillo grapes are usually blended with other fine varietals to produce exceptionally balanced and delicious blended wines, such as those found in La Riot and other important wine regions around the world. Despite them being a notoriously tricky varietal to grow, their popularity continues to increase, and winemakers continue to impress the world with this excellent example of a red wine grape.
barrel

Region: La Rioja

La Rioja is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of Spain's wine regions, and the deliciously drinkable, complex and fascinating single red wines and blended wines of this special region have gone down in history as some of the finest on earth. La Rioja is located in the north of Spain, close to the Atlantic coast, but shielded from the cold and wet weather by the expansive Cantabrian mountains. As such, the climatic conditions in La Rioja are ideal for ripening the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes used in the production of the fine red wines the region is famous for. Wineries in La Rioja take great pride in their heritage and traditions, and the winemakers of the region employ a range of time honored techniques alongside more modern methods to make the most of their superb crops each year.
fields

Country: Spain

For over two thousand years, Spain has been responsible for much of Europe's wine production, making the very best of native grape varietals, and more recently experimenting with and perfecting wines made from imported grapes. Of course, the region of La Rioja is renowned world-wide for the quality and characteristics of its wines, which benefit greatly from the warm, dry continental climate of the area, and the fertile soils of the Ebro river basin. However, there is far more to Spanish produce than the complex, aromatic and earthy red wine of this region, as a result of the vast range of wine making traditions and practices, and terrains and climatic conditions found across the country. The region Castilla y Leon produces some of Europe's finest white wines, and the sparkling wines of Cava and the sherries of Jerez are firm favorites for wine lovers around the world.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews

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More Details
Winery La Rioja Alta
green grapes

Varietal: Tempranillo

For millennia, the Tempranillo grape varietal has been esteemed and revered by winemakers in their native Spain. These grapes are packed full of intense and fascinating flavors, often rewarding wine drinkers with notes of tobacco, leather, plum and herbs alongside their spicy and full bodied character. Their thick, black skins result in their wines being very deep red in color, and often high in tannins. As such, Tempranillo grapes are usually blended with other fine varietals to produce exceptionally balanced and delicious blended wines, such as those found in La Riot and other important wine regions around the world. Despite them being a notoriously tricky varietal to grow, their popularity continues to increase, and winemakers continue to impress the world with this excellent example of a red wine grape.
barrel

Region: La Rioja

La Rioja is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of Spain's wine regions, and the deliciously drinkable, complex and fascinating single red wines and blended wines of this special region have gone down in history as some of the finest on earth. La Rioja is located in the north of Spain, close to the Atlantic coast, but shielded from the cold and wet weather by the expansive Cantabrian mountains. As such, the climatic conditions in La Rioja are ideal for ripening the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes used in the production of the fine red wines the region is famous for. Wineries in La Rioja take great pride in their heritage and traditions, and the winemakers of the region employ a range of time honored techniques alongside more modern methods to make the most of their superb crops each year.
fields

Country: Spain

For over two thousand years, Spain has been responsible for much of Europe's wine production, making the very best of native grape varietals, and more recently experimenting with and perfecting wines made from imported grapes. Of course, the region of La Rioja is renowned world-wide for the quality and characteristics of its wines, which benefit greatly from the warm, dry continental climate of the area, and the fertile soils of the Ebro river basin. However, there is far more to Spanish produce than the complex, aromatic and earthy red wine of this region, as a result of the vast range of wine making traditions and practices, and terrains and climatic conditions found across the country. The region Castilla y Leon produces some of Europe's finest white wines, and the sparkling wines of Cava and the sherries of Jerez are firm favorites for wine lovers around the world.