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La Rioja Alta traces its roots back to 1890 when five growers from Rioja and the Basque Country founded the Sociedad Vinicola de La Rioja Alta in Haro Station District. One of the growers, Daniel-Alfredo Ardanza y Sanchez, subsequently merged the group with his winery in 1904. The La Rioja Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904 serve to commemorate these two significant events, with the “1” is omitted to avoid confusion with the vintage. The group currently owns 425 hectares of vineyard and 4 wineries - 2 in Rioja and 1 each in Ribera del Duero and Rias Biaxas. The La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 is produced in the original winery in Rioja.
2010 is widely considered to be the best vintage in Rioja. Other than being rated as excellent by the Rioja Control, vintage charts of Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate both also affirm 2010 as being the best vintage for Rioja since 2000. A blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, the La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 2010 spent four years in oak, resulting in a “dark plum character and a firm structure that ensures cellaring potential”. Earning 96+ points, it is Wine Advocate’s highest rated vintage since 1964.
Fresh blueberries and brambleberries take center stage, which is striking for a wine of this age. There are also lots of roasted herbs, such as sage, not to mention floral elements, including lavender and dried violets. Then come cedar, sandalwood and tar. The tannins are incredibly round and soft, without the slightest hint of anything dry. This is among the most elegant of Riojas, where the acidity is wonderfully pronounced and cuts right through any touch of dried fruit. Long and powerful, yet subtle on the finish. Drink now, or hold for a very long time.
Review Date: 26th July 2019
A step up on the memorable 2009, this shows just how special the 2010 vintage was. Marrying fruit from Briñas, Villalba and Rodezno, it's a perfectly judged marriage of Tempranillo with 10% Graciano. Savoury wild herb notes segue into a palate that's focused, balanced and graceful with the concentration and backbone to age.
Drinking Window: 2019 - 2035
It seems like yesterday when the superb 2001 was released, and now I already have the 2010 Gran Reserva 904 in my glass. It has to be among the greatest modern time vintages of this mythical bottling, where they aim for a wine that has a long aging potential. This is mostly Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 13.5% alcohol, and it matured in fourth-used American oak barrels for four years, during which time the wine was racked every six months. It has the combination of elegance and power only the best vintages are capable of, with the classical aromas, great detail and nuance, very good balance and persistence. They consider 2010 among the best years of this century, and maybe future generations will talk about 2010 like we talk about the great classical vintages of yesterday today. The palate is polished but shows plenty of energy and tension, the tannins are very fine and elegant, and the flavors are focused and clean. This has to be one of the greatest wines from the vintage. A legend in the making. 150,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2015.
Drinking Window: 2019 - 2035
Reviewer Name: Luis Gutiérrez
Review Date: 28th June 2019
Brilliant ruby. Powerful, spice-tinged cherry, red currant, pipe tobacco, coconut and incense aromas are complemented by floral and spicy nuances, gaining volume with air. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering deeply concentrated cherry liqueur, red berry, floral pastille, musky earth and spicecake flavors that pick up a smoky flourish on the back half. Concentrated yet lively in style, showing superb delineation, firm structure and a sexy floral quality on the extremely long, penetrating finish. Raised for four years in four-year-old American oak barrels.
Drinking Window: 2023 - 2036
Reviewer Name: Josh Raynolds
Review Date: 1st April 2021
A youngster, needing five years to begin to settle in. Aromas of tobacco, liquorice and vanilla. In the mouth, the fruit arrives plump, with a punch of acidity, the typical Rioja Alta freshness, and distinct oak ageing. The 10% Graciano blended with the Tempranillo gives 904 its typical dark plum character and a firm structure that ensures cellaring potential. A total of 120,000 bottles produced; 904 is not made every year.
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040
Reviewer Name: Sarah Jane Evans MW
Review Date: 29th February 2020
