La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva 2017 Bottle size: 750ml

‘A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Drink or hold.’ – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, 95/100

‘2017 was not an easy harvest, but it produced some beautiful and classical wines, like the 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, which shows a little more advancement and polish and is ready to drink. It was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyard La Pedriza in Tudelilla. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 for the Garnacha (that was harvested 15 days later), with six rackings. It's ripe and aromatic, tertiary, with 14.5% alcohol and mellow acidity, a medium-bodied palate and sleek tannins. It has a pungent note of clove and pepper, some licorice and ink and the cherries in liqueur from the Garnacha. An updated classical Ardanza.’ – Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, 94/100

‘Made, as many wines were in the past, with a combination of Tempranillo from the Rioja Alta sub-region and 20% Garnacha from Tudelilla in the Rioja Oriental, this is a delicious release of Ardanza that shows no sign of the heat of the 2017 growing season. Aged for three years in American oak, it's tangy, savoury, layered and complex, with leather and tobacco leaf aromas, wild strawberry and red cherry fruit and appealing vanilla sweetness. 2024-30’ – Tim Atkin MW, Rioja Special Report 2024, 94/100

‘Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2032.’ – Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator, 92/100

‘Pale garnet. Perfumed, lifted and red-fruited. The tannins just melt into the very pretty red-fruit core, which has lots of purity, delicacy and bright freshness. The oak is present but balanced. The finish is earthy, with slight balsamic notes. 2024-2047’ – Florencia Gomez, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5+/20

‘Intense cherry red color, marking the garnet on the edge of the glass. Of great aromatic power, first of fruity character (cherry, currant, red plum) giving way then to balsamic and spicy notes (pepper, licorice, clove, vanilla, toasted caramel and nutmeg). Fresh and balanced in the mouth, with fine and silky tannins. Ample aftertaste that combines red fruits and spices with a fresh and long character.’ – Winemaker