2016 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta

Elegance, Aged to Perfection.

The 2016 Gran Reserva 904 is Rioja refinement distilled, graceful, poised, and beautifully composed. Aromas of red cherry, plum and dried cranberry weave through layers of tobacco, vanilla pod, cedar and warm spice. The palate is silky yet vibrant, where supple fruit glides over fine-grained tannins and that signature Rioja Alta acidity lends lift and clarity. Subtle notes of leather, cocoa and sweet oak linger long into a finish that feels endless. It’s a masterclass in balance, richness without weight, maturity without fatigue.

For when: you want to pour quiet luxury into a glass.
Pairs with: roast lamb, duck breast, or aged Manchego by candlelight.
If this wine were a film, it’d be Casablanca, timeless, romantic, and impossible to forget.

La Rioja Alta, established in 1890 in Haro’s historic Barrio de la Estación, stands as one of Spain’s most iconic and enduring wine estates. For over a century, it has embodied the classical Rioja ideal, patient winemaking, long ageing, and an unwavering commitment to balance and finesse. The estate’s vineyards in Rioja Alta are planted mainly to Tempranillo, with small additions of Graciano, grown on high, cool slopes of clay-limestone soils that produce fruit of freshness and longevity.

The Gran Reserva 904, first produced in 1904 to celebrate the winery’s merger with Bodegas Ardanza is crafted only in exceptional vintages. A blend of about 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, it spends roughly four years in La Rioja Alta’s own handcrafted American oak barrels, followed by extensive bottle ageing before release. The 2016 vintage, considered one of the most harmonious of the past decade, delivers a wine of exceptional purity and poise. Elegant, aromatic, and built to evolve for decades, it’s Rioja tradition at its most graceful and enduring.