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Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva Selección Especial, La Rioja Alta

2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva Selección Especial, La Rioja Alta

Rioja, Spain

Regal Reserva 

Some releases deserve a little ceremony. La Rioja Alta’s 2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva Selección Especial is no ordinary Alberdi: this is only the second time in the wine’s history that the estate has awarded it Selección Especial status, following the now-legendary 2001 vintage. In the glass, it feels every bit as assured, with ripe redcurrant, raspberry and cherry layered with vanilla, cinnamon, cedar, caramel, subtle toast and that unmistakable polished Rioja glow.

On the palate, it is broad, fresh and beautifully balanced, with sweet, elegant tannins and a long, persistent finish. The fruit is generous but never heavy, the oak is classic but perfectly judged, and the 2021 vintage gives the wine freshness, definition and serious ageing potential. At this level, it is difficult to think of better value in fine wine.

For when
The case-buying instinct is not just sensible, but entirely justified.

Pairs with
Roast lamb, grilled meats, chorizo, rice dishes, pasta, creamy mushroom dishes, barbecued pork, roast chicken or Manchego.

La Rioja Alta is one of the great traditional houses of Rioja, founded in Haro in 1890 and still celebrated for elegance, patience and immaculate oak ageing. Viña Alberdi has always been one of the estate’s most charming wines, but in 2021 it steps into a higher register: a Reserva with Selección Especial status, made from estate-grown Tempranillo and shaped with the kind of quiet confidence that only a true Rioja benchmark can deliver.

Please note: Wine arrives in August 2026

£135 for case of 6bts - discount auto-applied at checkout

Whats in the bottle
Tempranillo 100%

Notable Awards
94 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

£23.95 - £23.95
£23.95
£23.95 - £23.95
£23.95
Availability:
In stock

La Rioja Alta is one of Rioja’s great heritage estates, founded in Haro in 1890 and still regarded as a reference point for traditional, ageworthy Rioja. The bodega is famous for its long élevage, graceful Tempranillo, American oak mastery and the kind of consistency that gives buyers real confidence. Its most famous labels, including Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904, Viña Ardanza and Viña Alberdi, have helped define the polished, savoury, elegant style that many drinkers still think of as classic Rioja.

Part of what makes La Rioja Alta so special is its control over the details. The estate owns prized vineyards in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, operates its own cooperage, and remains committed to traditional rackings from barrel to barrel. Viña Alberdi is often the most approachable expression of the house, but the 2021 Selección Especial shows just how serious it can be when the vintage is exceptional. It is Rioja with pedigree, value and genuine cellar potential.

The 2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva Selección Especial is made from 100% estate-grown Tempranillo sourced from La Rioja Alta’s Mayorita, Las Monjas, El Palo and El Bardal vineyards in Rodezno, plus Alto del Rey in Labastida. The vineyards sit at around 500 to 600 metres above sea level and are planted on clay-limestone soils, with vines over 40 years old.

The grapes were hand-harvested with bunch selection in the vineyard, then transported refrigerated to preserve freshness. After gentle destemming and crushing, the fruit passed through optical sorting tables before natural alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in tank. The wine was then aged for two years in American oak barrels made in the estate’s own cooperage: new barrels for the first year, followed by 4.5-year-old barrels in the second year. Four traditional rackings were carried out by barrel-to-barrel transfer before bottling in June 2024.

The 2021 vintage saw very favourable weather, especially a dry October with sunny days and cool nights, allowing slow, even ripening and excellent balance between acidity, sugar and phenolic maturity.