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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2019 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta Wine Republic

2020 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta

Rioja Alta, Rioja, Spain

Cedar and Embers

Fragrant, generous and steeped in Rioja character, Viña Ardanza opens with ripe cherry, wild strawberry and redcurrant, unfolding into cedar, clove, nutmeg and toasted oak. Delicate rose notes bring lift, while cocoa, liquorice and balsamic herbs add savoury depth. The American oak lends a comforting warmth, beautifully woven around fruit that remains vivid and expressive.

The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a plush texture, finely shaped tannins and refreshing acidity that keeps its richness in balance. Tempranillo provides depth and structure, while Garnacha contributes fragrance and supple generosity. Cherry fruit and sweet spice linger through a long, gently savoury finish, with hints of tea and leather adding complexity. Already a rewarding companion to roast lamb or slow-cooked dishes, this is a Reserva with the balance and substance to develop gracefully for many years.

For when: The lamb is slow-roasting and there is no hurry to clear the table.

Pairs with: Roast lamb shoulder with rosemary, charcoal-grilled lamb cutlets, braised beef cheeks, venison casserole, chorizo and butter bean stew, or aged Manchego.

Registered in 1942, Viña Ardanza is one of La Rioja Alta’s defining wines. Its character comes from bringing together Tempranillo from Rioja Alta and Garnacha from the stony La Pedriza vineyard in Rioja Oriental. That partnership gives the wine its distinctive combination of structure, perfume and generous fruit, developed through patient ageing in American oak.

Whats in the bottle
Tempranillo 80% and Garnacha 20%

Notable Awards
95 points, James Suckling 94 points, The Wine Advocate 93 points, Wine Spectator

£33.50 - £33.50
£33.50
£33.50 - £33.50
£33.50
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La Rioja Alta was founded in 1890 by five Riojan and Basque families in Haro’s historic railway district. Its first president, Doña Saturnina García Cid y Gárate, helped establish a house that would become closely associated with traditionally styled Rioja. The merger with Alfredo Ardanza’s winery in 1904 marked another important stage in its history.
Estate vineyards across Rioja provide a varied palette for blending. For Viña Ardanza, mature Tempranillo vines in Fuenmayor and Cenicero are complemented by Garnacha from Tudelilla, where altitude and deep, stony soils help shape fragrant, concentrated fruit. Careful matching of grape variety and site underpins the wine’s balance.
Winemaker Julio Sáenz combines traditional ageing and manual racking with modern fruit selection and precise cellar control. The house maintains its own cooperage, giving it close oversight of the American oak barrels central to its style. Environmental initiatives include reducing vineyard treatments, conserving water and investing in renewable energy.

The 2020 combines 80% Tempranillo from La Cuesta in Fuenmayor and Montecillo in Cenicero, with 20% Garnacha from La Pedriza in Tudelilla. The Tempranillo vines were over 30 years old; the Garnacha vines were 17 years old, planted at 550 metres. Harvesting began by hand in late September, with Garnacha picked 20 days later.
Bunches were selected in the vineyard and transported under refrigeration before optical sorting at the winery. The destemmed grapes fermented in stainless steel, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentations proceeding naturally.
Selected lots entered American oak barrels in April 2021, with 20% new wood. Tempranillo matured for 36 months with six manual rackings, while Garnacha spent 30 months in barrel with five rackings. The varieties were then blended and bottled in November 2024.
Alcohol: 14.5%. Residual sugar: 2.1g/L. Total acidity: 5.7g/L expressed as tartaric acid. pH: 3.57. Recommended drinking window: 2026 to 2040.

Grape
Garnacha, Tempranillo

Country
Spain

Producer
La Rioja Alta

Region
Rioja

Types
Red Wine

Size
750ml

Vintage
2020

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