2012 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva Rioja 750 ml

Old bottles of La Rioja Alta have been the centerpieces of some of the most magical nights we’ve ever had. For us—and countless other lovers of Spanish wine—the iconic winery is a true keeper of the flame for traditionally made Rioja.

The 130-year-old estate has a legendary commitment to aging wines before release, and their bottles often require significant cellar time—we’re talking decades—to come around. That’s not the case with their 2012 Viña Ardanza Reserva. At “only” a decade old, this offers all the estate’s care, technical mastery, and commitment to tradition in a package that rewards exploration right now. 

This is a stunning wine—and one of the first we’d point out for anyone looking to understand the style and greatness of the legendary La Rioja Alta estate. With a 94-point score from Decanter and a proud place on the magazine’s Wines of the Year 2020 list, we aren’t the only ones who are in love with it, either.

Pour a glass, and you’re rewarded with opulent aromas of warm dark cherries mixed with dried herbs, a touch of leather, and hints of cedar. The nose is beautifully inviting, previewing a lush palate that delivers a blast of dark fruit with spicy, savory underpinnings and captivating complexity.

In other words—it’s as classic as Rioja comes. The bodega has spent their 130-plus years acquiring excellent vineyards and refusing to compromise its vision for what great Rioja tastes like. That vision includes organic farming and long aging in both well-seasoned American oak and then in bottle—and we wine lovers are rewarded for it every time we open a bottle.