LA RIOJA ALTA

La Rioja Alta is one of Spain's most historic and prestigious wineries, recognised worldwide as a benchmark producer of traditional Rioja wines. Founded in 1890 in the historic town of Haro by five Rioja and Basque families, the estate has spent more than a century perfecting the art of long-aged Tempranillo-based wines. Today, La Rioja Alta remains one of the finest ambassadors of classic Rioja, combining heritage, meticulous vineyard management, and patient cellar ageing to create wines of extraordinary elegance and longevity.

The winery owns and manages more than 400 hectares of vineyards across Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, including celebrated sites around Rodezno, Labastida, Fuenmayor, and Ábalos. These high-altitude vineyards feature clay-limestone and iron-rich soils that naturally limit yields while promoting slow, balanced ripening. The Atlantic-influenced climate provides warm days, cool evenings, and excellent growing conditions for producing Tempranillo with remarkable freshness, structure, and ageing potential.

La Rioja Alta is best known for its legendary Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904, Viña Ardanza Reserva, Viña Arana Gran Reserva, and Viña Alberdi Reserva. Tempranillo forms the backbone of the portfolio, often complemented by traditional Rioja varieties such as Graciano, Garnacha, and Mazuelo. The wines are renowned for their refined aromas of red cherry, dried plum, cedar, vanilla, tobacco, leather, spice, and earthy complexity, supported by silky tannins and exceptional balance developed through extended ageing.

Traditional craftsmanship remains central to the winery's philosophy. La Rioja Alta is one of the few leading estates that still manufactures its own American oak barrels, allowing complete control over the ageing process. Wines undergo lengthy maturation in oak followed by extended bottle ageing before release, ensuring they are approachable upon arrival while retaining outstanding cellaring potential. Every stage of production is guided by a commitment to preserving the timeless elegance that has defined Rioja for generations.

La Rioja Alta has consistently received exceptional praise from leading critics including Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Decanter, and Tim Atkin MW. Iconic releases such as Gran Reserva 904 and Viña Ardanza are widely regarded among the finest values in fine wine, regularly earning scores in the mid-to-high 90-point range and appearing on international "Wine of the Year" lists.

Shop La Rioja Alta wines online at Wine More Cellars Australia. We offer a carefully curated selection of Reserva, Gran Reserva, and premium Rioja wines from one of Spain's most celebrated historic wineries.

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