La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva 1995

Garnacha plays a meaningful role here, lending a plushness that sets Viña Ardanza apart from most classic Riojas. The nose opens on redcurrant and dark cherry, with tar, vanilla, and sweetly spiced oak threading through. Structured and precise on the mouth, firmer and more sharply defined than the Viña Arana, yet with a generous, almost giving quality that softens the edges. Red fruit and oak spice carry through to a finish of quiet, unhurried persistence. Impressively youthful for a '95; there's considerable life still ahead.