La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Rioja Reserva 1996

Textbook Ardanza on the nose: dried plum, cedar, cinnamon and a curl of smoke. Full-bodied and generous through the mid-palate, where La Rioja Alta's signature American oak leaves its mark, coconut, sweet cedar, woven through ripe redcurrant fruit. There's a streak of acidity that hasn't fully settled in yet, though the fruit is substantial enough to keep things composed. Firm, ripe tannins carry the finish with good momentum. (One note: both a 1994 Gran Reserva 904 and a 1989 Gran Reserva 890 tasted from this batch were off, almost certainly bottle variation rather than a house issue, as these gran reservas have been reliably excellent.)