La Rioja Alta La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi 2020 750ml

A classical, typical Rioja Alta red with elegant notes of vanilla, coconut, smoked spices and strawberries. Refined and suave, with fine tannins and a long, creamy finish. Juicy and elegant. Really approachable now, but give it two more years to get more mushroom complexity.

The younger wine here is the 2020 Viña Alberdi, a versatile version of the Haro reds. It was produced with Tempranillo fermented in stainless steel and matured in American oak barrels for two years (it's sold as Reserva in international markets and Crianza in Spain). It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.6 and five grams of acidity. It has a classical nose of ripe fruit, American oak and spices, the subtle notes of forest floor, still young. The palate is velvety and very balanced with polished tannins. Approachable but should also age. 650,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2023.

Hints of tobacco, smoke and vanilla are a fragrant thread winding through the baked cherry and raspberry fruit, cocoa powder and red licorice notes on display in this lively, harmonious, focused red. Fine, crisp tannins firm the finish. Drink now through 2030. 54,166 cases made, 15,000 cases imported.

The 2020 Reserva Viña Alberdi is 100% Tempranillo sourced from various sites in Rioja Alta. Aged first in new American oak and then in used barrels, it offers ripe red fruit, a hint of jam and balsamic notes, with vanilla-laced oak in the background. Agile on the palate, with gentle grip and a soft, silky texture, this closes with lingering fruit and a subtle oak imprint. The 2020 is a warm-vintage classic.