"...a textbook example of the label...94 points." Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

We are delighted to offer the new 2020 vintage of La Rioja Alta’s Viña Ardanza Reserva, priced at £258 per dozen in bond and scoring 94 points from The Wine Advocate, equalling the score for the 2019 vintage.

Ardanza Reserva undergoes total ageing comparable to many Gran Reservas from other bodegas and easily competes with them—doubly so in very good vintages like 2020. When Ardanza was first made in 1942, it was labelled a ‘Burgundy-style wine’ and presented in the now-famous Burgundy bottle, reflecting the softening of tannins and transluscent appearance that comes with longer-than-average barrel ageing. Despite its reputation for reliable quality and a traditional approach, there is a gradual but noticeable shift with each new vintage towards greater modernity, with increased freshness and purity in the fruit aromas.

The 2020 vintage was graded ‘Very Good’ by the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja. Spring was wet, bringing early-season mildew pressure along with some localised hailstorms, both of which impacted yields. Summer was dry but not excessively hot, with occasional rainfall helping to refresh the vines. The resulting wines are well-balanced, fresh and fruit-forward, yet with a solid structure and aromatic complexity from the long growing season. Julio Sáenz, winemaker at La Rioja Alta, compares 2020 with 2012 and 2016, three warm years that benefited from cooling rainfall at the end of September.

The blend comprises over 30-year-old Tempranillo (80%), grown on steep, high-altitude clay-limestone soils in La Cuesta (Fuenmayor) and Montecillo (Cenicero), and 17-year-old Garnacha (20%), grown at 550 metres above sea level in deep, pebble-rich soils in La Pedriza, Tudelilla, Rioja Oriental (formerly known as Rioja Baja).

The grapes are cluster-selected and hand-harvested, then optically sorted before fermentation, which lasts 17 days and is followed by a natural malolactic fermentation. The Tempranillo is aged for 36 months and the Garnacha for 30 months in seasoned American oak barrels, 20% of which are first-use, all made in the estate’s own cooperage. The barrels are traditionally racked by candlelight five times before bottling in November 2024.

Ardanza’s accessibility also makes it ideal for gatherings and celebrations, particularly in large formats, where it lends a real sense of occasion. We have availability in bottles, magnums and double magnums.

Offered in bond, available for delivery in Autumn 2026.