2010 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta, Rioja, Spain

Lots of vanilla and cream on the nose. This is the archetype of traditional Rioja! There is a touch of volatility on the nose, but plenty of juicy red fruit too. The tannins have faded into the background and the acid is soft too. Long and oak-scented on the finish, with perhaps a touch of meat juice too. Not quite a blow-away bottle, but certainly a grande dame.

Drink 2016 - 2026

A total of 120,000 bottles produced; 904 is not made every year.

A youngster, needing five years to begin to settle in. Aromas of tobacco, liquorice and vanilla. In the mouth, the fruit arrives plump, with a punch of acidity, the typical Rioja Alta freshness, and distinct oak ageing. The 10% Graciano blended with the Tempranillo gives 904 its typical dark plum character and a firm structure that ensures cellaring potential.

Drink 2024 - 2040

Brilliant ruby. Powerful, spice-tinged cherry, red currant, pipe tobacco, coconut and incense aromas are complemented by floral and spicy nuances, gaining volume with air. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering deeply concentrated cherry liqueur, red berry, floral pastille, musky earth and spicecake flavors that pick up a smoky flourish on the back half. Concentrated yet lively in style, showing superb delineation, firm structure and a sexy floral quality on the extremely long, penetrating finish. Raised for four years in four-year-old American oak barrels.

One of Rioja’s most famed bodegas, this 300-hectare estate was established in the heart of Haro in 1890. All of the vineyards are in Rioja Alta, unsurprising given the name. La Rioja Alta has a long-standing reputation for producing some of the region’s best, most traditionally made wines, across the range. Solid value is the rule here, from top to bottom. The entry-level wines are among Rioja’s best values. American oak is used exclusively, and its influence on the wines can be marked, even with age. While that style isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, Tempranillo fans of the old Rioja school, and there are plenty of them, are loyal followers of the estate with good reason.

Drink 2023 - 2036

It seems like yesterday when the superb 2001 was released, and now I already have the 2010 Gran Reserva 904 in my glass. It has to be among the greatest modern time vintages of this mythical bottling, where they aim for a wine that has a long aging potential. This is mostly Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 13.5% alcohol, and it matured in fourth-used American oak barrels for four years, during which time the wine was racked every six months. It has the combination of elegance and power only the best vintages are capable of, with the classical aromas, great detail and nuance, very good balance and persistence.

They consider 2010 among the best years of this century, and maybe future generations will talk about 2010 like we talk about the great classical vintages of yesterday today. The palate is polished but shows plenty of energy and tension, the tannins are very fine and elegant, and the flavors are focused and clean. This has to be one of the greatest wines from the vintage. A legend in the making. 150,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2015.

Drink 2019 - 2035

Fresh blueberries and brambleberries take center stage, which is striking for a wine of this age. There are also lots of roasted herbs, such as sage, not to mention floral elements, including lavender and dried violets. Then come cedar, sandalwood and tar. The tannins are incredibly round and soft, without the slightest hint of anything dry. This is among the most elegant of Riojas, where the acidity is wonderfully pronounced and cuts right through any touch of dried fruit. Long and powerful, yet subtle on the finish. 

Drink now, or hold for a very long time.