At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Rioja, Spain
- Base
- Haro's historic Station District
- Main grape
- Tempranillo
- Named range
- Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904
- Cellar signature
- Own American oak barrels, traditional rackings and long ageing
The Producer
Monsieur Vigier, a Frenchman, was the house's first winemaker. The first wine he made for it was Reserva 1890, predecessor of today's Gran Reserva 890. Five families founded La Rioja Alta, and descendants of those families remain principal shareholders and directors. The Haro winery owns more than 587 hectares of vineyards. It also makes its own American oak barrels, uses traditional rackings and keeps wines through long ageing.
Place
The winery stands in Haro's historic Station District at Avenida Vizcaya 8. Its named wines draw on fruit from Villalba, Briñas, Rodezno, Fuenmayor, Cenicero and La Pedriza in Rioja Oriental. Those vineyard names enter the bottles through blends assembled at the Haro cellar, so several Rioja locations appear within the house range.
Wines
The Haro range includes Gran Reserva 890, Gran Reserva 904, Viña Ardanza, Viña Arana and Viña Alberdi. Tempranillo is the principal grape, joined by Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Viña Ardanza combines Tempranillo from estate vineyards in Fuenmayor and Cenicero with Garnacha from La Pedriza in Rioja Oriental. The range moves between Gran Reserva names and separate Viña wines, with estate made American oak and long ageing as the recurring cellar method.
In The Glass
Gran Reserva 904 opens with wild red berries, black cherry and blueberries. Tobacco, black pepper, tea leaves, coffee, mocha, vanilla and cinnamon follow from barrel ageing. The palate combines freshness and smoothness with silky tannins that carry through the finish.
Viña Ardanza is spiced and balsamic, with freshness and depth. It is dry, medium bodied and oaked.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Gran Reserva 904 2016. Its blend is 90% Tempranillo from Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno, with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor. The selected wine spent four years in estate made American oak barrels averaging 4.5 years old, with traditional racking every six months before bottling in May 2021. The bottle puts named vineyard sources and extended cellar work together in one Rioja red.
Final Word
Family ownership continues at the Haro winery, where Tempranillo led Rioja reds meet estate made American oak, traditional rackings and long ageing. Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904 sit beside Viña Ardanza, Viña Arana and Viña Alberdi in the named range.
Sources
1. https://www.riojalta.com/en/la-rioja-alta-group/ 2. https://www.riojawine.com/en/wineries/la-rioja-alta-sa/ 3. https://www.riojalta.com/en/winesrioja-alta/gran-reserva-904/ 4. https://www.riojalta.com/en/blog-news/post/vina-ardanza-2019-exceptional-vintage-rioja-icon/ 5. https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/northern-spain/la-rioja-alta-vina-ardanza-reserva-rioja-2019-95439/