Rioja
Rioja, one of Spain's most esteemed wine regions, is renowned for its exceptional fine wines. With a winemaking tradition that spans centuries, Rioja is celebrated for its unique terroir, diverse grape varieties, and the artistry of its winemakers. Situated in northern Spain, Rioja produces wines that embody the rich history and passion of Spanish winemaking.
One of the most famous vineyards in Rioja is Bodegas Marqués de Riscal, a historic winery that has been producing wines since 1858. Their wines, including the iconic Marqués de Riscal Reserva and Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva, are renowned for their elegance, complexity, and age-worthiness.
Another esteemed vineyard is Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, known for its traditional winemaking practices and long-aged wines. Their Viña Tondonia Reserva and Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva are highly sought-after by wine enthusiasts seeking the classic Rioja style.
Rioja is primarily known for its red wines, which are crafted predominantly from the Tempranillo grape variety. Notable vineyards such as Bodegas Muga, Bodegas Roda, and Bodegas CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) produce exceptional red wines that showcase the region's unique characteristics. These wines display flavours of ripe red fruit, subtle oak influence, well-integrated tannins, and a remarkable balance.
Rioja also offers notable white wines, mainly made from the Viura grape variety. Bodegas Riojanas, Bodegas Ontañón, and Bodegas Valdemar are among the renowned vineyards that produce exquisite white wines with vibrant acidity, citrus flavours, and a refreshing crispness.
The region's wines are often classified into four categories: Rioja, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, indicating the aging process and quality level. This classification system ensures consistent quality and allows wine lovers to choose wines based on their preferred style and maturity.
Rioja's fine wines beautifully capture the essence of the region, showcasing a harmonious balance between tradition and innovation. Whether you're savouring a well-aged Reserva, a vibrant Crianza, or a complex Gran Reserva, Rioja's wines promise an unforgettable experience that reflects the region's winemaking heritage and dedication to excellence.
Rioja
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Rioja | 1 | 98 (JS) | HK$5,515.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)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. |
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Rioja | 2 | 96 (JS) | HK$2,600.00 | |||||
James Suckling (96)Lovely dried red fruit, such as plums with just a hint of prunes. Cedar, walnut and leather undertones. Full-bodied with lots of fruit, considering its age, as well as hints of smoke, tobacco, bark and black tea. Some balsamic at the finish. Traditionally styled with lovely results. Drink or hold. |
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Rioja | 5 | 97 (JS) | HK$3,760.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)A perfumed nose of plums, mulberries, mushrooms, caramel, sweet tobacco and sweet spices. Full-bodied with velvety, fine tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and supple with a creamy texture. Delicate and precise with a long, polished finish. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. Drink or hold. |
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Rioja | 1 | 93 (VN) | HK$2,580.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)Dark ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet evokes spice-tinged dark fruit preserves, potpourri, vanilla and incense, and a smoky mineral overtone builds as the wine opens up. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering weighty blackberry, cherry-vanilla and spicecake flavors that turn spicier with air. Shows excellent precision on the persistent finish, which features sweet dark fruit liqueur and floral elements and harmonious tannins. |
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Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) | HK$1,880.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)La Rioja Alta is one of the most traditional wineries in Haro’s Barrio de la Estación, famous for producing wines that are good to drink on release, but also age beautifully in bottle. This new Gran Reserva, made from Tempranillo with 6% Graciano for added backbone, is very much a reflection of the cooler, more “Atlantic” 2014 vintage. La Rioja Alta didn’t make its top two Gran Reservas – 904 and 890 – in 2014, so all of its best grapes were used for Viña Arana. Fine and elegant, with vibrant acidity, notes of coconut and cinnamon from the American oak and a core of savoury, refreshing tobacco leaf and red berry flavours framed by fine, caressing tannins. Old-fashioned Rioja at its glorious best. |
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Rioja | 1 | 96 (DC) | HK$1,970.00 | |||||
Decanter (96)Beautiful nose coconut cream, vanilla and mocha nose. Smooth and mellow on the rich and velvety palate with lots of sweet spices, dates and chocolate-covered currants. Long-lasting and utterly delicious. |
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Rioja | 1 | 95 (WAN) | HK$4,170.00 | |||||
Wine Anorak (95)This is wonderfully aromatic and completely classic, with sweet strawberry and cherry fruit with some coconut and vanilla blending in well. There’s a sweet core of fruit on the palate with red and black cherry, some stewed plum and strawberry, as well as fine spices and a slight chalkiness to the layered texture. Mellow and refined, this is benchmark Gran Reserva Rioja, and is drinking perfectly now although it will develop beautifully over the next couple of decades. The balance is perfect. |
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Rioja | 7 | 95 (WAN) | HK$2,080.00 | |||||
Wine Anorak (95)This is wonderfully aromatic and completely classic, with sweet strawberry and cherry fruit with some coconut and vanilla blending in well. There’s a sweet core of fruit on the palate with red and black cherry, some stewed plum and strawberry, as well as fine spices and a slight chalkiness to the layered texture. Mellow and refined, this is benchmark Gran Reserva Rioja, and is drinking perfectly now although it will develop beautifully over the next couple of decades. The balance is perfect. |
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Rioja | 1 | 93 (WA) | HK$995.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 2001 Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyards in Fuenmayor and Rioja Baja respectively and it represents only the third vintage to be declared after 1964 and 1973. Aged in American cask for 36 months, it has a bucolic, natural bouquet of bright red cherries, balsamic, mint and a touch of dried honey all with superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful delineation and supple, lithe tannins. The acidity is very well judged and it leads to a pert, tense finish of bitter cherry, loganberry and licorice. This is an outstanding wine drinking perfectly now, but it should age effortlessly. Drink now-2030. |
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Rioja | 5 | 96 (VN) | HK$4,105.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)The 2010 Viña Ardanza Selección Especial Rioja Reserva is an absolute blinder. The blend comprises 80% Tempranillo from the La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards and 20% Grenache from the La Pedriza vineyard in Rioja Baja. It was picked mid-October, aged for 36 months in four-year-old American oak (six months less for the Grenache) and bottled in 2015. It was so highly regarded by the team at La Rioja Alta that they deemed it “Selección Especial” instead of “Reserva Especial.” The bouquet is like an old friend inviting you into their home. Crushed strawberry, leather and a touch of game are all beautifully defined, and after an hour the nose became increasingly Burgundy in style. That Burgundy theme translates across to a palate that is supremely well balanced and so harmonious that it was almost too easy to drink. There are hints of chestnut and shavings of black truffle on a finish that fans out gently. This is a finely crafted and irresistible Rioja Reserva from one of the region’s best producers, and frankly, I will not taste a bottle that represents better value for money than this: cases of 12 at just over £200 in bond. |
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Rioja | 11 | 94 (VN) | HK$2,705.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)Deep magenta. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black raspberry, cherry cola, potpourri, tobacco and exotic spices, plus a smoky mineral flourish. Sweet and broad in the mouth, offering lush red and blue fruit, spicecake, mocha and coconut flavors that firm up on the back half. Finishes extremely long and spicy, with resonating florality, gently chewy tannins and lingering oak spice notes. |
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Rioja | 14 | 95 (JS) | HK$1,185.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95)Savory and complex with dried orange peel, cedar and plenty of sweet spices, walnuts, caramel, dried mushrooms and pine needles. Shows maturity here, with a medium body and superb freshness. Incredibly long finish with lots of truffle and walnut. Lasts over a minute. Very complete now, but you can still hold it. |
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Rioja | 5 | - | HK$1,490.00 | |||||
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Rioja | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$1,545.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)No 2018 was produced, so after the 2017 I tasted last year, we jumped to the 2019 Viña Ardanza Reserva, produced with a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha. It fermented destemmed in stainless steel and aged in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 months for Garnacha, and was blended before bottling. 2019 is a very good year for them, a small crop of powerful and concentrated wines when they produced all their brands, an exception. This is spicy, structured, balanced and powerful in this warm year, reaching the customary 14.5% alcohol and keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.5 grams of acidity. It's still very young and undeveloped, with the classical profile, generous in American oak aromas and flavors that should slowly integrate in the wine with years in bottle. For them, 2019 means a change in Ardanza, less spicy (but still quite spicy, with clove, vanilla and tobacco leaves) and with more fresh fruit from the Garnacha. But the year is a modern version of 2015. 500,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2023. No 2023 or 2024 will be produced either. |
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Rioja | 30 | - | HK$1,320.00 | |||||
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Discover the elegance of LAN Rioja Reserva 2018, a distinguished expression from the heart of Rioja Alta, Spain. Crafted by the esteemed Bodegas LAN, this Reserva epitomises traditional winemaking fused with modern precision. The wine is predominantly made from Tempranillo grapes, meticulously selected from the estate’s finest vineyards, benefiting from the region’s ideal climate and limestone-rich soils. After a careful harvest, the grapes undergo fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve their vibrant fruit character. The wine is then matured for 24 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, imparting subtle vanilla and spice nuances while allowing the varietal’s intrinsic qualities to shine. The 2018 vintage boasts a deep ruby colour, with complex aromas of ripe cherries, dried herbs, and a hint of tobacco. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious balance of ripe tannins and velvety texture, culminating in a long, refined finish. LAN Rioja Reserva 2018 is a testament to exquisite craftsmanship and Rioja’s timeless elegance. |
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Rioja | 1 | 96 (WA) | HK$1,690.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2001 Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva fits the profile of the wine, a little riper (is it Garnacha?) with heady aromas and a touch of rusticity. 2001 saw good yields of very healthy grapes. They started picking the reds the 15th of October, and the last grapes were picked the 29th of October with good weather. The grapes ripened properly and thoroughly, and the wine has great balance for a long aging in bottle. This is 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho and the rest Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in their 153-year-old oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used barrels for 10 years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.5 grams of acidity (tartaric). As the wine sat in the glass (even overnight), it became finer and subtler. 5,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2012. |
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Rioja | 1 | - | HK$1,260.00 | |||||
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Rioja | 1 | - | HK$2,585.00 | |||||
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Rioja | 1 | - | HK$3,630.00 | |||||
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Rioja | 1 | - | HK$3,370.00 | |||||
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Rioja | 1 | 93 (WA) | HK$2,110.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)2015 was considered a very good vintage, because it was warm, dry and healthy, and the 2015 Viña Gravonia Blanco has a little more alcohol at 13%—only half a degree makes a big difference, and the wine is not as lively as other cooler vintages. For María José López de Heredia, the wine is too alcoholic; the vintage had perfect ripeness and the grapes were super healthy, but the wine lacks the citrus freshness and the vibrancy Gravonia should have. 27,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. The wine matured for four years in well-seasoned American oak barrels. |
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