La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 Rioja Tempranillo Graciano 2010 (1500ml)

Ratings on Delectable

Will Stanley Delectable Pro

Truly benchmark Rioja, La Rioja Alta’s ‘904’ Gran Reserva from the 2010 vintage - as fabled in Rioja as it is in Bordeaux - is a disarmingly gorgeous wine with superb ageing potential. I first tried this wine over two years ago, and found it a little closed at the time and was underwhelmed by the palate. The nose was terrific though, and that holds true today - it’s simply breathtaking, the sort of wine you spend ten minutes sniffing before taking your first sip. Today’s palate, however, is well and truly open for business. What a veritable explosion of flavour; a kaleidoscopic array of the best of both traditional and modern Rioja, all of it fresh, none of it tired, with a pure and ethereal presence of black and blue fruits, flowers, vanilla bean, clove, clementine and macerated cherry. When wine folk talk of a long finish, this wine gets a nod - it leaves an imprint on one’s palate that lasts minutes. I’m quite amazed by the improvement that two years has afforded this wine, both bottles bought at the same time and stored side-by-side in my cellar. At last, this has begun to show its potential and I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming 20, 30, 40 years. In the meantime, do not sleep on the 2010 Viña Ardanza, a wine that I have enjoyed many a time in the last two years, and one that would be included in my all-time list of value fine wines, were anyone to ask! 96+

Truly benchmark Rioja, La Rioja Alta’s ‘904’ Gran Reserva from the 2010 vintage - as fabled in Rioja as it is in Bordeaux - is a disarmingly gorgeous wine with superb ageing potential. I first tried this wine over two years ago, and found it a little closed at the time and was underwhelmed by the palate. The nose was terrific though, and that holds true today - it’s simply breathtaking, the sort of wine you spend ten minutes sniffing before taking your first sip. Today’s palate, however, is well and truly open for business. What a veritable explosion of flavour; a kaleidoscopic array of the best of both traditional and modern Rioja, all of it fresh, none of it tired, with a pure and ethereal presence of black and blue fruits, flowers, vanilla bean, clove, clementine and macerated cherry. When wine folk talk of a long finish, this wine gets a nod - it leaves an imprint on one’s palate that lasts minutes. I’m quite amazed by the improvement that two years has afforded this wine, both bottles bought at the same time and stored side-by-side in my cellar. At last, this has begun to show its potential and I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming 20, 30, 40 years. In the meantime, do not sleep on the 2010 Viña Ardanza, a wine that I have enjoyed many a time in the last two years, and one that would be included in my all-time list of value fine wines, were anyone to ask! 96+

9.6

Josh Morgenthau Delectable Pro

Aroma is uncanny; a perfume of rose petals and coconut cream wafting from the glass. Totally beguiling. Vanilla and marzipan lead the way with fresh and dried red berries, red cherries, dried flowers and orange peel. So polished, but this needs more time for the oak and fruit to integrate. The 2010 Ardanza remains my favorite now for its classical balance.

Aroma is uncanny; a perfume of rose petals and coconut cream wafting from the glass. Totally beguiling. Vanilla and marzipan lead the way with fresh and dried red berries, red cherries, dried flowers and orange peel. So polished, but this needs more time for the oak and fruit to integrate. The 2010 Ardanza remains my favorite now for its classical balance.

9.5

Gregory Fulchiero Delectable Pro

Dill - vanilla - iconic - classic - ethereal - the best wine per $ that exists

Dill - vanilla - iconic - classic - ethereal - the best wine per $ that exists

9.3

Sipping Fine Wine Delectable Pro

Tried this 2x recently. Wow! Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones and cigar box spice, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

Tried this 2x recently. Wow! Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones and cigar box spice, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

9.5

Sipping Fine Wine Delectable Pro

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones and cigar box spice, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones and cigar box spice, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

9.6

Elizabeth Delectable Pro

Sweet juicy cherries and dried prunes, spices on the nose; spicy on the palate, with good balance of acidity and tannins, thick with cherries and a bit of wood and vanilla. Long finish. Powerful wine.

Sweet juicy cherries and dried prunes, spices on the nose; spicy on the palate, with good balance of acidity and tannins, thick with cherries and a bit of wood and vanilla. Long finish. Powerful wine.

8.3

Sipping Fine Wine Delectable Pro

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, 48 mos on American oak. On the palate ripe Berry fruits, powerful yet elegant, with spice & smoky earthy notes on full tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip!! Tasting great, has more aging potential, try in 10+ years! Great Value!

9.5

Boris Mathiszik Delectable Pro

Powerful nose. Layers of fruit and herbs. Very good Rioja.

Powerful nose. Layers of fruit and herbs. Very good Rioja.

9.1

Will Stanley Delectable Pro

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years.

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years.

9.3

GaryWEdwards

Wow. Nicely balanced wine in it's youth . Very good now but in time will stand with the best in Rioja

Wow. Nicely balanced wine in it's youth . Very good now but in time will stand with the best in Rioja

9.7

Location

  • 148 Chambers Street
    New York, NY 10007

  • Hours:
    Monday-Saturday: 10am-9pm
    Sunday: 12pm-7pm

WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.