The Collector Series Top Pick this month belongs to one of Rioja’s iconic wines, the 2004 La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva. Nobody in Rioja, Spain’s most celebrated viticultural area, consistently makes a more complex, traditional style of Rioja Reserva than La Rioja Alta. The 2004 Viña Ardanza is positively brilliant, so we were not surprised that Wine Spectator awarded this herculean effort 94 points and just published a preview of the magazine’s buying guide (for the September 30, 2013 issue) in which the 2004 Viña Ardanza Reserva is deemed Highly Recommended. Better still, Wine Spectator was quick to point out that “Viña Ardanza also offers the best value for money out of this exclusive list.” If you want to taste a top notch Rioja Reserva or catch a glimpse of the languid beauty of Rioja, come and taste a glass of the 2004 Viña Ardanza. In each sip, you may actually experience the radiance of the Spanish sun, feel the wind sweeping clean high country vineyards under a pulsating blue sky, and glimpse the arid beauty of distant mountains. It’s all here in one great glass of Rioja! Enjoy!
Saluté
Don
