Staff Pick

La Rioja Alta, Viña Alberdi Reserva - 2018

Name: La Rioja Alta, Viña Alberdi Reserva
Brand: La Rioja Alta
SKU: 50004
Price: 24.96 USD
Availability: InStock

Item # 50004 750mL

100% Tempranillo from our Mayorita, Rebollar and Bardal vineyards, as well as selected plots in El Palo, Rodezno, Alto del Rey and Labastida. These vineyards are located at an altitude of 1600-2000 feet above sea level and are planted in chalky-clay soils more than 40 years ago.

$24.96/ Single Bottle

$299.52 $269.57/ Case of 12

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Color

Red

Vintage

2018

Country

Spain

Region

Rioja

Sub-Region

Rioja Alta

Producer

La Rioja Alta

Grape Variety

Tempranillo

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Staff Pick Notes

20 bucks? Seriously??

Say you came in today committed to spending $16 or less on a bottle of Rioja, here’s one of those rare instances where I’d lobby hard for you to shell out those extra couple of bucks. La Rioja Alta was my Rio-aha moment. Viña Alberdi Reserva is a wine of immense sophistication and seamless integration, masterfully crafted by one of the old guards of Rioja, on whom the aphorism “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” might well have been based.

- JAM

Glossary

Spain

Central to the Spanish winemaking philosophy is the belief that wine should be released only when it is ready to be consumed, and not a moment before. Spanish wine law focuses squarely on this issue: the terms Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva are highly regulated indicators of the amount of time a wine has aged prior to its release. In Rioja, Navarra, and the Ribera del Duero (which have the most stringent requirements) red Crianzas must be aged a minimum of two years; Reservas, at least three...

Tempranillo

A.k.a. Cencibel. Just about synonymous with Spanish wine, the red Tempranillo grape has now fully won over the hearts and minds of critics and amateur oenophiles all over the world. The best bottles are powerful and ageworthy, and are beginning to fetch prices you'd never have expected from Spanish wines just a few years ago. Tempranillo is often used in blends with Bordeaux grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and has lately been grown with considerable success outside of Spain, in...

Rioja

The origin of Spanish winemaking, Rioja has been the benchmark for Spanish wines in the international market for over two hundred years, and remains so to this day. Tempranillo is the star of the red wines here, though its expression can vary wildly from producer to producer. Traditionally-styled Riojas tend to be subtle and soft, and often have high levels of acidity to ensure their survival through the lengthy ageing process. The more modern producers are making powerful, dark,...