La Rioja Alta's 2017 Viña Ardanza is Here! (Plus Muga’s “Prado Enea” 2016...)
After seven years of maturation at the winery, the La Rioja Alta team has deemed their 2017 Viña Ardanza ready for release!
Earning scores of 95, 93 and 94 Points, this blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha leads with a gorgeous mouthfeel full of strawberry, salted plum, clove, caramelized cedar, cherry, shitake mushroom, tangerine, balsamic, kirsch and a splash of forest floor. The finish lingers long and the balance is impeccable. Our one-word summary? Yum!
Read on for Wine Advocate, Vinous, and James Suckling reviews, and for the latest reviews on the now QUADRUPLE 97-Point 2016 Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva, then hit that Big Yellow Button to get in on the fun.
2017 La Rioja Alta "Viña Ardanza" Reserva
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Viña Ardanza is a wine that embodies the long history of Rioja. The 2017 Gran Reserva Viña Ardanza is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha sourced from Rioja Alta and Oriental. Aged for up to 36 months in American oak, it presents a ripe profile with aromas of black fruit, earth and balsamic, complemented by cedar and vanilla. On the palate, it is dry and rich, with a juicy texture and fine, polished tannins that culminate in a bold and lingering finish. This is a vibrant red wine with harmonious balance. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2035."
- 93 Points, Joaquin Hidalgo - Vinous (12/2023)
"A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Drink or hold."
- 95 Points, James Suckling (8/18/2023)
"2017 was not an easy harvest, but it produced some beautiful and classical wines, like the 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, which shows a little more advancement and polish and is ready to drink. It was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyard La Pedriza in Tudelilla. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 for the Garnacha (that was harvested 15 days later), with six rackings. It's ripe and aromatic, tertiary, with 14.5% alcohol and mellow acidity, a medium-bodied palate and sleek tannins. It has a pungent note of clove and pepper, some licorice and ink and the cherries in liqueur from the Garnacha. An updated classical Ardanza. It was bottled in March 2021. Drink Date: 2024 - 2034."
- 94 Points, Wine Advocate (2/29/2024)
Wine Advocate quotes a $42 release price for this complex, complete, ready-to-savor stunner. For a wine of this caliber, lovingly aged for seven years at the winery, that is simply fantastic!
Vin Chicago Price: 37.99
=====================
97+ Points for Muga's "Prado Enea" from the Outstanding 2016 Vintage!
2016 Bodegas Muga “Prado Enea" Gran Reserva
Rioja, Spain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now equipped with four reviews of 97 Points or higher, this "expressive, complex and nuanced" 2016 release from Muga is a knockout. Wine Advocate, having reviewed 25 vintages since the 1969 harvest, gives 97+ Points, picking this as the best Prado Enea ever!
"Spiced red and black fruits, new saddle leather, smoky tobacco, and lead pencil are just some of the nuances in the 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva, a pure, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, beautifully textured Rioja from this team. With beautiful yet building tannins, a pure, focused style, and awesome length on the finish, it's a brilliant wine with a solid two decades of prime drinking ahead of it. Maturity: 2024 - 2044."
- 97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (7/3/2024)
"The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. 2016 was a very elegant year, with aging potential, volume and very good acidity and freshness. It's full-bodied but fine-boned, has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.25 grams per liter acidity. It has terrific balance, with all the components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. They have also been working on the selection of wood used. This wine matured in French and American oak barrels for three years, and the oak is super integrated. It was bottled in January 2020. It was an exceptional year with volume and quality. Drink Date: 2024 - 2040."
- 97+ Points, Wine Advocate (2/29/2024)
"Aged in barrel for 36 months, the 2016 Gran Reserva Prado Enea is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano from Rioja Alta. This dark garnet wine reveals thyme, plum and sour cherry notes, accompanied by reductive nuances of matchstick and saffron. Additionally, it displays hints of biscuit, wax and dried flowers. On the palate, it is dry, supple and chalky, with a juicy, energetic flow that leads to a long-lasting, complex finish. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2035."
- 96 Points, Joaquin Hidalgo - Vinous (12/2023)
"Complex aromas of dark fruit with violets, walnuts and chocolate. Classy. It's full-bodied with plush yet fine velvety tannins, and a precise and pointed finish. Juicy and savory. Tight finish. It's very long. This is beautiful now but will be even better in three or four years. Linear and vertical at the same time. Try after 2026."
- 97 Points, James Suckling (11/15/2023)
"Deep ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cocoa powder, coffee bean, lavender and cherry. It is smooth at first sip, with tannins that slowly build in volume and then drift away to reveal black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, mint and orange-zest flavors. The brilliant finish is marked with a floral note. Drink through 2036."
- 97 Points, Wine Enthusiast (7/1/2024)
Wine Advocate quotes a $120 release price for this masterpiece.
Vin Chicago Price: 87.99
