2015 Altanza Rioja Gran Reserva [D96][WE93][V92][JS92] WINE

Producer: Altanza  
Region: Rioja, Spain  
Varietal: Tempranillo  
Year: 2015 

Retail Price: $40.00 
Our Price: $24.99*  

Altanza was founded by a group of friends in 1998 who shared the same passion for wines and the land of Rioja.  Their dream was to make classic, timeless Rioja, but with a modern touch and a lot of authenticity.  With three generations of Rioja know-how at the helm, this relative newcomer to the Rioja scene has risen to stardom in no time garnering big recognition from the wine press.  This particular wine took home a Gold Medal and a 96-Point score at Decanter’s 2022 World Wine Awards.  The 2015 Altanza Rioja Gran Reserva is a cellar-worthy bargain.  It’s beautiful, deep, and succulent with an elegant texture and lots of complexity.  It has notes of blueberry and cherry preserves, dark plum, pomegranate, sweet spices, orange zest and toasted almond.  It has a peppery flourish to it accompanied by bright acidity.  The tannins are smooth and dusty and the finish is long and subtle.  This Rioja smoothly melds richness and vivacity and finishes long and smoky with a lingering sweetness.  Enjoy!

Decanter, 96 Points 

“Beautiful and deep Gran Reserva. You can really taste the classicism here. Elegant texture. Well-integrated tannins, Lots of complexity and notes of roasted fruits, sweet spices, cigar box, dried herbs and sweet oak. Fresh acidity enlivens the vivid, spicy and impressively long finish.” 

Wine Enthusiast, 93 Points 

“Dark ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose of dark plum and pomegranate. It feels well balanced across the palate, with mid-weight tannins, flavors of pomegranate, raspberry, milk chocolate, orange zest, toasted almond, and a bright finish.” 

Vinous, 92 Points 

“Opaque ruby.  Oak-spice-accented aromas of ripe red and blue fruits and violet, along with smoke and vanilla overtones.  Sweet and focused in the mouth, offering chewy blueberry and cherry preserve flavors sharpened by a peppery flourish.  Smoothly melds richness and vivacity and finishes long and smoky, with a lingering sweetness and dusty tannins that add a closing grip.”  

James Suckling, 92 Points 

“Blueberries, fresh blackberries, orange peel, crushed stones and sweet spices follow through to a medium to full body that unleashes lots of succulent red-berry fruit with smoothly wound tannins. Bright acidity gives it a kick. Quite long and subtle. Vegan. Drink or hold.”  

Winemaker Notes: 

“Garnet color with a slightly orange rim and a medium layer. Complex medium aromatic intensity. It perfectly combines the freshness of the red fruit as raspberry and cherry and the complexity added by its time in French oak barrels. Subtle pepper and balsamic notes are followed by roasty and smoky aromas. It has an interesting entrance in the palate with gentle, fine, rounded and wide tannins. Of a medium-high acidity and pleasant and persistent aftertaste.” 

Alcohol: 14.5% 

Vegan 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Discounts do not apply to wines like this one currently on sale.