94pts Wine Advocate: "The subtle, balsamic, structured and elegant 2020 Viña Ardanza Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo from Rioja Alta and around 20% Garnacha from Rioja Baja. It fermented destemmed in stainless steel and aged in American oak barrels, 20% of them new, for a period of 36 months in the case of the Tempranillo and 30 months for the Garnacha, then the two wines are blended before bottling. It's a textbook example of the label, with the perfume and elegance of the Garnacha and the clout from Tempranillo. It has clean aromas and is still quite fresh, only starting its tertiary phase. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol and keeps a pH of 3.57 and 5.7 grams of acidity. It's balanced, seamless and well-built, and its tannins are mostly resolved. It should live long in bottle. 500,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2024." Luis Gutiérrez, March 12, 2026
The 2020 vintage is a growing season graded as ‘Very Good’ by the Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja. Spring was wet and with the rainfall there came mildew pressure early in the season, as well as some localised hailstorms; both of which had an impact on yields. Summer was dry but not too hot, a little rain here and there to refresh the vines. The resulting wines are well balanced, fresh and fruit forward yet with a solid structure and aromatic complexity from the long growing season. Julio Sáenz, winemaker at La Rioja Alta, compares 2020 with 2012 and 2016, three hot years that benefited from the cooling effect of the rain that fell at the end of September.
Wine Due Early July 2026
