Been collecting and enjoying Spanish wine for a while now and was very excited about this bottle last night. Unfortunately, the nose was all butter and creamy, the taste not too different. Big shame because you could tell there’s a fantastic wine in there but you’re drinking it in a glass made of butter. Anyone have this experience? Quick Google search tells me they used American oak. Had a similar experience with the entry level Emilio Moro.
by SubstantialMammoth71
10 Comments
Know you probably didn’t want to wait but a long double decant (open in the morning drink at night) really helps with that young unresolved oak feeling.
I LOVE la Rioja Alta and Vina Ardanza is the only cuvée i can’t seem to enjoy
Had a similar experience. I prefer their cheaper bottling (Vina Alberdi) by a great deal. I imagine the oak is the same, but the shorter time (6-12 months) in the American oak barrel might have made it more approachable to me.
Interestingly, this is one of my favorite Rioja. You do have to let it air out for a bit. It opens up after a solid hour or so.
Definitely agreed regarding airing it out. It’s not the tobacco/biting-a-cigar oak punch of the Vina Arana, but the 2016s and 2017s of Ardanza I’ve had open up with a similar/lesser punch – but air really balances/mellows it out. I gave them both 1-2 hours before drinking, then consumed over 2-3 hours.
Alberdi for $23 is a pleasure every time, though, with even less air.
Enjoyed the 2015 very much recently
too much wood kills the mood
So in a case like this, is the MF or the oak that’s responsible for the butter and cream notes?
LRA Viña Ardanza in my experience screams for air and time. Every time I drink one I open it and decant when I wake up in the morning
It’s a “reserva”