Viña Ardanza turns 75

ViĂąa Ardanza turns 75

The brand was officially registered on 28 September 1942 under the chairmanship of Leandro Ardanza.

A review of its history: 1942 - 2017 Viña Ardanza, the iconic wine of La Rioja Alta, S.A. celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Although it had already been produced and marketed for a few years, the brand was officially registered on 28 September 1942 under the chairmanship of Leandro Ardanza. It takes the name of one of the five families who founded the winery in the Haro Station District in 1890.

The phylloxera pest in the late nineteenth prompted the arrival of French vintners and winemakers (Monsieur Albert Vigier in our case) and the construction of wineries in the proximity of the train station in Haro. As a result of this strong bordelais influence, during the first decades, the new winemaking houses made their wines very much in the French style.

It was quite common for the labels on wine bottles to refer to the winemaking style: ‘Medoc style’, ‘Sauternes style’ or, as in the case of the first Viña Ardanza, ‘Burgundy style’. Since that was in fact the winemaking style employed for this wine, a Burgundy bottle was chosen.

Viña Ardanza went on to become the wine that earned the most fame and popularity for La Rioja Alta, S.A. Over the years, it became an iconic brand and its intrinsic characteristics, originality and personality have always made it our winery’s benchmark. Today, 75 years later, Viña Ardanza is also one of the major international Rioja icons.

The history of Viña Ardanza is a success story. Probably, La Rioja Alta, S.A. would not hold its current place among the best wineries in the world without Viña Ardanza. The mythical vintages of 1964, 1973 and 2001, the exceptional 1970 vintage (which brought Viña Ardanza international fame), 1985, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2007... and this 2008 vintage which is at least on par with the best. Those are exceptional vintages for us; however, not necessarily for the Rioja D.O.

3

Innovations, accelerated in recent harvests, have also defined their current personality

Some things never change…

After evolving for 75 years, the current style of Viña Ardanza brings together immutable characteristics and countless innovations. We consider the following as permanent and immutable:

A

It is a wine mixing different varieties and plots. To achieve the ‘burgundy style’ with great ageing potential, we blend wines with different characteristics. On the one hand, Tempranillos from Rioja Alta, elegant, fine, with great ageing potential, medium structure and moderate alcohol content. On the other, Garnachas, powerful wines with great structure originating in Rioja Baja.

B

It is a typical Rioja blend without a set recipe. The Viña Ardanza style is unique, but the blend of varieties, percentages, terroirs, barrels and even how long it is aged, varies with each vintage, always looking for consistency.

C

American Oak has always been linked to the personality of Viña Ardanza. With long ageing periods, it provides distinctive nuances that connect with the profile of wines historically produced by our house.

…but others do not stop changing!

Innovations, accelerated in recent harvests, have also defined their current personality. Viña Ardanza always occupies a privileged place among the great Riojas because it has evolved.

It has adapted to the times, following trends while avoiding fads. In recent decades, we have gradually introduced significant changes in vinification and ageing that have served to further increase quality, allowing for an undeniable evolution in a ‘classic art’ style.

1

The 2001 vintage was perhaps the most notable recent change. We improved the first impressions, both visual (colour veering to livelier hues) and olfactory (fresher flavours), while maintaining and enhancing in the mouth those spicy (rather than fruity), elegant sensations which are typical of the brand. We increased intensity in all phases.

2

Viña Ardanza, like the other wines of Grupo La Rioja Alta, S.A., is not made every year.

We only market vintages in which both Tempranillo and Garnacha attain our quality requirements. This happens 5-6 times per decade.

5

3

Now we only use grapes from our own vineyards. 2008 is the first harvest in which 100% of the grapes come from estate-owned vineyards: In addition to the Tempranillo from our Cuesta (Cenicero) and Montecillo (Fuenmayor) vineyards, we included 20% Garnacha from La Pedriza (Tudelilla). To date, the Garnacha employed in Viña Ardanza was also from Tudelilla, from vineyards adjoining La Pedriza owned by trusted growers.

4

The new winemaking premises in Labastida, inaugurated in 1996, marked a turning point in the production and ageing of the wines of La Rioja Alta, S.A. Stateof-the-art technology coupled with R&D projects have allowed us full control over all production and ageing processes.

6

5

Optical grape selection. Used for the first time for the 2015 harvest, the new sorting lines include optical scanning of each grape. This has undoubtedly resulted in a qualitative leap.

6

Separate ageing of Tempranillo and Garnacha with different ageing times (in principle, Tempranillo 36 months and Garnacha 30 months). The final decision for each vintage is the winemaker’s.

2008 is the first harvest in which 100% of the grapes come from estate-owned vineyards

7

9

8

10

We manufacture our own barrels, directly importing the oak, which is specially selected by our technicians in the United States (Ohio and Kentucky) and naturally dried in our premises for two years. For us, it is essential that we control the quality of the wood, manufacture, toasting level, etc. of the barrels in which our wines will age.

Notable rejuvenation of barrel stocks, seeking the highest quality. Today, the average age of the barrels used for Viña Ardanza is 4 years for the Tempranillo and 2-3 years for the Garnacha.

We reduce the number of rackings, which are always carried out following traditional methods, to prevent ‘wine fatigue’ during the last stage of the ageing process. In certain cases (the last rackings, for example), the barrels are just topped up, to limit oxidation.

Changes in the harvest: The grapes have always been picked manually but now they are collected in small boxes and taken to the winery in refrigerated transport.

Gentler handling ensures grape integrity and prevents oxidation. The grapes arrive at the winery at an optimal temperature and in perfect condition.

And now, Finca «La Pedriza» La Pedriza is a very special place located in the municipality of Tudelilla (Rioja Baja). It has been historically considered perfect for growing Garnacha. Decades ago, La Rioja Alta, S.A. owned some vineyards in this area, but planted with Tempranillo.

In the 1990s, seeing the growing difficulties in securing a consistent supply of good Garnacha, we decided to find the best location to plant and become self-sufficient. We sought the help of Norberto López, who knows this area well, as he has always lived and worked here. He is also the father of Pedro who currently manages the estate. He insisted in La Pedriza, then planted with almond trees that had replaced the traditional Garnacha with market downturn. We saw it, studied it, loved it and purchased it. We grubbed up the almond trees and replanted it with lowyield Garnacha.

That was how “our little Rhone” was born. The nickname was given by our winemaker Julio Sáenz because of the impressive mantle of boulders covering the entire extension (today 67 hectares) similar to the soils of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

8

What makes Finca La Pedriza so special?

First, the poor soils with a sandy texture and boulders.

Low content in organic matter results in low plant vigour and, therefore, clusters with loose, small berries, ideal for uniform ripening. They are also less prone to disease, an important factor in the case of Garnacha, which is particularly susceptible to grey rot.

They are also very well drained soils, retaining little water, yet at the same time very deep. This forces the roots of the plant to extend to great depth in order to capture moisture, while low soil fertility ensures low yields.

They are acid soils, above the average for Rioja, with low potassium availability. This produces wines with a high level of acidity, ideal for ageing and ensuring stability.

Although it is located in Rioja Baja, the vineyards are located at an altitude of 550 m, in a ‘cool’ area with marked temperature differences between night and day, enhancing polyphenol and anthocyanin synthesis.

The mantle of boulders allows our Garnacha to “grow between two suns.” The area’s more than 2300 hours of sunshine a year is complemented by the reflection of light and heat from the stones, which increases radiation and temperature and clearly improves processes during the growing cycle.

This is an area with low yields per hectare, less than 5000 kg, planted with a short production, top-quality plantar (D2).

We were not able to use these grapes in the Viña Ardanza blend until the 2008 vintage we present today.

In previous vintages, we only vinified a small part at the experimental level to study how it developed.

The previous vintages, from vines that were were too young for us, were sold in bulk.

What are the essential features of the wines from La Pedriza?

They are fresh, with good colour depth, high varietal intensity and good tannin load.

In the final blend with Tempranillo provides lively, fresh notes, increasing the aromatic intensity and providing a pleasant structure, and good body in the mouth, bringing spices and flavoursomeness to the aftertaste for a long time.

Sus notas de cata:

The harvest • It was a very special year for Viña Ardanza and the vintage was characterised by high grape quality accompanied by very moderate production. Thanks to exceptional weather throughout the growing cycle, the grapes remained in magnificent condition. Our grapes evolved optimally with well-balanced figures for alcohol content and acidity. The Garnacha in La Pedriza estate particularly benefited from the longer ripening phase. The Control Board gave this vintage an official rating of ‘Very Good’.

Varietal composition • The Tempranillo grapes (80%) come from our 30-year-old La Cuesta and Montecillo vineyards, located in Fuenmayor y Cenicero. For the first time in the blend of this brand, the Garnacha (20%) comes from La Pedriza vineyard in Tudelilla (Rioja Baja) at an altitude of 550 m above sea level. This 67 hectare property offers unbeatable conditions for growing this variety. Its nutrient-poor soil, covered with boulders, results in low grape yields (less than 5000 kg/ha) and significant varietal typicity, rich in aromas, with a pleasant, elegant structure.

Vinification • We started picking these plots in mid-October. The grapes were harvested manually and transported in refrigerated trucks to the winery. Alcoholic fermentation took place naturally, at controlled temperatures. Malolactic fermentation concluded at the end of the year. In March 2009, the selected wines were put in barrels to start ageing separately: the Tempranillo for 36 months with six manual rackings in American oak barrels averaging 4 years in age and the Garnacha for 30 months with five manual rackings in American oak barrels with two and three wines. The final blend took place after barrel ageing was completed. Bottled in 2013.

Tasting notes • Outstanding dark-cherry red; intense, bright and clean. The first impression on the nose is of great freshness provided by notes of cherries and blackcurrants knit with notes of black pepper, tobacco, nutmeg, coffee, caramel and vanilla from barrel ageing. Pleasant entry. Tasty, with a soft freshness, nice structure, balanced acidity and fine, elegant tannins. Silky finish, with a lovely aftertaste, where liqueur-like notes of blackcurrants intermingle with toasty notes and sweet spices turning this especial edition of Viña Ardanza into a fine, elegant wine.

95

94

94

94

93

93

93

92

90

Decanter (UK)

Tim Atkin MW (UK)

J. Suckling (USA)

Guía ABC (ESP)

Guía Peñín (ESP)

Guía Proensa (ESP)

Robert Parker (USA)

Vinos El País (ESP)

Wine Spectator (USA)

For more information, interviews and images: Head of Communication Samuel Fernández Carrión prensa@riojalta.com 00 34 941 310 346

www.gruporiojalta.com www.facebook.com/lariojaaltasa @LaRiojaAltaSA #75ViñaArdanza