La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 2010 750ml

About La Rioja Alta

Though La Rioja Alta has its roots in a tiny, five-member cooperative formed in 1890, it rose to prominence in 1904, when it absorbed the nearby Bodegas Ardanza. One obstacle to La Rioja’s global distribution was the remote location of the estate in Haro, the heart of Rioja. Surrounded by mountains Haro was essentially cut off — ironically, this mountain range helps to shield the vineyards from destructive winds and other weather events, which means the very thing that allowed La Rioja Alta to make great wine also prevented the world from getting it. La Rioja Alta solved this problem by building a railroad connection to Bilbao that finished the same year that Bodegas La Rioja Alta opened. While it’s not traditional in the Rioja for the great bodegas to own vineyards, La Rioja Alta owns 740 acres, thus ensuring grapes of the highest quality, and while the fortunes of Rioja have risen and fallen over the past century, La Rioja Alta maintained its commitment to high quality Rioja wines with strictly traditional methods.