2015 Bodega Altanza Rioja Gran Reserva 750 ml

By the standards of Rioja, Bodega Altanza is the New Kid on the Block—but a mere 17 years after their founding, their 2015 Gran Reserva proves they’ve got the right stuff. 

Boldly aromatic and packed with the cedar-meets-dried-herbs-meets-intense-dark-fruit flavors that only come from the best bottles in Rioja, it’s a bottle that only an ambitious winery could produce. And Altanza is nothing if not ambitious, building one of the most impressive collections of wines in the region, step by step.

Bounded by the Ebro river and Cantabrian mountains to the north, Rioja Alta is the highest-altitude section of Rioja—the crown jewel of Spanish appellations. Here, Tempranillo is its most perfumed, vibrant, and ageworthy, as the cooler temperatures there allow for a long hang-time and profound complexity.

And Tempranillo is the only red grape Altanza has planted in their vineyards, a modern touch that marks them as forward-looking to their peers. Only about two-thirds of their land is planted to grapes, though. That’s to create a balanced ecosystem—one where olive trees thrive and walking around creates its own joy from the beauty of the landscape.

In the cellar, they use a mixture of French and the traditional American oak of the region—and the 2015 Gran Reserva saw a full two years in barrel. The exceptional vintage produced tiny berries packed with flavor, color, and structure, which meant that the team at Altanza didn’t have to work hard to create a wine that will delight lovers of Napa Cabs and powerful Rhône reds.