La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1981

Wine: La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1981
Winery: La Rioja Alta S.A. (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo and Graciano.
ABV: 12.5% vol.

Winemaking

Tempranillo sourced from the oldest estate vineyards in Rioja Alta (Ollauri, Rodezno, and Cenicero), with Mazuelo and Graciano from the Melchorón I and II estates. A small portion of the blend was purchased from local growers’ finest plots, following strict selection for sugar levels. The wine remained for 6 months in centennial wooden vats to complete malolactic fermentation and stabilize. It was aged in 225-liter American oak barrels for 84 months, with a total of 12 manual rackings to remove sediment and allow slight oxygenation. Bottled in February 1989. A minimum of 42 months of bottle aging followed prior to its commercial release.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Brownish-ruby color with medium depth; clear. It displays coppery and orange reflections with subdued brilliance, somewhat matte and slightly grainy, with a fine sediment at the base of the bottle. The rim is wide and tawny/brick-colored, showing a marked contrast against the meniscus.

 

Nose: Any doubts regarding excessive evolution are immediately dismissed upon smelling the wine. As intense as it is powerful, but above all, highly recognizable. A textbook "904"—sublime and clean—initially dominated by smoke, cigar humidor, Virginia tobacco, and a backdrop of roasted grains that melds with the most elegant leather imaginable. Increasingly autumnal and shaded, fine mineral notes emerge, pivoting toward caulking, tar, and pitch, before shifting into undergrowth, dehydrated mushrooms, and morels. Tremendous.

 

Palate: On the palate, the wine is more poised and rounded than expected. Ample, vivid, and fresh, though somewhat lighter and less full-bodied than the 1982 vintage. While it lacks some of the energy shown in other harvests, it compensates with immense elegance. It arrives "dressed in a tuxedo"—wrinkle-free and gleaming. It has likely reached its peak.

 

Commentary

The 1981 Gran Reserva 904 is a model of traditional sophistication. It represents the transition from the tertiary power of the nose to a refined, silky presence on the palate. While perhaps more delicate than its successor from 1982, it possesses a structural integrity and a "tuxedo-like" finish that defines the house style. It is in a magnificent drinking window; a wine to be enjoyed and celebrated over the coming years.

 

Personal Score: 94
Tasting Group Average: 94