2001 Viña Arana, Reserva, La Rioja Alta

This classically mellow reserva rioja from a great vintage is all game and autumnal bonfire smoke, the succulent palate combining leather, almond and vanilla with savoury acidity.
(Anthony Rose - The Independent - Wine: Something for the weekend - Saturday, 13 March 2010)

The odd thing about Vina Arana Reserva La Rioja Alta 2001 is that on first sip it isn't so much Rioja you think of as Red Burgundy. It reminded me of one of the most delicious wines I've ever been lucky enough to taste, a 2000 Clos des Lambrays... The similarity wasn't so much in the taste as in the texture – this is the smoothest, silkiest, most fluid of Riojas. It has the same racy flow, that flawless rush, you sometimes find in Riesling... and which people love to find, and all too rarely do, in a Pinot Noir... La Rioja Alta, the Bodega, has been around for almost 120 years and the wine has a certain old-fashioned quality – despite its fluency, it contains flavours that make me think of russet leaves, damp straw and strawberries left unpicked for so long they overripen. Look, I guess I'm saying I liked it.
(Victoria Moore - The Guardian, Wine: There's more to Rioja than meets the eye - Sat 7 Nov 09)

The Arana in 2001 was made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo and was aged for three years in third fill American oak casks, then allowed to rest and gather composure before release to a suspecting market. The wine has a distinctive almost crepuscular hue, then classic aromas of menthol, macerated cherry, dried fruit and forest floor. Less exuberant of persona than the Ardanza, this is, allegedly, the one that they love to drink everyday in the Bodega…no greater endorsement than that is required. The gentle sweetness and underlying citric acidity make it a perfect match for typical fat-soaked Spanish dishes.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

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