Beautiful Old Riojas: 1964 Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial

2 Sep 2016: This dinner took a while to come together and in the end, we lost some people but gained others. It was a remarkable assembly of beautifully aged Riojas, including the legendary 1928 Federico Paternina Ollauri Gran Reserva and the 1964 Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial (released only 3 times in history, 1964, 1973 and 2001). I found the VA in the 1928 a bit overpowering a short while after opening. It was almost madeira like.  We were able to taste two vintages of La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 side by side: 1964 and 1989. They were both divine: 1964 nicely matured, and 1989 still plentiful of vigour. We were also treated to a 1968 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco: amber gold in colour, with layers of ginger, nutmeg, Oriental spices, hints of caramel, still showing lots of freshness and a long finish. 

There's something rather romantic about old Riojas.....the silky texture, the liveliness that's still evident in most of the wines, the layers of flavours slowly unfolding on the palate, and the lingering finish. With these, we do not worry ourselves with single vineyards, just the vintage and the skill of the winemaker.  These are wines for a meditative evening, not wines to be consumed in a hurry! 

My top picks from our evening were:

1964 Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial

1964 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904

1989 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904

A couple of white Bourgogne bottles sneaked into our tasting, but they were both much appreciated.

For a traditional evening, the best venue had to be Olé, which never disappoints with its fabulous execution of classic dishes! (http://www.olespanishrestaurant.com.hk/)

1945 Rausan Segla

3 Sep 2016:
1945 Rausan Segla: "Shipped in wood" to the UK for bottling.  Harmonious, seamlessly integrated, mature bouquet of cigar box, violet and leather with caramelized fruit notes, lingering on the finish. Velvety to taste, with no noticeable acetic or oxidative notes. Incredibly well preserved for its age. An ethereal classic claret. Lacking in depth and richness for the vintage to merit a higher score. 19/20