Rioja Gran Reserva 904 Seleccion Especial, La Rioja Alta 2015

A perfumed nose of plums, mulberries, mushrooms, caramel, sweet tobacco and sweet spices. Full-bodied with velvety, fine tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and supple with a creamy texture. Delicate and precise with a long, polished finish. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. Drink or hold.

They used the words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk to define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo. The grapes were sorted optically for the first time, and they fermented in stainless steel where the wine went through malolactic too. The wine was put in barrel in January 2016—used American oak barrels built by their own coopers—where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. They thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and have decided to hold it and release the wine around March 2023; it will be marked Selección Especial, the first 904 to do so, as they have very high hopes for this year and believe it's one of the finest vintages. They think it will develop the sophistication in the palate with a little more time and that is should achieve the silkiness that is the signature of 904. This is very 2015; I saw quite strong tannins in all the 2015 wines I tasted from Rioja Alta. There are some 150,000 bottles of this. 2024-2035

The first 904 Gran Reserva to be labelled Seleccion Especial, the 2015 is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. Deep garnet in colour, it offers the typically rich, complex nose we have come to expect from this flagship wine. Layers of dark cherry and forest fruit mingle with sweet spices and a strong leathery, cured meat tone. With air the fruit becomes even darker, layered with notes of incense and clove. The palate has the signature cashmere texture, offering waves of chocolate, coffee, black forest gateau and serano ham. Despite the rich, ripe quality of this wine the star is a bright acidity that cuts through the power. This adds freshness and highlights the fruit at the core. The extended ageing means there is a depth and softness that make this delicious to drink already, but experience suggests this wine will only improve with further ageing in the cellar. Long, concentrated and complex, the 2015 finds an excellent balance between ripe fruit, strong savoury character and vibrancy.