La Rioja Alta Torre de Ona Reserva 2015

Robert Parker, 92 pts

"The darker and more powerful 2015 Reserva shows the style of the vintage, which is riper and warmer but has produced quite balanced wines. It has a modern and clean style, with some creamy, spicy and smoky notes that seem to be part of the house style. It comes through as balsamic and has notes of incense and cigar ash, and it's fruit-driven, with aromas of dark berries and a touch of forest floor. The palate is medium to full-bodied with fruit and some tannins and finishes dry and clean, with good precision and length."

La Rioja Alta

Founded by 5 Riojan families in 1890 in the famous Haro Station district as "Sociedad Vinicola de la Rioja Alta", and with their first president being Saturnina Garcia Cid y Garate (Remarkable that Saturnina was a woman, quite rare at the time. This shows the innovative and modern spirit of this historic winery since its inception). Their first winemaker was a Monsieur Vigier, a French man who create Rioja Alta's Gran Reserva 890 as his first wine.

It wasn't until 1904 that Alfredo Ardanza, founder of the Ardanza winery, proposed to merge both companies, which eventually became "La Rioja Alta S.A." in 1941.