Jamessuckling.com | JS 98
Published: Aug 18, 2023

Very impressive complexity and width on the nose, showing lots of savoriness with mushrooms, sandalwood, cedar, sweet spices, dried oranges and tobacco. Really even and juicy on the palate with fine and very present tannins. Juicy, creamy finish lasting a minute. Really elegant and layered. It goes on and on. A real Rioja Gran Reserva and I recommend buying a case! The first vintage that La Rioja Alta labelled ‘Seleccion Especial’. So appealing now, but this will evolve well in the next 20 years.

The Wine Advocate | RP 95
Published: Feb 29, 2024

I tasted again 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 that I had already tasted in mid-2022 before the wine was released. Time in bottle has done it some good, polishing the strong tannins that are the signature from 2015, though they are still not fully resolved, and a few more years in bottle will do it good. It's tasty, very classical, balanced and fresh. Impressive for such a powerful year. It was bottled in March 2020 after it matured in used American oak barrels for four years.

The Gran Reserva 904 carries the mention "Selección Especial" in the 2015 vintages for the first time in its 120 years of history. It follows the 2011 vintage and was released in April 2023. They now have 587 hectares of vineyard that allow them to produce 100% of the grapes they use for their 1.5 million bottles. This is one of the most traditional addresses in Rioja. and they release the wines quite late and have the equivalent of eight years in stock. Drink Date: 2024 - 2035