Viña Albina Vendimia Seleccionada Reserva 2020
A great vintage of a great classic from Rioja Alta
Gold Medal
Berliner Wein Trophy
Gold Medal
Concurso Internacional Mundus Vini
Bodegas Riojanas (1890) is one of the oldest wineries in Spain, and Viña Albina was the first brand to be launched in the late nineteenth century. This Viña Albina Reserva Vendimia Seleccionada 2020 (Excellent vintage) comes from a selection of the best vineyards in the Rioja Alta area – vineyards that represent the essence of elegance and harmony in a wine with the same superb laying down potential that’s shaped the legend of the great Rioja wines. Pure elegance.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
5% Graciano, 80% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo
Type of barrel
New and medium-toast American oak barrels
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Barrel aging time
24 to 30 months
Capacity (cl)
75
General Information
Viña Albina Reserva Vendimia Seleccionada 2020 comes from a vintage that received the highest rating in the D.O.Ca. Rioja: Excellent. It’s made from a blend of Tempranillo (80%), Mazuelo (15%) and Graciano (5%). The Tempranillo grapes are from the firm’s own low-yielding vineyards more than 30 years old located in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria, in the municipality of San Vicente de la Sonsierra.
The Mazuelo and Graciano grapes came from vines between 25 and 30 years old grown on plots in the municipality of Cenicero. These varieties provide floral and fruity notes, together with a magnificent acidity that makes for an exceptional evolution. Sustainable practices were employed for all the vines, with minimal phytosanitary intervention.
The grapes were harvested by areas using a system that classified each plot to get the most out of the grapes. A second classification within each plot made it possible to identify the areas and variability of the grapes based chiefly on changes in soil composition. The third selection is through tasting, and ends with the grapes being picked by hand, bunch by bunch.
The winery believes in minimal intervention. The grapes were stemmed and gently pressed and underwent alcoholic fermentation with a selection of native yeasts and long maceration to achieve the desired colour and structure. The wine was finally aged for 24 to 30 months in new and medium-toast American oak barrels.
Bodegas Riojanas, one of the winemaking firms with the longest tradition in Spain, was founded back in 1890 by the Artacho family, together with Rafael Carreras. Originally established in Cenicero, in Rioja Alta, the winery has undergone eight modernisations over the course of its more than 125 years of existence, even building new facilities in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The 300 hectares of vineyards Bodegas Riojanas controls are distributed throughout Cenicero, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and other adjoining municipalities.
Viña Albina Vendimia Seleccionada Reserva 2020 (D.O.Ca. Rioja) is perfect with fillet au poivre or roast chicken and chips.
Creators' opinion
We can’t help smiling whenever we taste a wine that comes from these combinations of terroirs.Cherry-red colour. Round nose, with lively notes of red fruit followed by hints of liquorice over a background of vanilla pods, coconut and toffee. Elegant, mouth-coating on the palate, with layer after layer of flavours that combine red fruits, spices and unexpected notes from wood. Notable for its natural freshness that makes it lively and adds to the experience and expressiveness of the fruit, with a long finish.
The winery
Bodegas Riojanas is one of the great centenary wineries of Rioja, founded in 1890 in Cenicero by two families with a winemaking tradition: the Frías and the Artacho families. Today, Bodegas Riojanas continues to be led by the descendants of the founding families, with Santiago Frías at the helm. The five generations that have steered this illustrious winery have consolidated and perpetuated its prestige, based on two historic brands: Viña Albina, a label born at the dawn of the 20th century; and Monte Real, created in the 1930s with grapes from a vineyard in Cenicero by the French winemaker Gabriel Larrendat.
Bodegas Riojanas was one of the wineries that participated in the creation of the Rioja Denomination of Origin in 1925, and from the 1930s onwards, it forged its reputation as a master in the art of aging wines. It has more than 600 hectares of vineyards—both owned and controlled—in the heart of Rioja Alta, between the areas of Cenicero and San Vicente de la Sonsierra, divided into more than 1,600 plots of clay-limestone soils. The tempranillo grape is the main protagonist, although there is also a significant extension of mazuelo and graciano, varieties that are ideal for complementing blends.
Over time, Bodegas Riojanas has diversified its activities, launching new projects in other denominations of origin: Toro (Bodegas Torreduero), Bierzo, Rueda and Ribera del Duero (Bodegas Viore), Rías Baixas (Veiga Naum), Cava (Cum Laude), and Monterrei (Bodegas Gargalo). It also markets the Alacer brand. Bodegas Riojanas is one of the few Spanish wineries listed on the stock exchange.