Bodegas Riojanas, “Viña Albina” Rioja Reserva For Cheap

Bodegas Riojanas, “Viña Albina” Rioja Reserva

Today, our march into the depths of mature Rioja continues with a limited trove of 1989 “Viña Albina” from iconic Bodegas Riojanas. When it comes to longevity, traditional styling, and preservation of fruit, their seemingly unwearied back vintages have routinely dominated mature Barolo, Bordeaux, and Napa bottlings priced across the spectrum. 

On release, “Viña Albina” is always a quintessential representation of classic Rioja but tack on three decades of flawless aging and you’ve entered the rarefied “sweet spot.” This is when high-quality Tempranillo and American oak flavors have fully integrated, creating a masterful wine of deep nuance, savory complexity, and Burgundian refinement. In short, place this in any cellar and heads are guaranteed to turn. We can allow up to six bottles per person. Three earns you complimentary shipping. 

BONUS: We also have a single case of Riojanas’ 1975 “Vina Albiña.” You can secure one bottle here. 

Despite Rioja’s ancient Roman winemaking history, only a few current-day estates have crafted wine for over a century. Although the town of Haro is where you’ll find most of these long-lived heavyweights (López de Heredia, La Rioja Alta, CVNE), not all of the legends are based here. In 1890, Bodegas Riojanas set up shop 12 miles southeast, in the village of Cenicero. Today, the size of Riojanas’ production is staggering, as is the case with its neighbors in Haro, but make no mistake: they are among the most respected properties in Rioja, and their trove of mature vintages is tremendous. 

Riojanas’ “Viña Albina” is sourced from various estate vineyards throughout their hometown of Cenicero. Led by Tempranillo and rounded out with small amounts of Mazuela and Graciano, the grapes are de-stemmed and gently crushed at the winery before a native-yeast fermentation in large, upright wooden vessels. Following, the resulting wine matures in high-quality, medium-toasted American oak for 24-30 months before bottling. Up until its arrival at our warehouse in late January, today’s parcel of 1989 Reserva spent the duration of its life in a private Spanish cellar.

Proper service is essential for wines of antiquity, so please read the following. Stand your bottle upright for several days (preferably weeks, if you have the time) to allow the sediment and wine to “settle” from its transatlantic journey. When opening, I strongly recommend extracting the cork with an ah-so tool—better still is a Durand, a must-have for lovers of long-aged wines. If your cork breaks and/or is accidentally pushed in, do not fret, all is not lost! Gently pour the wine through a fine strainer and into a decanter, or a clean bottle if you don’t want the wine exposed to excess air.  

The bottle I opened was in immaculate condition with great fill and a beautiful faded ruby that moved out to brick orange on the rim. After allowing the wine to open up in a Burgundy stem for two minutes, I dipped my nose and discovered vibrant aromas of dried redcurrant, Cuban tobacco, black cherry skin, dried red plum, sandalwood, coconut husk, licorice, damp earth, sous bois, and tarragon. The palate was exquisite, velvet soft, and medium-bodied with layers of herbs and spice still decorating the faded yet still present core of berry fruit. I suggest consuming your bottle within the first three hours for peak enjoyment. My bottle actually went through a dumb phase between minutes 15-30, and then rebounded with gorgeous aromatic swells and a fresher, buttoned-up palate. Old Riojanas is always such a unique and thrilling experience. Cheers!