La Rioja Alta S.A. winery
La Rioja Alta is one of the foremost estates in the Rioja region, formed in 1890 by five Riojanand Basque families. It is particularly known for its classically-styled, spicy Gran Reserva reds that can age gracefully for many decades. The winery shares its name with the Rioja Alta (Upper Rioja) subregion in which many of its operations are based. The estate consists of around 400 hectares (1000 acres) of vineyards around Rioja, planted predominantly to Tempranillo, but with a wealth of other varieties including Graciano, Garnacha, and Mazuelo. La Rioja Alta's original winery is in Haro, but there is a second site in Labastida in Rioja Alavesa that was built in 1996. The Haro winery includes a cooperage, where barrels are made from American oak. It is made from selected clusters and is aged for around six years in first-use barrels. The Gran Reserva 904, the second wine, is aged for four years in oak and has a similar proportion of Tempranillo than the 890 around 90 percent. La Rioja Alta also makes a range of wines at Reserva level, and the Vi a Ardanza, which has a higher proportion of Garnacha. Two other wines, the Vi a Arana and the Vi a Alberdi complete the range. The Sociedad Vin cola de La Rioja Alta was founded in 1890, and in 1904, the Ardanza winery joined La Rioja Alta.