Which Rioja (between Prado Enea, Castillo Ygay, and LRA 904) would you lay down today and why?

I’ve decided to branch out from Lopez de Heredia, my go to Rioja producer, and have been reading up on Prado Enea, Castillo Ygay, and La Rioja Alta’s 904 bottling. I’ve had several vintages of the reservas from these producers but don’t have a clear idea of which style I prefer. All of the gran reservas are somewhat similarly priced here ($70-$100) and seem to fit my preference for moderately oaked, traditional-ish Rioja.

Is one of these vastly superior to the others? Which would you buy in quantity to age and why?

No expert, I’ve enjoyed the rioja alta wines I have had and and they strike me as very traditional and in that vein similar to LdH, but less exceptional, granted not a ton of super aged experiences (yet). The old prado enea’s I have had on the other hand, have been great and memorable, so I would lean that way by default. Why not try to source some older of each and decide from there based on your own experience?

That’s the most likely next step, but it’s a much more costly endeavor than asking the board for opinions first.

This. You ought to pick up some older examples of some of these wines and decide for yourself which one you want to purchase more of. I think we all have our preferences and it wouldn’t be fair to you to impose them. Some shed their oak differently. They are all good producers, but you’ll need to decide which one You like best.

Well, I can chime in a bit on the Ygay and the LRA 904. I love Lopez de Heredia as well, and I also love Ygay. Full disclosure, I love wines that most people would consider too old. Ygay is considered a bit modern but I’ve never really understood this as I pretty much hate modern wines, but I’ve loved every aged version of Ygay Gran Reserva Especial I’ve tried. Their white gran reserva is one of my bucket list wines. Honestly, I think the Ygay Especial Gran Reserva its “early youthful drinkability” at about 10-12 yrs, but they need 20+ before you get tertiary notes more front and center… I’ve not been a huge fan of LRA 904. The examples I"ve tried have had the oak too obvious, but perhaps they needed more time as I’ve only had them a few years after release.

Do consider CVNE Gran Reservas too: Imperial, Vina Real and Contino. All are right up there with the best with age.

Depends entirely on what you like. Prado Enea will have the typical Muga funk. You never really lose it. It turns into an elegant, understated, delicious wine over time, although it also starts out that way. Castillo Ygay may be the second oldest wine I’ve had other than Riscal dating back to the 1920s. It can go the distance if it’s from a good year and you’ll get the notes of dried strawberries that old Tempranillo gives you. Rioja Alta is always and forever going to be Rioja Alta. If you like that coconut oak, it never leaves and it’s always a signature of the bodega. That’s not a criticism, just a note that it will be very distinctive. Contino is simply a magnificent wine and the 1982 rates up there with one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. Unfortunately, Jesus is no longer there so I can’t tell you about any of the more recent few vintages.

Er, why not “all of the above” ? [cheers.gif]

Then you can have fun comparing their evolution.
I have some limited experience with each of these and like them all lot. Also CVNE Imperial. So why discriminate?

And leave some cellar and wallet space for the rest of Spain, there is a world beyond Rioja.

For me there was a distinct stylistic change for Prado Enea between 1996 & beyond. Anything 1995 or before I really felt passionate about. however, as time has passed I’ve found that they became more extracted and there was a big shift with the 1998 vintage that had me buy one bottle of 2001 & 2004 to try. I was highly disappointed when I opened the 2001 it had more in common with wines from the Priorat than old-school Rioja. I’m sitting on the 2004 for a minimum of 20+ years in the hope that time will shift the wine to a style I enjoy again…but the 1995 was ethereal in 2007. Light bodied, high acidity, and just a brilliant wine. If it were me, I’d suggest buying some LdH Bosconia Gran Reserva to age…

I love the 904, have 2 cases sitting in my cellar. I also love the Enea, the Ygay, and the CVNE Grand Imperial. I have a case of the Enea, a case of CVNE Gran Imperial (and several cases of their others) and a handful of Ygay. They are all great, but a little different. I couldnt’ pick so I bought them all and I know I will love them all in several years

I find the coconut and dill notes from the oak in LRA to be overwhelming and off-putting. But I think I’m just particularly sensitive to those flavours.

On the other hand, I love CVNE, LdH and Muga.

I’ve noted here time and again about the heavy coconut and oak notes in relatively younger, say < 20 y-o LRAs. I hate them, too.

However, I also find that these coconut, dill notes are almost non-factors with nicely-aged LRA 890s and 904s I’ve had. An ‘82 904 about 2 weeks ago and a ‘64 890 last summer, were very good to excellent, almost delicate and elegant with baking spice components.

Without having had recent vintages, but based on aged examples of the producers that the OP provided, I’ll buy and hold. I’m quite convinced that Rioja wines are among the best-aging cost-friendliest bottles that you can find out there.

I just got back from Rioja. I will post trip notes later.

I will probably focus on LdH and La Rioja Alta and trying to find some smaller producers. But, I’m having a hard time sourcing older bottles. Hart Davis Hart seems to have the best selection, but their shipping has me stumped. They never come out and say whether they can ship to Texas or not.

+1 I’m not quite as sensitive as Andrew but for my palate Alta is nowhere near as pleasurable as the others mentioned. Y’Gay if you’re laying down for more than 25 years, Enea if you are looking for earlier drinking.

The oak presence in young <25 y-o Muga Gran Enea can be quite daunting for my taste.

They age gracefully and very nicely, though.

I agree that Rioja is one of the most age-worthy wines. It’s the Eveready bunny of wines. Rob_S will remember an incredible 1964 Faustino I that a mutual friend opened a few years ago. Sublime. I just don’t have the time or patience to let my LRAs sit in the cellar for another 40 years, but perhaps I should source an older one just to see how it evolves.

I will say that people are passionate about their Rioja.

I posted a tasting note on CT for the 2004 LRA 904. I gave it a low score (83) because of the coconut and dill that overwhelmed everything else, and I was viciously attacked by a self-professed Rioja expert (and prolific poster on CT) who said that there is neither coconut nor dill in Rioja. He said that I don’t know what I was talking about, and I only imagined I tasted it because I had read somewhere that it had coconut and dill notes. (I’m paraphrasing.)

The whole exchange got quite absurd. He was WAY over the top, including cursing at me in both Spanish and French. It reminded me of the “dirty fork” sketch from Monty Python (which I referenced in one of my replies). You won’t find the exchange in the TNs on CT because I deleted my tasting note and then reposted it and blocked comments.

However, if you’re looking for an entertaining Sunday afternoon read, I posted the whole exchange on Dec 28th in the “Tasting Notes to Note” section on CT.

Put me in the camp of pro-LRA. Love the 904, Ardanza, and Alberdi. I’m more ambivalent on the Arana.

Absurd? Sounds like a common wineberserkers occurrence.

Seeing as how the 1978 Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, at 30+ yo, is one of the greatest wines I’ve ever had, I’d go for that one.

Granted, I have not given the others the chance to prove their mettle with similar age.

Great thread.