Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1998, impeccable condition, to continue cellaring, a classic that cannot be missing in any Spanish wine cellar Winemaking: Alcoholic fermentation took 14 days, devatting four days later at controlled temperature. Malolactic fermentation took 39 days in stainless steel tanks, in a natural way. In December 1999 the wines were aged in semi-new 225-litre American oak barrels for 53 months, being racked by the traditional barrel-to-barrel method every 6 months. Gently filtered before bottling in April 2004. Tasting notes: Light reddish ruby colour of medium depth, bright, very clean, luminous. Orange reflections, medium rim, coppery. Somewhat shy on opening, but never quite opened; two hours in the bottle before serving. Very classic and recognisable: full of reduced red fruit, candied orange, clove, pink pepper, Russian leather, a hint of oak and a background that is gaining in presence, almost smoky, with sensations of cocoa powder and a very smooth toast. Full of details, pure, elegant, but it seems to have the handbrake on. Powerful, concentrated, with firm tannins to be polished, quality bitterness and an excellent acidity that fills everything. There is a lot of wine here! Fresh, lively, nervous, with a tremendous structure, somewhat hard overall. Still to be made, still very young. A promising 904 that shows clear signs of having an impressive future ahead of it and many points of overlap with the 890 of the same vintage at the moment. It seems that the Rioja Alta wines of this vintage are going for the long haul and have that "something" difficult to define that sets them apart from the rest. A red wine to keep for many years and to recover from lustrum to lustrum. It deserves no less!