Vinoble is excited to list La Rioja Alta Hong Kong. The iconic estate is among the iconic producers of Rioja, based in Haro, the center of the region. Haro is home to many of classic Rioja manufacturers - the likes of Roda, Muga, Cune, Viña Tondonia and Bilbanas. Rioja Alta started life in 1890, when much of France’s winery area was destroyed by phylloxera. Uncommonly in the area, Rioja Alta is a significant land owner, with 360 hectares of vineyards, although their annual production is still big enough to necessitate purchasing of additional fruit. Yet, unlike most Rioja producers, they are nearly self-sufficient, and only purchase-in varieties they may be short of, such as Graciano or Mazuelo. At the time of our visit, some 43,000 barrels were full of wine in the large barrel halls at the Labastida and Haro wineries. In between they are not tasted or topped up, as would be the case in a boutique winery. This would be simply too much work. Rioja Alta triumphs in making high-quality, traditional Rioja wines. These are not brassy wines in the modern mould, but rather the "standard issue" in the typical Rioja mould, with vicseral complexity and interest.