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93 pts Wine Advocate (Luis Gutiérrez)
The 2017 Viña Arana Gran Reserva, produced with Tempranillo and a kick from 5% Graciano (not with Mazuelo like in the past) from the Montecillo estate in Fuenmayor. The destemmed and crushed grapes were previously selected by an optical machine and fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts for 16 days. The wine matured in American oak barrels for three years, during which time it was racked six times, keeping the two varieties separate, then blending them before the bottling operation. The wine feels closed and took time in the glass to start opening up, showing quite young and undeveloped. It's quite monolithic, solid and seamless, but it has not developed the complexity and nuance of other wines here. It has good ripeness, 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.66 and five grams of acidity. It was bottled in January 2022. (Review 3/12/26)

94 pts Vinous Media
The 2017 Gran Reserva Viña Arana (95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano; Rioja Alta) was aged for three years in American oak with traditional semiannual rackings. Aromatically textbook, the nose offers clove, tar, vanilla and forest floor with the gentle patina of development. On the palate, it is dry and enveloping, with fine but still gently reactive tannins. Composed and classical, this Gran Reserva shows balance and restraint. (Review 4/2026)

Grapes: Tempranillo 95% / Graciano 5%
ABV: 14%
Vineyards: The basic grape variety is Tempranillo (95%) from Las Cuevas, El Palo and Las Monjas vineyards in Rodezno complemented with 5% Graciano from the Montecillo estate in Fuenmayor.
Fermentation: Fermentation was carried out at 27ºC for 16 days, followed by natural malolactic fermentation.
Aging: In March 2018, we selected the best lots to age in our own American oak barrels with an average age of 4.5 years. The wine remained in barrel for three years, with traditional racking from barrel to barrel every six months. The final blend was bottled in January 2022.

2017 Vintage Notes from the Winery: 
The vintage of the historic spring frost, which did not affect the quality of the vineyards selected for this wine but did result in lower yields. Early budbreak, with clusters benefiting from a dry, warm summer and beneficial September rains. The ripening was slow and even. For us, this was an Excellent vintage (97 points), producing wines with magnificent structure and great aging potential.