Wine Pick Of The Week: 2001 Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial

This January, we asked our team of experts — sommeliers, wine writers, and winemakers — to recommend the best wines to be drinking in 2013. Here's what our panelists recommended for the week of January 28 — and it's perfect for a cold, wintry night. 

2001 Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial; Rioja, Spain; $28- $30

"Want something warm and toasty to snuggle up with on a cold night? With its spicy, intense red fruit and tobacco notes, this 2001 vintage is the first Reserva Especial of the century (the region's highest accolade for a Rioja vintage) and only the third time this designation has been received. [It's] aged in American oak, [and] a blend of mostly tempranillo with a bit of grenache gives this wine a vanilla, toasty quality that goes terrific with paella with chorizo and other hearty winter foods."

— Kristen Siebecker, certified sommelier and host of New York City Skillshare class, "Popping Your Cork!"

You can check out the full list for the year, and start planning your wine list ahead of time. Up next week: an alvarinho wine to warm you up.