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 Vintage1995 Label 1 of 56 
TypeRed
ProducerR. López de Heredia (web)
VarietyTempranillo Blend
DesignationGran Reserva
VineyardViña Bosconia
CountrySpain
RegionLa Rioja
SubRegionLa Rioja Alta
AppellationRioja
UPC Code(s)721315040023, 721384040023, 721384040054

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2016 and 2033 (based on 17 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Lopez de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Vina Bosconia on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 93.2 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 117 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by mattyboy_ on 2/26/2024 & rated 93 points: Very red fruited - flavors dominated by dusty dried cherry, baked cherry, berry leaf, earth, smoke, leather. Soft tannins, medium+ acidity, Fairly light and very elegant. I paired this with braised short ribs which I think was a mistake, this would be much better with some grilled steaks or a roast. (767 views)
 Tasted by ryestraw on 10/21/2023: So great. (1070 views)
 Tasted by chablis28 on 10/19/2023 & rated 96 points: Jim and Michelene for their 40th wedding anniversary w/ chef Don Saunders. Matt L's btl flighted with Dave D's 95' Tondonia. Last time I had these 2 wines together I preferred this to the Tondonia. Tonight I flipped and a slight preference for the Tondonia's marvelous fruit. This was a little more darkly complected and slightly less giving tonight. That said I loved it's resolve, elegance and tertiary notes. The "other" stunning btl in a stunning flight! Thanks Matt L! 96+ (1350 views)
 Tasted by Bellissimo on 10/19/2023: Brought to friends. Splash decanted to ensure it was not flawed and sediment, rebottled, slow O'd for 2 hours and we got around to this. Note from memory. Tasted alongside a '95 Tondonia Gran Reserva -- FUN comparison.

Note in a word: ETHEREAL. Just so light on its feet yet beautiful, complex and balanced. Floral, red fruit, sous bois, loam and oh my did this pair well with duck. Still thinking about this a day later.

You hear people compare the Bosconia to Burgundy and tasting this alongside the '95 Tondonia Gran Reserva (more traditionally compared to Bordeaux) one absolutely understands the comparisons.

What a treat. Thanks to our hosts and Dave for bringing its "Bordeaux" companion. (964 views)
 Tasted by asparagus on 10/4/2023 & rated 95 points: Wow. Blind. Opened 3.5 hrs prior. Everyone thought it was a Burg good 1er or GC. Heehee (1338 views)
 Tasted by scamhi on 6/22/2023: drinking beautifully right now (1248 views)
 Tasted by sharonandroland on 5/9/2023 & rated 95 points: Classic, classy Lopez de Heredia. More suble (more Burgundian? as the bottle would suggest) and more cherry, sous bois than the Tondonia. At a lovely stage of evolution. Ethereal and light footed, yet so yummy. (1293 views)
 Tasted by kwl on 5/3/2023 & rated 91 points: Cellartracker says that I drank a bottle of this in 2018, which I had no recollection of. But what a difference 6 years makes. Popped and slow-oxed 8 hours before dinner. Pale brown/garnet in the glass. The nose delivers an elegant/graceful but complex bouquet of red cherries/mulberries, meatiness/leather and mocha. The palate was harmonious, though could do with a bit more structure to balance the acidity. Drinking very very well now at 28 years of age. (1062 views)
 Tasted by decaturwinedude on 12/7/2022: A Good Tuesday, Vol VIII: Lopez de Heredia and Friends: Last year we did the 94 together- this year the 95s. This is more rustic, next to Tondonia. More earth tones-not quite the power. But quite elegant, floral, cigar box. Food brings out the silky cherry fruit on weightless palate. Quite good. Interestingly, Chablis28s note below captures almost exactly how we felt about the 95s side-by-side tonight. (1659 views)
 Tasted by chablis28 on 11/29/2022 & rated 98 points: David's btl at Chez Jimmy! A great feast of Lamb & Prime rib in the hands of one of our favorite local Greeks! This flight was to die for tonight. David's btl was paired alongside Dave's '95 Tondonia Gran Rerserva. Perfect scenario for a wine flight! Both wines were weightlessly ethereal & classics! The Bosconia was just a tic more layered & tertiary while Dave's Tondonia offered up a bit more vibrant fruit. Degrees of greatness from both btls. Both mesmerizing!!! Dam it, I wish I had grabbed more of these aged Lopez Gran Reservas 10yrs ago! Thank you David & Dave for sharing these rare birds! (1808 views)
 Tasted by minndavid60 on 11/29/2022 & rated 98 points: Side by side tasting with an equally rocking 95 Tondonia Gran Reserva and served with perhaps the best grilled lamb chops I’ve ever had. Hoping chablis28 will post a more detailed note but this was absolutely stunning and a wine I would be happy to drink forever. Very youthful and with that Bosconia weightlessness. (1241 views)
 Tasted by UFGators on 11/27/2021 & rated 96 points: I was blown away how youthful this is. Tons of fruit and some tertiary flavors. This is truly delicious. This is drinking in the sweet spot for me since I enjoy the fruit but this has many many years ahead of this. (2089 views)
 Tasted by 560 B&W on 10/30/2021 & rated 94 points: Lovely and unbelievably fresh for its age. 13% (1903 views)
 Tasted by lovanc@outlook.com on 10/3/2021: This is a fantastic wine. Floral on the nose but much darker fruit flavors compared to its younger sibling from the previous night. Good acidity and lighter on the palate make it very food friendly. (506 views)
 Tasted by BillBell73 on 2/5/2021: Bosconia is always such a smooth and graceful wine and this vintage is a perfect example of that. Typically sedate dried cherry and leather with a tiny bit of vegetal funk in the nose but it is more a feature than a flaw. Excellent! (2287 views)
 Tasted by DK Amateur on 12/31/2020: Beautiful translucent red-brown colour. Fine nose with red earth, toast and dried cherries. Rather light in the mouth but with long aftertaste. Very high acidity and much less sweet than the reserva. More developed than seven years ago. Will probably keep half a century from here. (2122 views)
 Tasted by asparagus on 12/8/2020 & rated 96 points: This was a clear WoTN. Dark cherries, violets, spice and some tobacco. Good acid, present but silky tannins and a long, lingering And savory finish. A wow wine. (2491 views)
 Tasted by Topper on 11/28/2020 & rated 95 points: Others have described this very well. I'll only say that it was firing on all cylinders, gained strength in the glass and was the perfect accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner (2078 views)
 Tasted by snsharma on 5/31/2020 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured to a barnyard nose that settled to a classic Rioja nose after about an hour, and stayed til the next day. Medium-full body. Well-balanced fruit that was good right out of the bottle, and didn’t change much. I didn’t get a lot of secondary characteristics on day 1 or 2. Great finish that lingers for awhile. Good right now but easily holdable for another 5-10 years, which I’d probably recommend if you can keep your hands off it! (2063 views)
 Tasted by WST on 2/22/2020: A superb and elegant wine, one of my favorites thus far this year. I can understand the “Burgundian” comparison based on its ethereal character, its lightness and the gorgeous texture. Be that as it may, the flavors and aromas were a far cry from Burgundy. Pipe tobacco and dried earthy cherry, exceptionally clean and pure. The wine captures you with the first breath and sip, but needs attention to fully appreciate the subtle greatness. (2173 views)
 Tasted by William Kelley on 2/20/2020 & rated 94 points: The 1995 Viña Bosconia is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, dried red berries and plums, mingled with warm spices, dark chocolate and dried fig. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and supple, with a lovely spine of acidity, refined but not yet fully resolved tannins, and a long, sapid finish. This is a beautiful Gran Reserva that is still a decade away from its true peak. (4158 views)
 Tasted by blanquito on 1/15/2020 & rated 93 points: Popped late in the evening on a whim, I was worried it would show too young after all the senior citizens we had opened, but this is an outstanding Bosconia already giving a lot. Again, quite Burgundian in texture. Clean, bright fruit, terrific depth and balance, fresher than some LdH wines and again shows very little if any new oak influences. Doesn't seem fruity but has all the fruit needed to balance the acids and structure. If you own, you are lucky and you will enjoy this wine for decades to come. (2171 views)
 Tasted by edwardochu on 1/11/2020 & rated 93 points: beautiful nose, very seductive! Its at the beginning of its middle age, which should last for another 15 years. (1927 views)
 Tasted by diggydan on 12/25/2019 & rated 96 points: This really sucked. The nose was only a beguiling mix of black cherry, earth, and old oak and the body was nothing more than fine silk. On the palate lively cherry and good acids and a long smooth, finish left me wanting more. (1851 views)
 Tasted by andtheodor on 10/17/2019 & rated 94 points: Served double blind. Cranberry, rhubarb, wild strawberry fruit over tangy acidity. Funky, intense, a touch acetic, with a decayed leaves and beef broth savoriness. Great stuff. (1921 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

Professional 'Channels'
By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2014, Issue #51, Recently Tasted Spanish Wines: Great Traditional Wines, A Few Overly Alcoholic Dinosaurs and More Old Rioja Notes Than Anyone Has A Right to Taste
(Rioja “Viña Bosconia” Gran Reserva- López de Heredia) Login and sign up and see review text.
By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, September/October 2012, IWC Issue #164
(R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja) Subscribe to see review text.
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Vinous. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

R. López de Heredia

Producer Website

Tempranillo Blend

Tempranillo is the backbone of wines made ihvhhcn the best well-known Spanish regions Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but is also grown as far afield as Mexico and Australia.

As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate - but with a rustic edge. The Many wines made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumers . Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak - add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle - and occasionaly not-so-subtle - leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly.

Gran Reserva

Tradition Ascendant in Rioja
By ERIC ASIMOV
August 11, 2009

One of my stops on my recent trip to Spain was Rioja, where I was able to spend quite a bit of time at the venerable winery López de Heredia, which is the focus of my column this week.

As those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time may guess, I’ve had a long love affair with the wines of López de Heredia. In fact, my second post ever was about its wonderful rosado, which, unusually for any wine, let alone a rosé, is generally released when it’s about 10 years old.

It’s almost reflexive when talking about López to describe it as classic or unyielding, because it is quite immune to the trend-following that so often guides decision-making in the world of wine. That is true. But it took me this visit to realize that in its own way, López de Heredia is now a cutting-edge winery.

It’s a case of what goes around comes around, as forward-thinking winemakers have in many ways come around to López de Heredia’s ways of doing things. This is particularly true in the vineyard, where its gentle, natural viticultural approach is now the preferred approach my many of the world’s great producers. In the winery, it’s harder to say, except that Lopez’s gentle handling, reliance on natural yeasts and overall artisanal methods are likewise an ideal today.

Of course, the fact that Lopez uses old barrels, including enormous wooden fermentation vessels that have been around almost as long as the 132-year-old winery itself, leaves a lot of room for debate. Very few producers use barrels that old, though one that comes to mind is Biondi Santi in Montalcino.

Still, styles oscillate over the years, and I believe we are now retreating from an era of overly oaky wines, back to wines where the barrel regimen is as much if not more about imparting texture as it is flavor.

In fact, oaky flavors can be important in López de Heredia wines. All you have to do is taste one of its wonderful older white wines, like the 1991 reserva, to taste the hazelnut, coconut flavors of American oak beautifully integrated with the wine. And if you ever get a chance to taste a rare 1964 white, as I did in Rioja, you will be rewarded with a rich, pure wine tasting almost entirely of minerals.

The strange thing about López de Heredia is that because its wines have never changed, people tend to think of the company as a dour, humorless, rigid sort of place, haunted by the imperative of adhering to tradition. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For instance, while the winery is largely a sturdy example of late 19th century architecture, the new boutique for visitors, designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, is fully in keeping with the non-linear architectural look of modern Rioja. It was in the boutique that I watched one afternoon as Maria José López de Heredia, along with her sister, Mercedes, and father, Pedro, about to turn 81, regaled tourists with a boisterous Spanish drinking song.

Many people might be surprised, for example, at some of the winery’s plans for tourism. Maria José, who often takes the lead role in public but runs the winery with her sister, father and brother, Julio César, would like to build a little train line to take tourists back and forth between the winery and its most famous vineyard, Viña Tondonia, just across the Ebro River.

“Why not?’’ she said. “It’s very important to teach people, and it’s easier to teach them if you give them a good time.’’

Of course, she has a serious reason as well. “It’s impossible for people to understand the soul of a wine if they don’t know how the grapes are grown,’’ she told me.

For people who do have the opportunity to visit López de Heredia, doubtless the most striking moment is seeing the thousands of bottles of gran reserva wines, aging in a cellar covered in mold and cobwebs. For people who are used to the squeaky clean hygiene of New World cellars (or for somebody like my mother, for example, who did not permit dirt in her kitchen) such a sight might prove troubling.

But the mold and cobwebs are typical of more than a few old Old World cellars, where they are considered an intrinsic part of the terroir. Maria José, for example, insists that the mold and webs are absolutely beneficial to the wines, and that cleaning them out under the mistaken notion of pursuing hygiene would have many unintended consequences.

“It’s protection, not affliction!’’ she said, and I don’t doubt her. Her wines, at least, are paragons of purity.

Viña Bosconia

On weinlagen-info

Spain

Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info

Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net

Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.

La Rioja

Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja
Map on weinlagen-info

La Rioja Alta

Map on weinlagen-info

Rioja

Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja

HISTORY
The wine region of La Rioja in Spain was first demarcated by the area's governing body, the Consejo Regulador, in 1926. The region extends for approximately 120 kilometres along both sides of the Ebro River and is, at its widest point, bounded by mountains on either side. In fact, the word 'Rioja' is a derivation of the two words 'Rio' (River) and 'Oja (the name of a tributary of the Ebro that runs right through La Rioja creating a series of microclimates and providing much needed water for the vines).

La Rioja has always been a vital part of Spain's history. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, and finally, medieval Crusaders have all played a part in the area's history. The Romans, however, made wine a part of their culture wherever they travelled, and La Rioja was no exception. Ancient sites of Roman wineries still exist in and around the area today.
After the Romans came the Moors, and winemaking all but ceased. It wasn't until after the famous 'El Cid' liberated Spain, and medieval Christianity brought trade via the Crusaders through the region, that it flourished again. The Benedictine monks of Cluny in Burgundy, known for their viticulture, helped to establish three monasteries in the area. The vines they planted were mostly white grapes. In the fourteenth century, English traders acquired a taste for a local Rioja wine, which was a blend of white and red wines called Blancos Pardillos. Over time, development of lighter reds came about satisfying eighteenth century English and French courts.

The real improvements to Rioja's viticulture began around 1780 when the need to prolong wine during transport brought about experimentation with different woods and preservatives. Studies were made of the techniques used by great chateaux in Bordeaux. With the outbreak of the Peninsular War, progress was halted until 1852, when the Bordelais came south to Rioja seeking vines because their vineyards had been blighted with oidium. French winemaking methods were eagerly taken up by great rivals the Marques de Murrieta and Marques de Riscal (who both claim to have been the first in Rioja to make wine in the Bordeaux fashion).

When phylloxera devastated Bordeaux in the 1870s and the French influence really took hold in Rioja, many of the region's finest bodegas started production on what we now consider as the great wines of Rioja. It’s important to remember that Bordeaux winemaking methods then were very different to those employed today in France, and involved long ageing in barrel, a factor that the Riojans took up enthusiastically. So enthusiastically in fact that to this day there are a number of Bodegas that still make their wine in a surprisingly similar fashion to that of the Bordelais in the later part of the 1800s and this also explains why oak ageing is such an important part of Riojan winemaking.

USE OF OAK
Pronounced vanilla flavours in the wines are a trademark of the region though some modern winemakers are experimenting with making wines less influenced by oak. Originally French oak was used but as the cost of the barrels increased many bodegas began to buy American oak planks and fashion them into barrels at Spanish cooperages in a style more closely resembling the French method. This included hand splitting the wood, rather than sawing, and allowing the planks time to dry and 'season' in the outdoors versus drying in the kiln. In recent times, more bodegas have begun using French oak and many will age wines in both American and French oak for blending purposes.

In the past, it was not uncommon for some bodegas to age their red wines for 15-20 years or even more before their release. One notable example of this is Marqués de Murrieta which released its 1942 vintage Gran Reserva in 1983 after 41 years of ageing. Today most bodegas have shifted their winemaking focus to wines that are ready to drink sooner with the top wines typically ageing for 4-8 years prior to release though some traditionalists still age longer. The typical bodega owns anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 oak barrels.
The use of oak in white wine has declined significantly in recent times when before the norm was traditionally 2-5 years in oak. This created slightly oxidised wines with flavours of caramel, coffee, and roasted nuts that did not appeal to a large market of consumers. Today the focus of white winemakers has been to enhance the vibrancy and fruit flavours of the wine.

WINE CLASSIFICATION
Most Riojan Bodegas believe that the ageing of a wine should be the responsibility of the producer rather than that of the consumer, and this is why much Rioja is more mature than wines from other countries. Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labelled 'Rioja', or 'Sin Crianza' (meaning 'without ageing') is the youngest, spending less than a year in oak. A "Crianza" is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which is in oak. 'Reserva' is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, 'Gran Reserva' wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle. Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not necessarily produced each year. Also produced are wines in a semi-crianza style, those that have had a couple of months of oak influence but not enough to be called a full crianza. The designation of Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva might not always appear on the front label but may appear on a neck or back label in the form of a stamp designation known as Consejo.

SUB REGIONS
Rioja Alta
Located on the western edge of the region, and at higher elevations than the other areas, the Rioja Alta is known for more fruity and concentrated wines which can have very smooth texture and mouth feel.

Rioja Alavesa
Despite sharing a similar climate as the Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil.

Rioja Baja
Unlike the more continental climate of the Alta and Alavesa, the Rioja Baja is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes this area the warmest and driest of the Rioja. In the summer months, drought can be a significant viticultural hazard, though since the late 1990s irrigation has been permitted. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 95°F. Twenty percent of the vineyards actually fall within the Navarra appellation but the wine produced from the grapes is still allowed to claim the Rioja designation. The predominant grape here is the Garnacha which prefers the hot conditions, unlike the more aromatic Tempranillo. Consequently Baja wines are very deeply coloured and can be highly alcoholic with some wines at 18% alcohol by volume. The wines typically do not have much acidity or aroma and are generally used as blending components with wines from other parts of
the Rioja.

The Riojans are master blenders (as they have to be because there are relatively few single estates in the area, the norm being to blend from a wide variety of vineyards and wine areas). Consequently they are able to reduce vintage variation by careful blending and many of the best wines vary relatively little between vintages.

VITICULTURE & GRAPES
Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto), white (blanco) or rosé (rosado). Rioja has a total of 57,000 hectares cultivated, yielding 250 million litres of wine annually, of which 85% is red. The harvest time for most Rioja vineyards is September-October with the northern Rioja Alta having the latest harvest in late October. The soil here is clay-based with a high concentration of chalk and iron (which provides the redness in the soil that may be responsible for the region's name, Rioja, meaning red). There is also significant concentration of limestone, sandstone and alluvial silt.

Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavours and ageing potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavours and Graciano adding additional aromas.
With Rioja Blanco, Viura is the prominent grape (also known as Macabeo) and is sometimes blended with some Malvesia and Garnacha Blanca. In the white wines the Viura contributes mild fruitness, acidity and some aroma to the blend with Garnacha Blanca adding body and Malvasia adding aroma. Rosados are mostly derived from Garnacha grapes. The 'international varieties' of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have gained some attention and use through experimental plantings by some bodegas but their use has created wines distinctly different from the typical Rioja.

Some of the most sought after grapes come from the limestone/sandstone based 'old vine' vineyards in the Alavesa and Alta regions. These 40 year old plus vines are prized due to their low yields and more concentrated flavours. A unique DO regulation stipulates that the cost of the grapes used to make Rioja must exceed by at least 200% the national average of wine grapes used in all Spanish wines.

VINTAGE CHART
Rioja (Red) Year %

2004 Superb vintage, classic wines Drink or Hold 94
2003 Hot, dry year, long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 91
2002 Smallest vintage in 10 years. Variable quality.
Keep to top names Drink or Hold 87
2001 Excellent year for long ageing Reservas
and Gran Reservas Drink or Hold 94
2000 A generally good vintage with fine Reservas Drink or Hold 89
1999 Smaller vintage of good quality Drink or Hold 88
1998 Good vintage Drink or Hold 97
1997 Unexciting so far, but quaffable Drink or Hold 84
1996 Good year, plenty of ageing potential Drink or Hold 89
1995 Very good vintage, Reservas now showing excellent fruit Drink or Hold 92
1994 Outstanding, some great long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 94
1993 Lesser wines, apart from best-known names Drink 77
1992 Rather light vintage Drink 80
1991 Still improving, average quality Drink or Hold 85
1990 Fairly ordinary but quaffable Drink 84
1989 Good, firm structure Drink 88



Rioja Reserva & Gran Reserva – Vintages of the Eighties Year %

1989 Goodish vintage, well balanced Drink 88
1988 Fairly good vintage, well balanced wines Drink 88
1987 Very attractive vintage, now at peak Drink 90
1986 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1985 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1984 Disappointing, with problem weather Avoid 80
1983 Don't keep it any longer Drink 86
1982 Now past its best Drink 83
1981 Superb wines, finest will keep longer Drink 90
1980 Average vintage, don't keep any longer Drink 86

More vintage charts
Mp on weinlagen-info

 
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