My oldest Rioja when we drank it in 2014. Amazing. After two hours opening in the decanter and glass, it still amazed. It was light, almost vaporous in its subtlety. Completely different than a 5, 10 or 15 year old Gran Reserva.
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Utterly delicious, and the wine of the night among stiff competition. Leads me to conclude that these wines (meaning old school rioja) just get better and better.
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Five Decades of Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real (Piperade Restaurant, San Francisco): Medium center. Funky, aggressively sweaty nose. There is a wonderful sense of sweet fruit amazing for the age, but clunky tannins and significant volatile acidity ultimately make it feel harsh and poorly integrated. A question of balance, not adequate material. Not as good a bottle as the one tasted in 2011.
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Ancient Rioja (1956 to 1976) (Contigo, San Francisco): Light ruby with tawny brown edge. High toned, penetrating cedary perfume with a sense of sweetness. Some greener tones and spice as it sits out. Stylish medium weight, woody base, beautiful natural ripeness of fruit. Good acidity with a little VA. Gently tannic and somewhat chocolatey finish. Integrated and well balanced with an initial bite at the end that ameliorates. For me, the best of the the 1976 wines.
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1/17/2016 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
My oldest Rioja when we drank it in 2014. Amazing. After two hours opening in the decanter and glass, it still amazed. It was light, almost vaporous in its subtlety. Completely different than a 5, 10 or 15 year old Gran Reserva.
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8/28/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Utterly delicious, and the wine of the night among stiff competition. Leads me to conclude that these wines (meaning old school rioja) just get better and better.
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2/16/2013 - acidqueen wrote: 95 Points
Sweet dried amarena cherry. Vanilla and citrus peel. Smooth, good acid, light body but rich in flavor. Beautiful, elegant wine.
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1/25/2013 - drwine2001 wrote:
Five Decades of Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real (Piperade Restaurant, San Francisco): Medium center. Funky, aggressively sweaty nose. There is a wonderful sense of sweet fruit amazing for the age, but clunky tannins and significant volatile acidity ultimately make it feel harsh and poorly integrated. A question of balance, not adequate material. Not as good a bottle as the one tasted in 2011.
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11/5/2011 - acidqueen wrote: 92 Points
light red. Peppery, camphor nose. Sweet vanilla, silky and elegant wine. Some tobacco on the back end. Very nice.
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6/1/2011 - drwine2001 wrote:
Ancient Rioja (1956 to 1976) (Contigo, San Francisco): Light ruby with tawny brown edge. High toned, penetrating cedary perfume with a sense of sweetness. Some greener tones and spice as it sits out. Stylish medium weight, woody base, beautiful natural ripeness of fruit. Good acidity with a little VA. Gently tannic and somewhat chocolatey finish. Integrated and well balanced with an initial bite at the end that ameliorates. For me, the best of the the 1976 wines.
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