As others have said, still a young wine in its life cycle. Nice to drink now with softened & well integrated oak. Plenty of young/fresh fruit still showing so will hold others for at least 5 years to have more development
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Visually, the wine was dark ruby and opaque with not as much garnet on the rim as I would have expected to see from a 14 year old wine. Cork was high quality. Gives me comfort in being able to age the rest of my wines for several more decades.
We decanted the wine and poured the first glass after 15 minutes. Wine was still closed up but we enjoyed how it opened up over the next hour. First notes were primarily ripe black fruits and coffee. The initial taste showed the same, but the tannins added a bitter dark cocoa on the finish. As it opened up, we picked up fig, dark cherry, black berries, toasted coconut, and a more pronounced dark cocoa that lasted about 15-20 seconds. While the alcohol was high, we did not get a sense of heat. If it had a little more acidity, I would have scored this 94-95. But it was balanced, complex, enjoyable, and I am really looking forward to reading my notes in 5-10 years when I open the next bottle (4 left).
Perhaps my kids read this 20-30 years later with the 3 remaining bottles and enjoy them together!
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Meat, sherry and mushroom on the nose, this had a silky mouthfeel with cranberry, smoke, leather and cracked pepper that is wrapped up by a pretty good dose of tannin and acid. Not sure how much it has to give. Probably not a $50+ wine at the end of the day. It’s always interesting to me when Matthews says drink by ‘25, Raynolds (RIP) said ‘38 and Gilman has it at 2075. Pull out of rear much?
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We did an interesting experience drinking the Muga Gran Reserva and the Imperial Gran Reserva both in the 2010 vintage. Both paired well with a Chinese Fondue with beef and chicken.
There’s a certain weight with these wines. First, the fruit is appearing with a semi thick texture. The Imperial is a bit eavier with a nice wood background while the Muga is a bit more refined. Maybe not refined, but you can taste deaper in the length due to the absence of sweet wood the Imperial had. Medium length with both wine.
We enjoyed tasting both of them back and forth during the dinner an I’m rating the both with a good 93. It’s really a personal preference that will define the best one for every single person. One who better like the pinot fruity length will better like the Muga while the Imperial will please the one who are enjoying Cabernet wood and wine that are sweeter.
It was an amazing experience
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[From magnum.] Initially this was really closed. Thankfully this shyness didn't last long. It was up against some super-fragrant wines. The restraint on it is actually probably its virtue - it's subtle and delicate, but then you realise that that's its superpower. As you have more and more, you start realising how intensely delicious and impeccably shaped this wine is. It's a liquid so perfectly formed it's irresistible. It is the quintessence of elegance, a wine impossible not to love. And very much in its youth.
Very good, a modern classic Rioja in style - it nails the heritage but with the precision of modern winemaking. It took an hour or two decanted to get going. Others suggest you should hold this for years, and I'm sure it will be wonderfully tertiary after another decade, but honestly you can drink it now. It's a wonderful drink today. Give it a little air while you roast some lamb. Job done.
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Really nice wine but definitely needed a couple of days in the bottle to open up. On the first night (and we were just using slow ox, no decanting) this was full of bunderfleish/cured beef and bacon fat with little fruit to show for it except a mid palate surprisingly purple (yet high acidity) note before the cured meat and dried and savory spices finished. On the second and third night this wine really shined. The meats melted away leaving more cigar box and obsidian, which allowed the fruit to shine across the palate. Still purple, the acidity was less pronounced and integration was there.
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I agree 100% with the last review. Still very primary. Dark fruit, earth, tobacco. Good rich wine. Needs another 5, maybe 10, year to turn tertiary. If you have bottles and patience, by all means, spread them out. Feel free to enjoy now if you enjoy a dense mature primary Rioja.
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Still primary and I suspect this will benefit from 10+ more years. I will taste my next Bottle in 5 years. This is still a delicious wine, characterised by dark fruits, spices and oak. After an hour in a decanter it starts to display tobacco notes. It will probably gain more tertiary notes with more air.
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High intensity aromas of oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, black cherry, red cherry, black plum, strawberry, cassis, orange peel, vanilla, prune, underbrush, milk chocolate, mocha.
Pronounced palate.
Medium (+) body, high acidity, medium (+) tannin, medium (+) finish.
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Pronounced on the nose with rich and defined red cherry, black cherry, red plum, licorice, cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, vanilla, prune, leather. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate. Medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging or further aging. Opened up nicely with a decant.
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Tasting: The Wine Society Museum Reds. Ruby red, virtually to the rim. Lovely nose of coconut oak and berry fruit. It’s dense and layered - coming back to the glass later there were more tobacco and Indian spices. The palate is creamy and intense - very concentrated flavours of berry fruit (strawberry comes through), leather, and lots of spicy vanilla/coconut from the combination of the US and French oak. It’s quite big but very well balanced - fine tannins and cleansing acidity - just very primary at the moment. Plenty of time if you have some of these.
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Briefly, this benefited from a 6 hour decant. Then there is a lovely balanced wine: ripe fruits (blackberry, redcurrant), just a touch of acidity to keep it fresh and light, silky smooth tannins all sitting very well together.
This was a gift, but I'd be very happy at the ~US$53 that is the CAV.
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94/95.The best wine this year so far. Has aromas of chalk, forest fruits, leather, blackcurrants+flowers with clove hints. Its medium bodied supple chalky vanilla flecked black, blue and red fruits palate has great depth, zingy freshness and lovely length. 14%. Gave this 8 hrs aeration. Lay down 10-20 years+.
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Popped and poured at Okemo ski house. Lovely nose of ripe red fruit and leather. Medium body, soft and silky, lovely red fruit, sweet and silky on the finish. What a lovely bottle of wine that I would never have expected to be as enjoyable as it was!
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Love this wine and this vintage. The nose is ripe and lovely with leather and game notes. Soft on the palate and pretty plush/full bodied for a rioja. Finish maybe can lengthen and improve with more bottle age but drink in well with a one hour aeration/decant
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Hold off on opening this bottle, it’s still a baby. Plummy with heavy tannins. 3/17/22-opened my second and unfortunately last bottle today and what a difference these last four months have made. Tannins have receeded and integrated wonderfully with the fruit. A great Gran Reserva Rioja.
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En erkeklassisk rioja. Rødbrun på farge. Ikke helt opak, men likevel tendens mot mørke avskygninger. Lukt av masse spennende: gammelt lær, sigarer, eukalyptus, nellik, tørket sitrus, høstløv i hagen, gamle mosegrodde steiner, mandel, blå plommer, svarte kirsebær, solbær. Frisk som første smaken av en fjellbekk i julivarme, med en ettersmak som bare varer og varer og varer. Fortsatt en god del snerp, så de siste fem flaskene skal jeg la ligge lenge. Neste gang blir den åpnet til fett storfekjøtt på grillen, røkt sauelår, spicy ribbe eller annen, kraftig kjøttmat.
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Just coming out of its dumb phase. Nose is becoming quite expressive w creamy oak intermixed w leather/ flowers. Nose is easily a 92, but palate doesn't follow-thru - is extremely savoury/ peppery and lacks generosity the nose suggests. Finish is short.
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The nose features wet stone, clay and cedar with strawberries and cherries.
Fruit comes through on the palate; blackberry, plum and vanilla. Tannins are still sharp and acidity present. Fresh and fruity, and still quite youthful. Great potential.
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Friday Night Brown Bagger (J&J's): Blind. Garnet color. Currant, clay, earth and cedar notes. Medium tannins; slightly chalky mouthfeel. Flavors of black raspberry, currants and blue fruit. With air I detected a bit of a bouillon note which I found distracting.
First of a six pack, double decanted this 3 hours before the flight was poured. When the cork came out this smelled fantastic- loads of bright fruit and earth. So this was a little disappointing.
Heavy stuff. 2 hours of air was not enough. Nose; raisins, cherry, some wood, raw meat. Mouth; loads of cherries and dark fruits. Tannins! Good wine Next day the wine is a lot more smooth, much better. Leave the rest for another 10 years or more.
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Deep purple color. Smokey dark cherry nose. Full body. This is a big wine that is still in its youth. The tannins are very pronounced although they are somewhat balanced by the bold fruit and underlying complexity. There are flavors of damson plum, dark cherry, cassis, vanilla, cedar, all wrapped in a fairly forward smokiness. Just barely in its drinking window, but the wine has another 15 year ahead of it. Lovely. Decant for sediment.
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Enjoyable now but probably better down the road. Full and fruity but not overly modern style. Oak is present but balanced. I really enjoyed this on its own.
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Tasted blind against a 2010 Valdicava Brunello and got it wrong! Dark garnet color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe dark berries with hints of dark chocolate and vanilla. The palate is full bodied with ample acidity to carry the ripe blueberry, raspberry, and plum with secondary notes of cola, cocoa, and mocha. Finishes long and heightened with smooth, seamless tannins. Drink now until 2040.
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Dark ruby color turning brighter at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off smoked vanilla from toasted oak on ripe red berries. The palate is full bodied with bright acidity that carries ripe cranberry, raspberry with secondary flavors of licorice, leather, and cola. Finishes long and spicy with hints of dried herbs. Drink now until 2035.
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Brought two of these to a small dinner party for our tapas course for a long running gourmet dinner club with Friends. GREAT to get together and cook, share wines, and enjoy human companionship after 11 weeks of Corona Virus shutdowns! This wine did not disappoint! Decanted about 90 min. Blackberry, spice, hint of vanilla, perfectly balanced acidity. The tannins were fine and smooth and this wine was singing. Plenty of life left in it for more cellar aging, but seriously, why wait? Life’s short, so open those bottles!
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30+ minute decant. Classic Rioja. Vanilla, new oak, and blackberry throughout. Concentrated with a spicy, medium minus finish. Enjoyed it. Drinking perfectly right now!
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Très belle bouteille, qui n'a pas encore atteint son plateau. Sur la boite à épices, le tabac blond, les fruits noirs légèrement confits, la vanille. En bouche l'attaque est douce, le grain du tanin est fin, ça glisse, le boisé est noble et encore appuyé à ce stade, c'est long et caressant... Hmmm ça promet pour les autres bouteilles en cave!!! 91-93 pts
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A nose of black cherry and smoke lead you in this dark red gran reserva. The palate is strong, packed with fruit, grape, with notes of smoked meat and black tea. For being aged so well, and developing all the right notes of age, it has retained a good amount of fruit. Very fine tannin and balanced acid. Paired well with cured meats!
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Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): This is a young, bold wine with waves of powerful oak-derived aromas and quite true to its place. Seems to be a textbook Gran Reserva with the before-mentioned power and softened tannins that might blossom into something very beautiful in two or three decades. But don’t get me wrong, this can be drunk now. 95 points today thanks to many layers of aromas and a good precision and length. You have to be in the mood to drink such an intensly oak-dominated wine, I certainly was that night.
TN: Coffee ice cream, roasted coffee beans, cocoa notes, dark fresh cherries, sweet, ripe amarena cherries, with some time more and more red fruit, some ash notes, tobacco and a nice lift thanks to fresh herbs and fresh mint as well as cool soil aromas. It is showing less complex and impressive on the nose but layered and exciting on the palate. Very intense and powerful with a good length. The tannins are powerful but soft, enough acidity to cut through the richness. Not heavy or cloying and with a good balance of oak/earth/fruit aromas.
Decanting: PnPed. No extensive decant needed - one hours should be enough.
Intense fruit of red cherry, first aging notes of tobacco, leather, also mocha, milk chocolate and fresh herbs. Mixed berries fruit tea. Very fruity palate but also a bit spicey and herbacious with a pretty long finish. Drinks very well right now, don’t hesitate to pop your bottle anytime now.
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Dark brooding notes of black cherry, cedar and plum permeate through the nose with similar replays on the pallete. This is a modern wine but with a seductive taste that shows quality wine making and delivers immense pleasure. This is so young but will be great in a couple years time. Give it another 5 years and more. Long long plum and cedar finish. 93+
An absolutely delicious, delicious wine. Gorgeously fragrant - on top of the fruit, you have all the other classical GR characteristics. This is a superb achievement because it is so fabulous now, so accessible and so attractive, but it has all this locked-in potential - it will be transcendental in 30-40 years. Fabulous.
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Decanted 2 hours. Needed more. Tight and a bit unforgiving. Let it rest. Purple in color, owing to the core of fruit yet to emerge. Tannins galore. Nice texture but its held back on the mid palate and finish. Can taste, and feel, the oak here.
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Score fair but maybe slightly elevated. Excellent balance and great with Chili. Not too fruit forward and bold but very nicely balanced with fruit, tannins and acidity. Sorry nothing more just good wine. Maybe slightly over priced.
In 5-10 years this will push 94-95. 2 hr decant and this is still too young. Tastes and smells like a good vintage pomerol. Well integrated now, but still very primary. Needs gravitas of 12-15 years after bottling. I think I will order some more. This will be fantastic in some years.
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Upon opening, this showed a little fat, the fruit hung over the sides of the belt, predominantly plush with dark plum and blackberry. Given about an hour in the glass, the structure leaned up quite a bit, allowing balance and a minerality to shine through.
This time in the glass and decanter were just what the wine needed to show it’s muscle, pull back on the fruit a little. This can age quite a bit longer to bring out its potential. This was a really nice wine with a great future ahead of it. ( If I had any, at least 5 years, and revisit, then get serious about it in 10 years)
Thanks SWHighlander for the bottle!
The Rioja was opened on the spot to replace a flawed bottle.
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Great wine. The hit of the night with some oenophiles on a 8-bottle evening. Decanted for an hour. Strong fruit the first hour of drinking after that, mellowing over the next 1-2 hours. Moderately strong acidity and tannins. A mix of red and black fruits. Complex.
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This "mostly Tempranillo" Gran Reserva shows the unfortunate shortcomings of the grape in my view. While a perfectly respectable wine, enjoyable with spicy or hearty fare, this is one dimensional and lacking in complexity and depth of flavor. For the $50+ price most would have paid for this I would hope for more elegance and definition. It is dark garnet, bordering on purple in color. The nose is all vanilla, vanilla, vanilla from the new oak it spent 24 months in, with just a hint of dark fruit. Even after 5 hours in the decanter there is little development with the oak/vanilla still dominating. Palate is moderately tannic with some black fruit and licorice but little else and no secondary development at this point. Finish is short and uninteresting.
Most likely over decanted this bottle a little bit. Deep garnet red with a mix of ruby too. Layered nose with dark cocoa, a little herbaceous and herbal. Solid acidity and medium tannins (6.5/10). Well integrated with dried red cherries, tobacco, a touch dark, earthy and a little forest floor. Medium bodied and medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2025.
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3/31/2024 - El Tino Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great place right now, smooth, fragrant and long-lasting blend if high and low berry notes, with integrated oak. Lovely!
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3/29/2024 - Swintonblade Likes this wine: 92 Points
As others have said, still a young wine in its life cycle. Nice to drink now with softened & well integrated oak. Plenty of young/fresh fruit still showing so will hold others for at least 5 years to have more development
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3/22/2024 - WinoWemby Likes this wine: 93 Points
Visually, the wine was dark ruby and opaque with not as much garnet on the rim as I would have expected to see from a 14 year old wine. Cork was high quality. Gives me comfort in being able to age the rest of my wines for several more decades.
We decanted the wine and poured the first glass after 15 minutes. Wine was still closed up but we enjoyed how it opened up over the next hour. First notes were primarily ripe black fruits and coffee. The initial taste showed the same, but the tannins added a bitter dark cocoa on the finish. As it opened up, we picked up fig, dark cherry, black berries, toasted coconut, and a more pronounced dark cocoa that lasted about 15-20 seconds. While the alcohol was high, we did not get a sense of heat. If it had a little more acidity, I would have scored this 94-95. But it was balanced, complex, enjoyable, and I am really looking forward to reading my notes in 5-10 years when I open the next bottle (4 left).
Perhaps my kids read this 20-30 years later with the 3 remaining bottles and enjoy them together!
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3/19/2024 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
Meat, sherry and mushroom on the nose, this had a silky mouthfeel with cranberry, smoke, leather and cracked pepper that is wrapped up by a pretty good dose of tannin and acid. Not sure how much it has to give. Probably not a $50+ wine at the end of the day. It’s always interesting to me when Matthews says drink by ‘25, Raynolds (RIP) said ‘38 and Gilman has it at 2075. Pull out of rear much?
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3/2/2024 - EvoPeteMTL wrote:
Very evolved. Lots of mushrooms and tertiary notes on this one. I am not sure this bottle was conserved properly.
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2/24/2024 - Goodjob! Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good but surprisingly still very young. Next bottle in 3 to 5 years
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1/28/2024 - Guillmallette Likes this wine: 93 Points
We did an interesting experience drinking the Muga Gran Reserva and the Imperial Gran Reserva both in the 2010 vintage. Both paired well with a Chinese Fondue with beef and chicken.
There’s a certain weight with these wines. First, the fruit is appearing with a semi thick texture. The Imperial is a bit eavier with a nice wood background while the Muga is a bit more refined. Maybe not refined, but you can taste deaper in the length due to the absence of sweet wood the Imperial had.
Medium length with both wine.
We enjoyed tasting both of them back and forth during the dinner an I’m rating the both with a good 93. It’s really a personal preference that will define the best one for every single person. One who better like the pinot fruity length will better like the Muga while the Imperial will please the one who are enjoying Cabernet wood and wine that are sweeter.
It was an amazing experience
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1/1/2024 - Imbibo Likes this wine: 92 Points
From imperial celebrating NYE, was excellent. Still bright and fresh, really enjoyable
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11/20/2023 - ricard Likes this wine: 96 Points
[From magnum.] Initially this was really closed. Thankfully this shyness didn't last long. It was up against some super-fragrant wines. The restraint on it is actually probably its virtue - it's subtle and delicate, but then you realise that that's its superpower. As you have more and more, you start realising how intensely delicious and impeccably shaped this wine is. It's a liquid so perfectly formed it's irresistible. It is the quintessence of elegance, a wine impossible not to love. And very much in its youth.
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11/6/2023 - goldenplover Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good, a modern classic Rioja in style - it nails the heritage but with the precision of modern winemaking. It took an hour or two decanted to get going. Others suggest you should hold this for years, and I'm sure it will be wonderfully tertiary after another decade, but honestly you can drink it now. It's a wonderful drink today. Give it a little air while you roast some lamb. Job done.
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9/19/2023 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really nice wine but definitely needed a couple of days in the bottle to open up. On the first night (and we were just using slow ox, no decanting) this was full of bunderfleish/cured beef and bacon fat with little fruit to show for it except a mid palate surprisingly purple (yet high acidity) note before the cured meat and dried and savory spices finished. On the second and third night this wine really shined. The meats melted away leaving more cigar box and obsidian, which allowed the fruit to shine across the palate. Still purple, the acidity was less pronounced and integration was there.
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8/8/2023 - csnyder612 Likes this wine: 89 Points
At the end of its drinking window. Syrupy, almost flabby, low acidity. Tannins still present, but greatly muted. Nowhere near as good as at its peak.
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6/19/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 92 Points
I agree 100% with the last review. Still very primary. Dark fruit, earth, tobacco. Good rich wine. Needs another 5, maybe 10, year to turn tertiary. If you have bottles and patience, by all means, spread them out. Feel free to enjoy now if you enjoy a dense mature primary Rioja.
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12/27/2022 - GAVK wrote:
Still primary and I suspect this will benefit from 10+ more years. I will taste my next Bottle in 5 years.
This is still a delicious wine, characterised by dark fruits, spices and oak. After an hour in a decanter it starts to display tobacco notes. It will probably gain more tertiary notes with more air.
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11/6/2022 - sjfunkenhauser wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby colour.
High intensity aromas of oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, black cherry, red cherry, black plum, strawberry, cassis, orange peel, vanilla, prune, underbrush, milk chocolate, mocha.
Pronounced palate.
Medium (+) body, high acidity, medium (+) tannin, medium (+) finish.
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11/4/2022 - Jontypont wrote: 90 Points
Good but to my mouth not among th best. Could go a lot longer and maybe in 30 yrs I’ll fall in love.
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11/1/2022 - Irish_Wine wrote: 93 Points
Medium ruby.
Pronounced on the nose with rich and defined red cherry, black cherry, red plum, licorice, cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, vanilla, prune, leather. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate. Medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging or further aging. Opened up nicely with a decant.
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10/8/2022 - Biggsy wrote: 92 Points
Tasting: The Wine Society Museum Reds. Ruby red, virtually to the rim. Lovely nose of coconut oak and berry fruit. It’s dense and layered - coming back to the glass later there were more tobacco and Indian spices. The palate is creamy and intense - very concentrated flavours of berry fruit (strawberry comes through), leather, and lots of spicy vanilla/coconut from the combination of the US and French oak. It’s quite big but very well balanced - fine tannins and cleansing acidity - just very primary at the moment. Plenty of time if you have some of these.
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10/7/2022 - Jimothy Brown Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, opaque brick. Nose oak herbs. Medium full body. Medium tannin, long herby finish. Really good. Still time to develop
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9/24/2022 - Lemmy-W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still slightly closed, but opens with time
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7/2/2022 - Paul852 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Briefly, this benefited from a 6 hour decant. Then there is a lovely balanced wine: ripe fruits (blackberry, redcurrant), just a touch of acidity to keep it fresh and light, silky smooth tannins all sitting very well together.
This was a gift, but I'd be very happy at the ~US$53 that is the CAV.
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4/23/2022 - Gone with the wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful notes of blackcurrant, leather and vanilla. Needed 3hrs+ to fully open up
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4/21/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 95 Points
94/95.The best wine this year so far. Has aromas of chalk, forest fruits, leather, blackcurrants+flowers with clove hints. Its medium bodied supple chalky vanilla flecked black, blue and red fruits palate has great depth, zingy freshness and lovely length. 14%. Gave this 8 hrs aeration. Lay down 10-20 years+.
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2/21/2022 - cephomer wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured at Okemo ski house. Lovely nose of ripe red fruit and leather. Medium body, soft and silky, lovely red fruit, sweet and silky on the finish. What a lovely bottle of wine that I would never have expected to be as enjoyable as it was!
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12/31/2021 - Mikecu6 wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby & weighty red. Great kegs, drinking extremely well. Had w/ steak & lobster.
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12/20/2021 - GlenviewGSW Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine and this vintage. The nose is ripe and lovely with leather and game notes. Soft on the palate and pretty plush/full bodied for a rioja. Finish maybe can lengthen and improve with more bottle age but drink in well with a one hour aeration/decant
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12/19/2021 - jps3@columbia.edu Likes this wine:
Hold off on opening this bottle, it’s still a baby. Plummy with heavy tannins.
3/17/22-opened my second and unfortunately last bottle today and what a difference these last four months have made. Tannins have receeded and integrated wonderfully with the fruit. A great Gran Reserva Rioja.
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12/10/2021 - Jonsen Likes this wine: 92 Points
En erkeklassisk rioja. Rødbrun på farge. Ikke helt opak, men likevel tendens mot mørke avskygninger. Lukt av masse spennende: gammelt lær, sigarer, eukalyptus, nellik, tørket sitrus, høstløv i hagen, gamle mosegrodde steiner, mandel, blå plommer, svarte kirsebær, solbær. Frisk som første smaken av en fjellbekk i julivarme, med en ettersmak som bare varer og varer og varer.
Fortsatt en god del snerp, så de siste fem flaskene skal jeg la ligge lenge. Neste gang blir den åpnet til fett storfekjøtt på grillen, røkt sauelår, spicy ribbe eller annen, kraftig kjøttmat.
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10/14/2021 - Andice wrote: 90 Points
Just coming out of its dumb phase. Nose is becoming quite expressive w creamy oak intermixed w leather/ flowers. Nose is easily a 92, but palate doesn't follow-thru - is extremely savoury/ peppery and lacks generosity the nose suggests. Finish is short.
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10/9/2021 - preid wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic Rioja. Dark colour and complex. Balanced and long.
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9/19/2021 - hckschr40 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose features wet stone, clay and cedar with strawberries and cherries.
Fruit comes through on the palate; blackberry, plum and vanilla. Tannins are still sharp and acidity present. Fresh and fruity, and still quite youthful. Great potential.
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9/1/2021 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
Pas mal plus lourdo et capiteux que
les 2004 et 2009. Moderne et encore
trop boisé, finale disjointe et sur la chauffe!
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6/18/2021 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Friday Night Brown Bagger (J&J's): Blind. Garnet color. Currant, clay, earth and cedar notes. Medium tannins; slightly chalky mouthfeel. Flavors of black raspberry, currants and blue fruit. With air I detected a bit of a bouillon note which I found distracting.
First of a six pack, double decanted this 3 hours before the flight was poured. When the cork came out this smelled fantastic- loads of bright fruit and earth. So this was a little disappointing.
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5/28/2021 - vinkarl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Heavy stuff. 2 hours of air was not enough. Nose; raisins, cherry, some wood, raw meat. Mouth; loads of cherries and dark fruits. Tannins! Good wine
Next day the wine is a lot more smooth, much better. Leave the rest for another 10 years or more.
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4/10/2021 - djarcara Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep purple color. Smokey dark cherry nose. Full body. This is a big wine that is still in its youth. The tannins are very pronounced although they are somewhat balanced by the bold fruit and underlying complexity. There are flavors of damson plum, dark cherry, cassis, vanilla, cedar, all wrapped in a fairly forward smokiness. Just barely in its drinking window, but the wine has another 15 year ahead of it. Lovely. Decant for sediment.
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1/24/2021 - JuliannaDHS Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyable now but probably better down the road. Full and fruity but not overly modern style. Oak is present but balanced. I really enjoyed this on its own.
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12/12/2020 - BigGDaddy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous. Needs about 3 hrs. Wow.
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11/26/2020 - Ksk44 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious traditional Rioja; drinking well now; medium-bodied with good fruit, saddle leather, lingering finish. Highly recommended.
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10/27/2020 - fats1976 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really good. Slightly disjointed which I think will smooth out with age. Tannins are still a little upfront, and fruit is starting to shine through.
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10/25/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 96 Points
Tasted blind against a 2010 Valdicava Brunello and got it wrong! Dark garnet color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe dark berries with hints of dark chocolate and vanilla. The palate is full bodied with ample acidity to carry the ripe blueberry, raspberry, and plum with secondary notes of cola, cocoa, and mocha. Finishes long and heightened with smooth, seamless tannins. Drink now until 2040.
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9/18/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby color turning brighter at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off smoked vanilla from toasted oak on ripe red berries. The palate is full bodied with bright acidity that carries ripe cranberry, raspberry with secondary flavors of licorice, leather, and cola. Finishes long and spicy with hints of dried herbs. Drink now until 2035.
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6/1/2020 - BHP1994 wrote: 93 Points
Brought two of these to a small dinner party for our tapas course for a long running gourmet dinner club with Friends. GREAT to get together and cook, share wines, and enjoy human companionship after 11 weeks of Corona Virus shutdowns! This wine did not disappoint! Decanted about 90 min. Blackberry, spice, hint of vanilla, perfectly balanced acidity. The tannins were fine and smooth and this wine was singing. Plenty of life left in it for more cellar aging, but seriously, why wait? Life’s short, so open those bottles!
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5/14/2020 - Lockareff Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP - really nice Rioja. Vanilla, blackberry and a nice mouthfeel and finish. Drinking great right now. Might need to find more.
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4/21/2020 - bobbylion wrote: 93 Points
Tasting 904 GR vs CVNE Imperial GR: both 2010. Both coravined and 3 hr decant.
904 comes across as younger still in need of further maturity. But a finer wine. More elegant and with more potential.
CVNE is great on its own. More ready.
I would say 94 for 904 and 93 or so for CVNE. Glad I have both and look forward to drinking them over the next 10 years.
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3/20/2020 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 93 Points
30+ minute decant. Classic Rioja. Vanilla, new oak, and blackberry throughout. Concentrated with a spicy, medium minus finish. Enjoyed it. Drinking perfectly right now!
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2/29/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
SS BBQ & Wine Night: Black fruits, coffee beans, dark chocolate notes, tobacco. This opened up with some airing. Enjoyable now.
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2/1/2020 - ManuKey Likes this wine: 91 Points
Très belle bouteille, qui n'a pas encore atteint son plateau. Sur la boite à épices, le tabac blond, les fruits noirs légèrement confits, la vanille. En bouche l'attaque est douce, le grain du tanin est fin, ça glisse, le boisé est noble et encore appuyé à ce stade, c'est long et caressant... Hmmm ça promet pour les autres bouteilles en cave!!! 91-93 pts
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1/3/2020 - J.K. wrote: 93 Points
A nose of black cherry and smoke lead you in this dark red gran reserva. The palate is strong, packed with fruit, grape, with notes of smoked meat and black tea. For being aged so well, and developing all the right notes of age, it has retained a good amount of fruit. Very fine tannin and balanced acid. Paired well with cured meats!
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10/27/2019 - Mikecu6 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes. Dark ruby and powerfully smoothe. Has solid spine. Potential to be better in a couple of years
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8/30/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): This is a young, bold wine with waves of powerful oak-derived aromas and quite true to its place. Seems to be a textbook Gran Reserva with the before-mentioned power and softened tannins that might blossom into something very beautiful in two or three decades. But don’t get me wrong, this can be drunk now. 95 points today thanks to many layers of aromas and a good precision and length. You have to be in the mood to drink such an intensly oak-dominated wine, I certainly was that night.
TN: Coffee ice cream, roasted coffee beans, cocoa notes, dark fresh cherries, sweet, ripe amarena cherries, with some time more and more red fruit, some ash notes, tobacco and a nice lift thanks to fresh herbs and fresh mint as well as cool soil aromas. It is showing less complex and impressive on the nose but layered and exciting on the palate. Very intense and powerful with a good length. The tannins are powerful but soft, enough acidity to cut through the richness. Not heavy or cloying and with a good balance of oak/earth/fruit aromas.
Decanting: PnPed. No extensive decant needed - one hours should be enough.
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8/26/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Intense fruit of red cherry, first aging notes of tobacco, leather, also mocha, milk chocolate and fresh herbs. Mixed berries fruit tea. Very fruity palate but also a bit spicey and herbacious with a pretty long finish. Drinks very well right now, don’t hesitate to pop your bottle anytime now.
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3/15/2019 - MWes wrote: 92 Points
From memory. Really nice with lots of time left. Slow ox’ed all day and then decanted for 2 hours. Decades to go.
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3/2/2019 - JumpingRick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ça c'est ce qu'on recherche. Complexe, boisé, mais doux sur la finale.
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2/14/2019 - mimik Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark brooding notes of black cherry, cedar and plum permeate through the nose with similar replays on the pallete. This is a modern wine but with a seductive taste that shows quality wine making and delivers immense pleasure. This is so young but will be great in a couple years time. Give it another 5 years and more. Long long plum and cedar finish. 93+
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9/12/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 95 Points
An absolutely delicious, delicious wine. Gorgeously fragrant - on top of the fruit, you have all the other classical GR characteristics. This is a superb achievement because it is so fabulous now, so accessible and so attractive, but it has all this locked-in potential - it will be transcendental in 30-40 years. Fabulous.
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6/24/2018 - Gunakadeit Likes this wine: 88 Points
The 88 is my rating right now, after a 3 hour decant. Check back in 5 years.
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5/8/2018 - Mech-E wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Needed more. Tight and a bit unforgiving. Let it rest. Purple in color, owing to the core of fruit yet to emerge. Tannins galore. Nice texture but its held back on the mid palate and finish. Can taste, and feel, the oak here.
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4/1/2018 - RWG Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very dark in color. very fruity,
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2/11/2018 - Sugarb Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Very disappointing - thin fruit that was overwhelmed by the tannins. Will decant for at least 3-4 hours next time I try.
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1/22/2018 - BillyT wrote: 91 Points
Score fair but maybe slightly elevated. Excellent balance and great with Chili. Not too fruit forward and bold but very nicely balanced with fruit, tannins and acidity. Sorry nothing more just good wine. Maybe slightly over priced.
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11/26/2017 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 93 Points
In 5-10 years this will push 94-95. 2 hr decant and this is still too young. Tastes and smells like a good vintage pomerol. Well integrated now, but still very primary. Needs gravitas of 12-15 years after bottling. I think I will order some more. This will be fantastic in some years.
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10/2/2017 - pilot360 wrote:
Upon opening, this showed a little fat, the fruit hung over the sides of the belt, predominantly plush with dark plum and blackberry.
Given about an hour in the glass, the structure leaned up quite a bit, allowing balance and a minerality to shine through.
This time in the glass and decanter were just what the wine needed to show it’s muscle, pull back on the fruit a little.
This can age quite a bit longer to bring out its potential. This was a really nice wine with a great future ahead of it. ( If I had any, at least 5 years, and revisit, then get serious about it in 10 years)
Thanks SWHighlander for the bottle!
The Rioja was opened on the spot to replace a flawed bottle.
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9/29/2017 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine. The hit of the night with some oenophiles on a 8-bottle evening. Decanted for an hour. Strong fruit the first hour of drinking after that, mellowing over the next 1-2 hours. Moderately strong acidity and tannins. A mix of red and black fruits. Complex.
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6/16/2017 - oldwines wrote: 89 Points
This "mostly Tempranillo" Gran Reserva shows the unfortunate shortcomings of the grape in my view. While a perfectly respectable wine, enjoyable with spicy or hearty fare, this is one dimensional and lacking in complexity and depth of flavor. For the $50+ price most would have paid for this I would hope for more elegance and definition. It is dark garnet, bordering on purple in color. The nose is all vanilla, vanilla, vanilla from the new oak it spent 24 months in, with just a hint of dark fruit. Even after 5 hours in the decanter there is little development with the oak/vanilla still dominating. Palate is moderately tannic with some black fruit and licorice but little else and no secondary development at this point. Finish is short and uninteresting.
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5/14/2017 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. Wine Spectator Gran Tour at the Fontainebleau. A bit more baby fat than I remember. I have not enjoyed this one as much as 2004 and 2005.
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4/28/2017 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 92 Points
Most likely over decanted this bottle a little bit. Deep garnet red with a mix of ruby too. Layered nose with dark cocoa, a little herbaceous and herbal. Solid acidity and medium tannins (6.5/10). Well integrated with dried red cherries, tobacco, a touch dark, earthy and a little forest floor. Medium bodied and medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2025.
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4/28/2017 - cab blends wrote: 89 Points
Light acidity comes through initially on the initial attack.
no nose but it had been decanted for 5 hours which may have been too much.
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12/6/2016 - bigred3xxx wrote:
Amazing wine #22 on the 2016 Wine Spectator top 100 list.
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