This is evolving well. PnP'd, immediately satisfying with dark fruits, tree bark and sasparilla root. Not in a rush or anything, but I have three more bottles and wouldn't hesitate to drink them all over the next year.
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Day one: Not decanted. Plenty of acid and tannin but lacking in fruit and body. Showed well with food but not great on its own. Not much secondary development so maybe in a dormant phase? Three days later: rich and hearty with plum, black cherry, roasted coffee and earth. Definitely needs decanting and, ideally, more time.
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After my previous experiences, I thought we would finish off our stocks of this vintage in case it was on a downward trajectory. I think it was. Plenty of acidity and tannin for food but lacking fruit. Very disappointing.
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Solid, enjoyable rioja with classic notes of , blackberry and prunes with a bit of spice and earth, balanced with moderate acid and mild tannin.
Drinking well now. Should do well over the next decade, if you don’t mind mellowing of the fruit in turn for a more complex, gelled wine with a touch of rust as it ages more.
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Pleasantly deep red. Nose of forest, earth/moss and cask, added herbs and something reminecent of aniseed and candy. Taste is fairly straight forward with pleasantly rich red fruits and wood maturation spices. Long and quite dry/tart finish. Perhaps a tad linear and maybe even somewhat "thin", but easy to enjoy. In particular with food after a couple of hours of air.
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I should have read my previous note and waited longer to open this. A few hours after opening it was still full of juicy red and black berry fruit (redcurrants, blackcurrants) with good acidity and plenty of tannin. More dark cherries later. It was nice (and very good with food). However, I’ll try to keep the few remaining bottles for a few years.
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Pop and pour. Hmm, somewhat generic: not sure I would be able to tell this was rioja. On the nose: mulberry leaf, musty red fruit, but nothing that really suggests tempranillo. On the palate: lovely acidity, blackberry, black raspberry and some chalky tannin on the finish. Could just have easily have been a syrah/cab blend. Solid wine, but unlike previous btls lacks some varietal typicity. Maybe in an awkward phase evolutionarily?
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First bottle opened, short decant, very pleased. Complimented the grilled entraña (skirt steak) on a charcoal fire. Not sure where it is in evolution but I don’t think it needs more age to enjoy.
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Much better than my previous bottle 2 years ago. Even PnP this was singing out of the gates. Lovely depth of classic Rioja profile notes A very decent bottle
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Granted the wine has not been stored well so all that follows needs to be adjusted for that and hence not rating officially as to not affect the avg score. Tasted blind. Ironically Andreas’ comment was that albeit very oaky this was definitely not Rioja as there was very little American oak and the wine was softer than a typical Rioja. He went with South African Cab Sauv 10-15yrs old. Had a bit of fizz to start, light herbs, decent amount of oak but well toned out, well round now and felt at peak. Would have been an 88-89 for us at best
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Picked this up in a supermarket in Zermatt, on the trip. Intended to drink it with the group on the train but we opened many others instead. Enjoyed this on our van ride through Lucerne a few days later....initially a bit tannic but not too tight or overbearing, just a tad out of balance. Nice dark Rioja, smooth, clean and pretty well balanced. Maybe 90? I really was impressed for the $39 Swiss Franc price. Cork back in bottle and enjoyed the last big glass in the hotel room the next afternoon. Everything balanced and more seemless by then, maybe a 92 so averaging the score to a 91.
Rick4wine below referred to this as a Spanish Caymus.....that's not a bad comparison at less than half the price of Caymus, but at no point did this one have that syrupy 'cherry cough syrup' manufactured feel or flavor or sense about it, that I dislike. This is better than Caymus for my palate and def cheaper, too. This '14 can easily be drunk now with some decant and for people that like their Cali fruit this '14 from Spain is not unlike our '14s from Napa. I still feel that the good Napa '14s are a little more complex or deeper in layers than this Spanish entry.
Notes from Day 2. Medium-intensity nose (somewhat attenuated from Day 1), with notes of dark cherries. Very nice acidity that gives way to red currants and red cherries flavors; some notes of sage, some spice, grippy tannins, and medium long finish. While not terribly complex, this wine is very enjoyable and well made.
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Opened and left for 4h before serious tasting. Full of juicy red and black berry fruit (redcurrants, blackcurrants) at first with good acidity and plenty of tannin. With time, dark cherries were more prominent. It was very good with lamb steaks and high quality sausages when the acidity and tannin were helpful. I think this needed more time to really open. It is not really a ‘tasting’ wine yet - it is still developing and, based on earlier vintages, it probably needs a few more years to show its strengths and quality. It didn’t last long enough to show what it would be like after a day or so.
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This is a gratuitous wine. It lets you know that it’s happy you opened it tonight. To me this is like a Spanish Caymus. Big, juicy, bold and benefits from just about 15-30 minutes of air. Food is optional, but bring something meaty with some smoke to it, if you do: think cured meats and cheese.
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A balanced wine with blueberry, spice and leather notes. I think this wine would satisfy a broad range of tastes - serve it at a wedding. These wines see considerable oak and it is present, but not as ponderous as American cabs. Would likely benefit from a long decant or long aging, but I wouldn't hesitate to open a bottle now. Very drinkable with an hour of breathing in glasses, enjoyable with Moroccan lamb, should last a long time.
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Stupidly mistook this for something else and carried to a PnP situation where it really needed 4+ hours of aeration. So didn't pull everything out of it we could have if decanted, but substantive plum and cassis fruit, American oak, and grippy tannins advertise great future potential--scores here are too low. Should make it to 2030 easily.
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Opened this 2 hrs before eating. On the first glass upon opening, very floral with heavy notes of dark cherry and fruit. Ate with rib roast, roasted carrots, mashed. Amazing wine that got better over the night. Turned into a nice, woody, balanced and silky texture. This is my first of 3. Will have one again in 3-4 years.
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Perhaps a case of infanticide but didn’t get much from this. Seems closed and not particularly expressive until day 2. Theres some strength and depth upon opening but lacks some character but began to give a glimpse of itself a bit later in the night and on the second day Worth giving it a few years or liberal decant
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Youthful, still very early. Tart red berry and vanilla with plenty of oak spice. Requires decanting and food. Worked with chicken enchiladas. IMHO, still needs a couple more years to integrate. Currently 89 points, but expected to improve with time.
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Another excellent btl. Cola, leather, black fruit, some cardamom. On the palate, excellent acidity, good weight and extraction, but still light on its feet. More blackberry, vanilla and toast, soft tannin on the finish.
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I should've left this sit, but I was grilling meat and my dad loves Rioja, so we drank this and enjoyed it a lot. It had grippy tannins, for sure, but an attractive, fleshy, fresh acid frame. Concentrated but juicy currant fruit, but the wine has a lot of vibrancy throughout. Complex tobacco, menthol, pepper, leather and soy notes show this has a lot to develop over the next ten years. I saved a glass for the next day and it was much more expressive and smooth.
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Fast opener. Perhaps it doesn’t have the complex architecture of the gran reserva , but certainly is very friendly.
All the pretty plum and currant fruit in great balance with the graphite and leather. Pretty brown spices and dried herbs.
The pallet is more refined then I expected, with a concentrated but soft core of fruit and earth. The acidity is in perfect balance, as it lengthens the pallet expression without coming off as harsh or tangy.
I’m not sure this will last 40 years, but again CUNEs are sort of magic in how they age.
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Dined solo at Restaurant Alameda and saw this for 40 and change so thought why not? Great young Rioja with exceptionally elegant mid-weight flavors of berry fruit (red and blue), dried flowers, black tea, and surprisingly restrained oak spice. Yes a very young Rioja, but what a treat to enjoy it over several hours with such great food. I'll trot out the cliche and say it was quite Burgundian for a Rioja, and was as nice a wine with seared seabass as it was with roast pigeon.
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Pop and pour. Medium dark magenta with fuchsia glints. Huge nose of ripe berries, dried herbs, white flowers and a touch of black licorice. Fruit is all black cherry, blackberries, cassis and mulberry. Entry is tight, but juicy and fruity with good acidity and a mouth filling body. Lots of fully ripe black and purple berries with soft tea tannins in the background. Nice mid-palate and a nicely long dry finish that carries off a tart tannic bite at the end. Perhaps still a bit oaky but enough fruit to mellow that out with time. Quality stuff with good complexity and just a but young and needing to integrate for all of the parts to come together over the next few years. Good upside potential. 92 points right now.
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American oak quite noticeable to the detriment of the overall package. The good news is that it improved a lot on second day portending a bright future indeed.
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Blend of 85% Tempranillo and equal parts Graciano, Mazuelo (Carignan), and Grenache spent 18 months in (60%) French and (40%) American oak. Lovely, fairly intense nose offers very complex dark berry, black cherry, blackberry, and black plum aromas, with subtle oak, cinnamon, and spice complementing the dark fruits. The medium-full bodied palate is slightly warm, but the very good fruit concentration holds it all together. Very nice aroma replays are well-balanced on the juicy palate. Nicely balanced overall with smooth tannins and a very long, complex finish.
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Wow, sensational. On the nose, very primary, with blueberry cola, leather, and a dark earthy note. On the palate, excellent acidity, weightless, with more pure blackberry and cedar, finely grained tannin on a very refined finish. My only complaint is that a touch of heat mars finish, but that's really just a quibble. Fantastic juice.
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Sensational reserva. Incredibly young. It has all you want from a reserva: leather, spice, sweet and savoury, and what fruit! Fabulous fruit. Utterly delicious. More importantly (for me): ageing potential. Very exciting.
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Medium deep purple. NOSE: Nice red berry fruit, cedar wood, black pepper, vanilla, hint of smoke. (89) TASTE: Slightly sweet, fresh fruitiness (again red berries), nice acidity, vanilla. Juicy wine. Medium body. Medium long aftertaste. (88) Nice, rather young Rioja Reserva on the more delicate side. Promising. I think this may improve in complexity with 2-4 years of cellaring. Total score 88 points (with a potential for 90+ with time). Drink 2018-2024.
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4/13/2024 - Neecies Likes this wine:
This is evolving well. PnP'd, immediately satisfying with dark fruits, tree bark and sasparilla root. Not in a rush or anything, but I have three more bottles and wouldn't hesitate to drink them all over the next year.
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12/3/2023 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Day one: Not decanted. Plenty of acid and tannin but lacking in fruit and body. Showed well with food but not great on its own. Not much secondary development so maybe in a dormant phase? Three days later: rich and hearty with plum, black cherry, roasted coffee and earth. Definitely needs decanting and, ideally, more time.
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8/19/2023 - kalissa Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ready to drink. Minimal tannin but still enough acidity to support the structure. Quite Bordeaux-like. Will hold for some time still so no rush.
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7/12/2023 - johnrm wrote: 84 Points
After my previous experiences, I thought we would finish off our stocks of this vintage in case it was on a downward trajectory. I think it was. Plenty of acidity and tannin for food but lacking fruit. Very disappointing.
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3/23/2023 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid, enjoyable rioja with classic notes of , blackberry and prunes with a bit of spice and earth, balanced with moderate acid and mild tannin.
Drinking well now. Should do well over the next decade, if you don’t mind mellowing of the fruit in turn for a more complex, gelled wine with a touch of rust as it ages more.
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1/28/2023 - dearth wrote: 88 Points
Pleasantly deep red. Nose of forest, earth/moss and cask, added herbs and something reminecent of aniseed and candy. Taste is fairly straight forward with pleasantly rich red fruits and wood maturation spices. Long and quite dry/tart finish. Perhaps a tad linear and maybe even somewhat "thin", but easy to enjoy. In particular with food after a couple of hours of air.
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1/26/2023 - JCMenendez Likes this wine: 90 Points
A modern Rioja without losing its sense of place. Food friendly, well balanced.
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12/25/2022 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
I should have read my previous note and waited longer to open this. A few hours after opening it was still full of juicy red and black berry fruit (redcurrants, blackcurrants) with good acidity and plenty of tannin. More dark cherries later. It was nice (and very good with food). However, I’ll try to keep the few remaining bottles for a few years.
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12/7/2022 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Hmm, somewhat generic: not sure I would be able to tell this was rioja. On the nose: mulberry leaf, musty red fruit, but nothing that really suggests tempranillo. On the palate: lovely acidity, blackberry, black raspberry and some chalky tannin on the finish. Could just have easily have been a syrah/cab blend. Solid wine, but unlike previous btls lacks some varietal typicity. Maybe in an awkward phase evolutionarily?
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10/16/2022 - kungfubaby Likes this wine:
First bottle opened, short decant, very pleased. Complimented the grilled entraña (skirt steak) on a charcoal fire. Not sure where it is in evolution but I don’t think it needs more age to enjoy.
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9/18/2022 - MSheridan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Much better than my previous bottle 2 years ago.
Even PnP this was singing out of the gates.
Lovely depth of classic Rioja profile notes
A very decent bottle
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9/12/2022 - Dugis wrote: 90 Points
Lovely velvety mouthfeel. Subtle oak
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8/12/2022 - Papies wrote:
Granted the wine has not been stored well so all that follows needs to be adjusted for that and hence not rating officially as to not affect the avg score.
Tasted blind. Ironically Andreas’ comment was that albeit very oaky this was definitely not Rioja as there was very little American oak and the wine was softer than a typical Rioja. He went with South African Cab Sauv 10-15yrs old.
Had a bit of fizz to start, light herbs, decent amount of oak but well toned out, well round now and felt at peak. Would have been an 88-89 for us at best
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5/13/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Picked this up in a supermarket in Zermatt, on the trip. Intended to drink it with the group on the train but we opened many others instead. Enjoyed this on our van ride through Lucerne a few days later....initially a bit tannic but not too tight or overbearing, just a tad out of balance. Nice dark Rioja, smooth, clean and pretty well balanced. Maybe 90? I really was impressed for the $39 Swiss Franc price. Cork back in bottle and enjoyed the last big glass in the hotel room the next afternoon. Everything balanced and more seemless by then, maybe a 92 so averaging the score to a 91.
Rick4wine below referred to this as a Spanish Caymus.....that's not a bad comparison at less than half the price of Caymus, but at no point did this one have that syrupy 'cherry cough syrup' manufactured feel or flavor or sense about it, that I dislike. This is better than Caymus for my palate and def cheaper, too. This '14 can easily be drunk now with some decant and for people that like their Cali fruit this '14 from Spain is not unlike our '14s from Napa. I still feel that the good Napa '14s are a little more complex or deeper in layers than this Spanish entry.
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2/24/2022 - Condrieu82 wrote: 90 Points
Notes from Day 2. Medium-intensity nose (somewhat attenuated from Day 1), with notes of dark cherries. Very nice acidity that gives way to red currants and red cherries flavors; some notes of sage, some spice, grippy tannins, and medium long finish. While not terribly complex, this wine is very enjoyable and well made.
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11/3/2021 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Notes from.48 hrs open. Totally solid. Nothing to add to previous notes.
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9/1/2021 - johnrm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened and left for 4h before serious tasting. Full of juicy red and black berry fruit (redcurrants, blackcurrants) at first with good acidity and plenty of tannin. With time, dark cherries were more prominent. It was very good with lamb steaks and high quality sausages when the acidity and tannin were helpful. I think this needed more time to really open. It is not really a ‘tasting’ wine yet - it is still developing and, based on earlier vintages, it probably needs a few more years to show its strengths and quality. It didn’t last long enough to show what it would be like after a day or so.
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8/3/2021 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a gratuitous wine. It lets you know that it’s happy you opened it tonight. To me this is like a Spanish Caymus. Big, juicy, bold and benefits from just about 15-30 minutes of air. Food is optional, but bring something meaty with some smoke to it, if you do: think cured meats and cheese.
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4/18/2021 - vindictive wrote:
A balanced wine with blueberry, spice and leather notes. I think this wine would satisfy a broad range of tastes - serve it at a wedding. These wines see considerable oak and it is present, but not as ponderous as American cabs. Would likely benefit from a long decant or long aging, but I wouldn't hesitate to open a bottle now. Very drinkable with an hour of breathing in glasses, enjoyable with Moroccan lamb, should last a long time.
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4/16/2021 - dub-dub wrote:
Great robe, nice fruits, magnum was better and ready after 1 day in the bottle
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3/7/2021 - acheng wrote:
Still predominantly coconut oak and spice. Took 3 days to come out of its shell. Bright and fruity in third day
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1/23/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Stupidly mistook this for something else and carried to a PnP situation where it really needed 4+ hours of aeration. So didn't pull everything out of it we could have if decanted, but substantive plum and cassis fruit, American oak, and grippy tannins advertise great future potential--scores here are too low. Should make it to 2030 easily.
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1/17/2021 - foyfrcs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark garnet.
Black cherries, black pepper, caramel nose/palate.
Medium tannins, well balanced, long finish.
Very good wine.
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12/16/2020 - Matt21 wrote: 91 Points
Opened this 2 hrs before eating. On the first glass upon opening, very floral with heavy notes of dark cherry and fruit. Ate with rib roast, roasted carrots, mashed. Amazing wine that got better over the night. Turned into a nice, woody, balanced and silky texture. This is my first of 3. Will have one again in 3-4 years.
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12/10/2020 - efk Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nice wine. very good
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11/2/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Nothing to add to my last note...another excellent btl.
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10/31/2020 - PierreNilsson76 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tobacco , oak , vanilla , herbs, great balance !
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10/21/2020 - MSheridan wrote: 88 Points
Perhaps a case of infanticide but didn’t get much from this. Seems closed and not particularly expressive until day 2. Theres some strength and depth upon opening but lacks some character but began to give a glimpse of itself a bit later in the night and on the second day
Worth giving it a few years or liberal decant
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4/17/2020 - wmccone54 wrote:
Youthful, still very early. Tart red berry and vanilla with plenty of oak spice. Requires decanting and food. Worked with chicken enchiladas. IMHO, still needs a couple more years to integrate. Currently 89 points, but expected to improve with time.
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4/11/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Another excellent btl. Cola, leather, black fruit, some cardamom. On the palate, excellent acidity, good weight and extraction, but still light on its feet. More blackberry, vanilla and toast, soft tannin on the finish.
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1/12/2020 - RussK wrote: 91 Points
Russk. 91+ points. Dill and vanilla.
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10/15/2019 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #042: Spain Tempranillo around 2011 (By AG): In the bouquet dark and red berries, sweet spices, vanilla, cherries, oak and some leather. On the palate juicy dark berries, sweet spices, chocolate, leather, firm acidity and a bit heat in the finish.
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9/30/2019 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 90 Points
I should've left this sit, but I was grilling meat and my dad loves Rioja, so we drank this and enjoyed it a lot. It had grippy tannins, for sure, but an attractive, fleshy, fresh acid frame. Concentrated but juicy currant fruit, but the wine has a lot of vibrancy throughout. Complex tobacco, menthol, pepper, leather and soy notes show this has a lot to develop over the next ten years. I saved a glass for the next day and it was much more expressive and smooth.
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9/27/2019 - Rambling wino Likes this wine:
Fast opener. Perhaps it doesn’t have the complex architecture of the gran reserva , but certainly is very friendly.
All the pretty plum and currant fruit in great balance with the graphite and leather. Pretty brown spices and dried herbs.
The pallet is more refined then I expected, with a concentrated but soft core of fruit and earth. The acidity is in perfect balance, as it lengthens the pallet expression without coming off as harsh or tangy.
I’m not sure this will last 40 years, but again CUNEs are sort of magic in how they age.
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9/24/2019 - Normones wrote: 90 Points
Solid fruit and tannin balance. 89 is right on.
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9/18/2019 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine:
Dined solo at Restaurant Alameda and saw this for 40 and change so thought why not? Great young Rioja with exceptionally elegant mid-weight flavors of berry fruit (red and blue), dried flowers, black tea, and surprisingly restrained oak spice. Yes a very young Rioja, but what a treat to enjoy it over several hours with such great food. I'll trot out the cliche and say it was quite Burgundian for a Rioja, and was as nice a wine with seared seabass as it was with roast pigeon.
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7/8/2019 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 89 Points
One of my favourites Rioja Reserva, never disappoints!
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6/20/2019 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour. Medium dark magenta with fuchsia glints. Huge nose of ripe berries, dried herbs, white flowers and a touch of black licorice. Fruit is all black cherry, blackberries, cassis and mulberry. Entry is tight, but juicy and fruity with good acidity and a mouth filling body. Lots of fully ripe black and purple berries with soft tea tannins in the background. Nice mid-palate and a nicely long dry finish that carries off a tart tannic bite at the end. Perhaps still a bit oaky but enough fruit to mellow that out with time. Quality stuff with good complexity and just a but young and needing to integrate for all of the parts to come together over the next few years. Good upside potential. 92 points right now.
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6/3/2019 - acheng wrote:
American oak quite noticeable to the detriment of the overall package. The good news is that it improved a lot on second day portending a bright future indeed.
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5/15/2019 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Toasty, vanilla, black currant, cherry, and cinnamon. Ripe, precise and modern palate; elegant, integrated and balanced finish.
4/5
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5/5/2019 - cono_sur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blend of 85% Tempranillo and equal parts Graciano, Mazuelo (Carignan), and Grenache spent 18 months in (60%) French and (40%) American oak. Lovely, fairly intense nose offers very complex dark berry, black cherry, blackberry, and black plum aromas, with subtle oak, cinnamon, and spice complementing the dark fruits. The medium-full bodied palate is slightly warm, but the very good fruit concentration holds it all together. Very nice aroma replays are well-balanced on the juicy palate. Nicely balanced overall with smooth tannins and a very long, complex finish.
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5/5/2019 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Balanced and elegant. Not too complex but a beautiful wine.
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5/5/2019 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Wow, sensational. On the nose, very primary, with blueberry cola, leather, and a dark earthy note. On the palate, excellent acidity, weightless, with more pure blackberry and cedar, finely grained tannin on a very refined finish. My only complaint is that a touch of heat mars finish, but that's really just a quibble. Fantastic juice.
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9/12/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sensational reserva. Incredibly young. It has all you want from a reserva: leather, spice, sweet and savoury, and what fruit! Fabulous fruit. Utterly delicious. More importantly (for me): ageing potential. Very exciting.
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4/8/2018 - SAND Likes this wine: 88 Points
Medium deep purple.
NOSE: Nice red berry fruit, cedar wood, black pepper, vanilla, hint of smoke. (89)
TASTE: Slightly sweet, fresh fruitiness (again red berries), nice acidity, vanilla. Juicy wine. Medium body. Medium long aftertaste. (88)
Nice, rather young Rioja Reserva on the more delicate side. Promising. I think this may improve in complexity with 2-4 years of cellaring. Total score 88 points (with a potential for 90+ with time). Drink 2018-2024.
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