[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light garnet in the glass with medium plus bricking. With two hours in the decanter this is absolutely singing. In this glass this blasts nori, fresh ginger, cocoa powder, dried strawberries, blood orange, dried cherries, grilled pork, fire pit, and roobis tea. The palate is elegant to the core entering on bright red and citrus fruit. Acid is high and tannin is medium minus. The finish closes harmoniously replaying the nose. All in all this was shockingly great. I guessed this was an 80s Chateauneuf du Pape from a producer like Beaucastel or perhaps even Burgundy or Northern Rhone, all along knowing the alcohol was a tad too low and acid too high for CdP. While I was pleased to see this and it made sense, this must have not seen any American Oak as that aspect typical of Rioja is absent here.
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Brown colour. Raisin, jammy black fruit and anise on smell. Some herbal notes in the back. Fruit is still vibrant but more towards secondary and tertial developments. Jammy strawberries, raisins, prune, some thyme, anise. Tannins are still there, but its about time to consume this wine. Perfect match for the easter lamb!
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From magnum and actually needed a bit of air to get fully revved up. Cherry pipe tobacco, touched by balsamic, an old leather chair, silken and supple.
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Magnum, last bottle of this in my cellar. Enjoyed al fresco alongside Ted's awesome wood fired paella. So smooth, so aromatic. They literally don't make then like this anymore. A classic that will be remembered for a long time.
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Darker garnet. Nose of macerated plum, sun-dried tomato, leather, hyacinth, and tilled earth filling the room. Dense, almost thick layers of sweet plum, red cherry, marzipan, leather, and spice bursting on the palate. Moderate acidity and softened, dusty tannin leading to a longer finish of sweet red fruit, stone, and grip. Good stuff.
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Weekend in Minneapolis; 8/17/2018-8/18/2018 (Various Locations): Always a very reliable producer. Nicely aged and yet still a touch on the young side (e.g. there's no rush to drink these - CT window of 2015 is too short). Get this odd mix of dried tomato (think sundried) and a sortof sweetness to the fruit that seems to actually work ok together. Reasonable tannin and oak there, but nothing overpowering. Tasty.
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Rioja Muga GR & SE Vertical Tasting Event plus Dinner (Bodega Santa Cecilia - Madrid): Closed and dusty loft. It has that initial rancid touch that does not end up displeasing me. Behind them awaited aromas of pitch, hay, and old leather, like the seat of my Harley after the rain. Also notes of coal and marzipan. It is not a bottle for all types of public. Perfectly balanced silky and dense at the same time. All very fine and representative. Highly recommended.
Desván cerrado y polvoriento. Tiene ese toque ranció inicial que no termina de disgustarme. Detrás estaban esperando aromas a brea, a heno tostado y a cuero viejo, como el asiento de mi Harley cuando llueve. También notas de mineral de carbón y de mazapán. No es una botella para todo tipo de público. Perfectamente equilibrado sedoso y denso a la vez. Todo muy fino y representativo. Altamente recomendado.
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Quite dark garnet but bricking at the edge. Lots of dark fruits, smooth and refined tannin spices, along with good complexity. A fine wine, fully mature, and drinking well right now. Benefits from a few minutes in the glass or a decanter.
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A really solid and traditional reserva. Terrific aroma with saturated flavored of cherries, roses, cedar and mocha. Needed to breathe a bit to blow off some stale aromas.
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Lovely mature nose, a bit dusty in a good way. Perfect smooth, velvety palate, totally mature, beautiful very soft tannins, solid fruit and mild acidity. Surely at peak right now.
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This has taken years to come around. Bricking throughout. Smooth tannins that are completely melded. Tart, fresh cherries and deep flavors with good length. An excellent bottle, ready to drink now.
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Fairly shy nose of tobacco, dried fruit, cedar and meat. The palate was more expressive with emphasis on dried fruit and the meat. Fully mature, easy to drink. Very pretty. Medium finish.
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For some reason I didn't take notes on the first bottle or two out of this case, but my memory is that it was tired and I thought of flogging the rest. But this bottle was magnificent, strong, savoury, and floaty, not a million miles away in flavour from last night's Fourrier 99s and a notch livelier
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Moderate bricking. Orange rim. Classic Rioja nose and palate. Dried fruit. Raisins, plums, red cherry, vanilla and oak. A little overly woody, but not too bad. This has aged well. Could still last, but this was my last bottle.
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Very consistent notes from previous bottles Bit bricky in colour. Powerful nose. Bacon fat. Woody. Lovely fruity and creaminess on the palate. Hints of vanilla. Red berry fruits. Tannins well integrated. Really drinkable. Soft. Balanced
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Bit bricky in colour. Powerful nose. Bacon fat. Woody. Lovely fruity and creaminess on the palate. Hints of vanilla. Red berry fruits. Tannins well integrated. Really drinkable. Soft. Balanced.
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Aromatic with nice fruit and mellow spice. Very smooth on the finish. Double decanted wine and allowed to open up for an hour. Well worth the wait. The cherry, spice and soft tannins made for a luscious mouthful.
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Loaded with fruit, but not complexity. Tannins mellow with air, this wine could be decanted an hour ahead of time. Anise, cherry, cigar box cedar, and spicy. Full bodied. Nice but reluctant to show its all. -JBL
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Magnums: From magnum. Pleasantly spicy, nice fruit but just lacking in intensity. The pieces all seem to be together but it's certainly showing very young in large format. I had pretty high expectations for this bottle that weren't quite met.
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Potent acidity, aromatic, open and full. A slightly musty component was present and the bottle might have been slightly tainted. Nevertheless, the structure was there and I remain optimistic about the wine's future. From magnum.
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Nice old wood, nutmeg and curry. Great aromatic intensity and very fresh. Chewy, succulent and spicy, softly tannic and well balanced. This bottle was definitely one of the good ones, in very good condition, and restoring my faith in the wine. Still a favorite.
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Inviting red fruits and dried herbs on nose with some complexity. Medium body on palate with fresh acidity. Finished with dry tannin but followed by slightly sweet juicy aftertaste.
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Lovely fragrant nose, madeira cake and saffron. Good acidity, sweet, spicy, slightly figgy fruit, nice weight and texture, fresh finish. More together and less evolved than a 94 Rioja Alta Ardanza tasted recently. Really very nice and with the legs to age for another 5 to 10 quite happily. ****
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Slightly dank nose, some wood and spice. May be a little bit off. In the mouth, the wine is quite juicy with very sound fruit and bright acidity. Soft and round, tannins are all but gone. Spicy finish, somewhat abrupt. I've had this wine many times and this is by far the weakest.
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8/26/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote: 95 Points
[Tasted Double Blind] This pours light garnet in the glass with medium plus bricking. With two hours in the decanter this is absolutely singing. In this glass this blasts nori, fresh ginger, cocoa powder, dried strawberries, blood orange, dried cherries, grilled pork, fire pit, and roobis tea. The palate is elegant to the core entering on bright red and citrus fruit. Acid is high and tannin is medium minus. The finish closes harmoniously replaying the nose. All in all this was shockingly great. I guessed this was an 80s Chateauneuf du Pape from a producer like Beaucastel or perhaps even Burgundy or Northern Rhone, all along knowing the alcohol was a tad too low and acid too high for CdP. While I was pleased to see this and it made sense, this must have not seen any American Oak as that aspect typical of Rioja is absent here.
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1/25/2023 - Chateau-de-Plonk Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ex bodega, aged well with very good cork
Fully mature, burgundian and savoury. Benefited from some air in the glass
Good vintage but this isnt going to hold out for much longer!
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4/16/2022 - Utstein wrote: 93 Points
Brown colour. Raisin, jammy black fruit and anise on smell. Some herbal notes in the back. Fruit is still vibrant but more towards secondary and tertial developments. Jammy strawberries, raisins, prune, some thyme, anise. Tannins are still there, but its about time to consume this wine. Perfect match for the easter lamb!
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12/28/2021 - akspres Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good, loads of fresh fruit and developed nicely over 3 hours.
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9/10/2021 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
From magnum and actually needed a bit of air to get fully revved up. Cherry pipe tobacco, touched by balsamic, an old leather chair, silken and supple.
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9/4/2021 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
Magnum, last bottle of this in my cellar. Enjoyed al fresco alongside Ted's awesome wood fired paella. So smooth, so aromatic. They literally don't make then like this anymore. A classic that will be remembered for a long time.
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8/26/2018 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Darker garnet. Nose of macerated plum, sun-dried tomato, leather, hyacinth, and tilled earth filling the room. Dense, almost thick layers of sweet plum, red cherry, marzipan, leather, and spice bursting on the palate. Moderate acidity and softened, dusty tannin leading to a longer finish of sweet red fruit, stone, and grip. Good stuff.
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8/17/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Weekend in Minneapolis; 8/17/2018-8/18/2018 (Various Locations): Always a very reliable producer. Nicely aged and yet still a touch on the young side (e.g. there's no rush to drink these - CT window of 2015 is too short). Get this odd mix of dried tomato (think sundried) and a sortof sweetness to the fruit that seems to actually work ok together. Reasonable tannin and oak there, but nothing overpowering. Tasty.
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7/9/2017 - JanFoss60 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite impressive, mature Rioja-reserva from an impeccable producer and a great vintage. As expected!
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4/27/2017 - Harley1199 Likes this wine:
Rioja Muga GR & SE Vertical Tasting Event plus Dinner (Bodega Santa Cecilia - Madrid): Closed and dusty loft. It has that initial rancid touch that does not end up displeasing me. Behind them awaited aromas of pitch, hay, and old leather, like the seat of my Harley after the rain. Also notes of coal and marzipan.
It is not a bottle for all types of public. Perfectly balanced silky and dense at the same time. All very fine and representative. Highly recommended.
Desván cerrado y polvoriento. Tiene ese toque ranció inicial que no termina de disgustarme. Detrás estaban esperando aromas a brea, a heno tostado y a cuero viejo, como el asiento de mi Harley cuando llueve. También notas de mineral de carbón y de mazapán.
No es una botella para todo tipo de público. Perfectamente equilibrado sedoso y denso a la vez. Todo muy fino y representativo. Altamente recomendado.
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12/4/2016 - Rupert wrote: flawed
Something had happened to the cork. Crumbled. Oxidised
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8/20/2016 - M DU VIN Likes this wine: 93 Points
No sign of bricking. Opened two hours in advance and during that time the wine just blossomed.
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1/17/2016 - Lipsman wrote: 91 Points
Quite dark garnet but bricking at the edge. Lots of dark fruits, smooth and refined tannin spices, along with good complexity. A fine wine, fully mature, and drinking well right now. Benefits from a few minutes in the glass or a decanter.
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1/3/2016 - robmatic wrote:
Beautiful. Last 750.
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11/8/2015 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Earthy, lean grippy, lots of cedar, fine
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7/29/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
A really solid and traditional reserva. Terrific aroma with saturated flavored of cherries, roses, cedar and mocha. Needed to breathe a bit to blow off some stale aromas.
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5/22/2015 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
Lovely mature nose, a bit dusty in a good way. Perfect smooth, velvety palate, totally mature, beautiful very soft tannins, solid fruit and mild acidity. Surely at peak right now.
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7/30/2014 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 95 Points
This has taken years to come around. Bricking throughout. Smooth tannins that are completely melded. Tart, fresh cherries and deep flavors with good length. An excellent bottle, ready to drink now.
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10/13/2013 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
Not a patch on the last bottle. Strong and gamey, with a touch of oxidation, and a slightly earthy edge to the oak.
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7/7/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Fairly shy nose of tobacco, dried fruit, cedar and meat. The palate was more expressive with emphasis on dried fruit and the meat. Fully mature, easy to drink. Very pretty. Medium finish.
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5/31/2013 - burgburgburg wrote: 90 Points
Typical superb QPR Rioja. Tamed tannin in the rather simple palate.
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4/7/2013 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
For some reason I didn't take notes on the first bottle or two out of this case, but my memory is that it was tired and I thought of flogging the rest. But this bottle was magnificent, strong, savoury, and floaty, not a million miles away in flavour from last night's Fourrier 99s and a notch livelier
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10/30/2012 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Moderate bricking. Orange rim. Classic Rioja nose and palate. Dried fruit. Raisins, plums, red cherry, vanilla and oak. A little overly woody, but not too bad. This has aged well. Could still last, but this was my last bottle.
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8/26/2012 - PC73 wrote: 92 Points
Very consistent notes from previous bottles
Bit bricky in colour.
Powerful nose. Bacon fat. Woody.
Lovely fruity and creaminess on the palate. Hints of vanilla. Red berry fruits. Tannins well integrated.
Really drinkable. Soft. Balanced
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8/10/2012 - PC73 wrote: 91 Points
Bit bricky in colour.
Powerful nose. Bacon fat. Woody.
Lovely fruity and creaminess on the palate. Hints of vanilla. Red berry fruits. Tannins well integrated.
Really drinkable. Soft. Balanced.
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9/22/2011 - WinePrincess wrote: 90 Points
Aromatic with nice fruit and mellow spice. Very smooth on the finish. Double decanted wine and allowed to open up for an hour. Well worth the wait. The cherry, spice and soft tannins made for a luscious mouthful.
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11/27/2010 - Lipsman wrote: 89 Points
Loaded with fruit, but not complexity. Tannins mellow with air, this wine could be decanted an hour ahead of time. Anise, cherry, cigar box cedar, and spicy. Full bodied. Nice but reluctant to show its all. -JBL
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8/27/2010 - andtheodor wrote:
Magnums: From magnum. Pleasantly spicy, nice fruit but just lacking in intensity. The pieces all seem to be together but it's certainly showing very young in large format. I had pretty high expectations for this bottle that weren't quite met.
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8/25/2010 - robmatic wrote:
Potent acidity, aromatic, open and full. A slightly musty component was present and the bottle might have been slightly tainted. Nevertheless, the structure was there and I remain optimistic about the wine's future. From magnum.
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4/15/2010 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Drinking nicely now. Kind of mellow. A little stinky, a little sweet. Drink over next year.
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10/11/2008 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
Nice old wood, nutmeg and curry. Great aromatic intensity and very fresh. Chewy, succulent and spicy, softly tannic and well balanced. This bottle was definitely one of the good ones, in very good condition, and restoring my faith in the wine. Still a favorite.
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5/9/2008 - kmklee wrote: 89 Points
Inviting red fruits and dried herbs on nose with some complexity. Medium body on palate with fresh acidity. Finished with dry tannin but followed by slightly sweet juicy aftertaste.
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12/15/2007 - SimonG wrote:
Lovely fragrant nose, madeira cake and saffron. Good acidity, sweet, spicy, slightly figgy fruit, nice weight and texture, fresh finish. More together and less evolved than a 94 Rioja Alta Ardanza tasted recently. Really very nice and with the legs to age for another 5 to 10 quite happily. ****
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5/26/2006 - robmatic wrote: 87 Points
Slightly dank nose, some wood and spice. May be a little bit off. In the mouth, the wine is quite juicy with very sound fruit and bright acidity. Soft and round, tannins are all but gone. Spicy finish, somewhat abrupt. I've had this wine many times and this is by far the weakest.
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1/11/2002 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 88 Points
Vineyardgate Wine Tasting: "Spanish Wines." 4-12-15-7: 88/100.
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