Drank at Copake last week. Shocked how well this wine has held up. Obviously showing signs of its age, but youthful aromas of cherries, spice and herbs. Same notes on the palate, along with some remaining oak and vibrant acidity. Lots of sediment here, so worth decanting for that reason alone. Hoping I still have another one of these lying around.
Really a beautiful aged Rioja that's still youthful and with a bit of vanilla oak left to resolve. Delicious black cherry fruit with a fine floral quality that gives way to a complex finish with notes of vanilla, black spices and a hint of mint. This is aging quite well. 92+
really enjoyed this. Midbodied but with long intense finish, perfumed with spice and candied orange on nose. On palate clean black plum fruit, earth, leather, and spice. A-
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"This is a wine I imagine people make in prison" (Chicago, IL): Clearly a nose of American oak, but without that polish that you get from La Rioja Alta. There's a little bit of sweat here as well, something that I sometimes confuse with TCA (lots of Rioja smells corked to me). The palate is quite compelling though; the fruit is silky and still young, with a slight vanilla sweetness that is counterbalanced by more of the earthy tones. Very good depth and complexity; I liked this very much.
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Hmm... third vintage of Muga's Prado Enea I have tried (after 78 and 95) and third time unimpressed. Must be one of those wines which I simply do not get... Having said that and reading some of the (raving) reviews below it seems as if I am having a completely different wine in the glass altogether. Only Acyso in 2017, seems to have had the same wine as I am having now. Back to what I am drinking... First bottle from an OWC and in perfect condition (fill 0.5cm). Unlike some of the mentioned comments below, this is definitively not bricking or maroon, it is a transparent garnet almost to the clear rim. Also not a classic Rioja style in my eyes: dark fruit, bay leaf, earthy notes. Round but not rich, with nicely integrated tannins. Fairly short finish. Seems fully mature but not past peak. Overall a solid and well made wine but nothing complex or particularly aromatic. The reference to Burgundy I can partially follow when it comes to weight and texture, but certainly not when it comes to flavor profile and aromatics.
Drinking incredibly well. Youthful in color, aroma, and on the palate with notes of dark cherry, bay leaf, hints of roasted tomatoes, and layers of spice. The acidity is pretty high, so this will definitely go well with food, but it was also great on its own. Very classic Rioja style that still has many years left.
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Post Election ""Drink Your Mood" Tasting...No Orange Wine (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Very impressive, this ran the risk of getting lost in a sea of great Grand Cru Burgundy, but easily held its own. Red cherry and plum are maturing gracefully and elegantly with enough of a combination with woodsy spice, earth and meat to come across as complex and elegant. Very classic Rioja style.
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A really great wine, showing well now and with so much potential. Wine Canuck's note is pretty similar to my experience, and I agree with Seth's comment that this is Burgundian and packed with flavor without being heavy, but what I noted, in addition, is that the palate had these date and fig nuances, dark and slightly sweet, that folded into this lovely, dark, savory palate, more dark fruits, carob and soy nuances than red fruits. Truly a lovely wine with poise and grace, yet impactful. At Kulper's place.
Whoa! This was killer! Quite heavily bricked. Barely transparent in the glass with an orange rim. The nose is just lovely: plum, spice box, undergrowth, old cedar, old leather, dried orange peel, thyme, mushroom broth, cherry, and dried strawberry. The palate has excellent acid with just atouch of tannin and are core of pure, sweet red fruit. The finish is long of spice box and dried orange peel. Almost 95.
Celebrating a friend's 40th birthday in Nashville Provenance was very good if not excellent. Decanted. After reading some tasting notes, I was expecting a different type of wine. Color was a dark maroon color but not as opaque as the Alion that was next to it. Nose wasn't as expressive as the Alion with a black tea and potpourri mixed in. The palate was much better with crushed red cherries and dark chocolate but faded as the evening wore on.
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Took a bottle to La Vara to celebrate my birthday. I'm almost always amazed how Burgundian this wine is and how much flavor is packed into this without being heavy. Classic notes of cherry, wild strawberry, plum, sous bois, tomato-meaty, funk. This is really perfumed and sexy with some serious sauvage. I found the palate to be a bit more acidic than the nose - maybe a touch dried out. But the wine wasn't a great match with most of the food so that could be it as well. Still beautiful fruit flavors, funk, some meat. This is classic Rioja and they don't make 'em like they used to.
PnPed right out of the wine fridge - it's a little cold but already very expressive. The nose is to die for: it's got a sweet dark fruit core, maybe blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry. It is really kinky with spices and savory meaty and animale aspects. It's got sauvage in the way I love with old de Montille Pommards - funky, meaty, savory, perfumed. Blind, I have no doubt I would guess high-quality Red Burg from the early 90's. The palate was similar, but more tart and not as expressive. The finish continued this trend. I came back to this an hour later and it felt like the volume had been turned down by 80%. odd. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16.5/20.
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Great bottle. At peak and probably will be for another 10 years. The nose has great perfume, like a Red Burg: with good fruit, some florals, earth, spice, some sauvage. The palate is fully resolved and has lots of secondary notes, but at the same time, there is still excellent sweet fruit - the fruit has age, so that it's got some berry aspects, but also a lot of orange peel like stuff going on. The secondary stuff is sort of earthy with some horsey funk. There's also nice florals and spice. The mouthfeel on this is velvety and smooth with excellent verve. The finish is quite pure with the great sap from the fruit and the funk. Wonderful. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
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Dinner at Hai Yen (Chicago, IL): We were talking about this wine a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, a bottle appears! This is a surprising Rioja, seemingly different from the traditional style to which I am accustomed, but at the same time this doesn't stand out as a modernist wine either. It's pretty good, whatever it is -- nice dark fruit and a relatively clean aroma that doesn't have quite the animale stench. Silky tannins round out a very solid wine.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2016/01/prado-enea-1991-gran-reserva.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Color rubí rojizo de capa media-alta, límpido, sin asomo alguno de precipitados. Reflejos brillantes, refulgente, espectacular intensidad para su edad. Con un poco de imaginación podría pasar por un Prado Enea con 10 años menos. Borde amplio, atejado, muy marcado respecto al exterior del menisco.
Expresivo, atropella con su fuerza inicial. Se muestra pletórico dentro del estilo de los nuevo Prado Enea, quizás más potente que elegante y algo previsible en comparación con las primeras cosechas que se embotellaron pero que se encuentra en un momento fantástico de consumo. Especiado, vivo, con mucha fruta roja reducida y un pronunciado fondo en el que se entremezclan notas anisadas, montebajo mediterráneo (mejorana, satureja) y un suave apunte de cuero viejo. Gana en madurez al tomar aire abriéndose poco a poco a fruta pasa y tostados cremosos.
En boca es amplio, ampuloso, lleno, seco, nervioso, extraordinariamente especiado y sabroso, dotado todavía de cierto músculo y de una estructura que para nada era esperada junto a taninos de calidad: maduros pero presentes. Un magnífico Prado Enea que junto al del 89 es de lo mejor de esos años y que comienza a dar pistas de los vinos que vendrían las siguientes cosechas. Aún no ha comenzado a reducirse. Tendrá mucho que decir a poco que le demos un tiempo de espera. Se trata de uno de los vinos de Muga más desconocidos pero va a dar sorpresas en el futuro.
- - - Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 80% tempranillo, 10% graciano, 10% mazuelo. 13% vol. - La mayoría de las uvas proceden de viñedos propios y el resto de pequeños viticultores de la Rioja Alta. Se trata de una selección de viñedos que permanecen sin ser vendimiados hasta su mejor momento de maduracion siendo habitualmente las últimas en entrar en bodea. Cada variedad de uva es vinificada por separado. Fermentación alcohólica en tinos de madera de 10.000 litros, sin control de temperatura ni adición de levaduras, tras la cual es trasegado a otras tinas limpias de gran capacidad, 16.000 litros, en las que permanece durante 12 meses. Transvasado nuevamente y sometido a crianza durante 36 meses en barricas de roble americano 225 litros, buena parte de ellas elaboradas por la tonelería de la propia bodega. Clarificación con claras de huevos frescos antes del embotellado. Un mínimo de 36 meses de guarda en botellero en los calados de la bodega antes de ser comercializado. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Lovely red strawberry fruit, dusty, minty, leathery nose. Took about 2h to really open up. Oak and tannins are resolved and the acidtiy carries the wine in a smooth lifting way. Lots of flowery fruit left complemented by licorice. Medium body. Still plenty of life ahead but this was my only bottle, sadly. My first encounter with a mature Prado Enea, and I thought I didn't particularly enjoyed Rioja, but I have to surrender! Again this shows that good wine is much a matter of patience. 92-93p
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Double decanted before leaving for restaurant and then poured and allowed to a air in a good sized bdx bowl. The wine is absolutely lovely and I would say in the front part of a fine drinking window. Light colored, the faintest hint of 99% resolved oak, sweet and spicy and just want you want from a maturing Rioja. I've been drinking more Lopez Heredia recently, and this wine has a slightly more modern polish to it, but all in all just a beautiful wine and I wish I had more but sadly only 1 bottle. (In this season of reflection and atonement, I must confess that I stole this bottle a few years ago for $35 from some consignor sale. An off the hook value for a wine of this value)
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Gift bottle from Seth (thanks!). Took it to Prospect in Fort Greene. I double-decanted the wine at home and the cork was an absolute disaster -- not at all soaked through, more like dry rot as it was super soft and crumbled instantly. Thank Dog for cheesecloth. The wine itself showed very well though I suspect it was not a tip-top bottle. Still very youthful and energetic, there's a core of plummy fruit tinged with soy and sweet tobacco. Still firm with lots of minerality and traces of hard tannins on the finish. I really enjoyed this and it seemed like the wine had ages to go before full maturity.
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We had this with paella. Beautiful old wine - still a lot of life left - cherry fruit, forest floor, a touch of oxidation, but still lush and with great balance.
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Gorgeous old wine. Upon opening, a touch of oxidation; like a sweeter version of an old Lopez de Heredia. Then taut on the palate like nebbiolo. Then, with some time, it's like drinking an old Barolo, but with a touch of silky, sweetness, like a mature Musar.
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Started with a stink that blew off. Quite sweet on the nose - earthy and creamy. A perfect melange of sweet fruit and secondary aromas. Elegant on the palate - again, creamy with sweet plummy fruit, earthy, lots of acid, Really elegant. This wine was right on tonight - in the sweet spot for me - it had everything I would want. Nose - 6/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 2/2 = 18.5/20.
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Starts out with a lovely scent of damp, freshly turned earth with gentle red fruited flavours, touches of cedar wood, worn leather and spice in the background; with time the fruit deepens and gains intensity and it's a very enjoyable drinking experience with all the components resolved into a single, seamless whole.
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Ethereal bouquet, balsamic and sweet with fully resolved tannins and potent acidity. This is the best bottle I've had in quite some time, with no hint of the funk that has plagued many. However, I do think that the wine is slightly declining now, as it just does not have the power that it once did. Probably time to drink these up.
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Yes! For us it was drinking wonderfully. An old-style Rioja to be sure, but clean and balanced. The wood seemed much better integrated than I had experienced previously with similar btls. A good and great wine, and a fantastic experience. I would buy more in a second.
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Color: Ruby red, with a little brown around the edges. Nose: Spicy and earthy, not showing full nose I have seen before- may take time to open up. Palate: Showing claret like right now (which is not flattering, for those who know my wine tastes) - some wood: cedar and a little smoke, not much fruit. chewy. kind of lean, not that impressive right now. Little hints of the plummy fruit and spices and perfume, but not there overall. This seems to me to be an off showing for one of my favorite wines. Nose: 2/6, Palate: 3/6, Finish: 3/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 0/2 = 8/20 = 76/100
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Drank a bottle over a long, decadent meal at Blackbird. Initially quite tight, this blossomed quickly into something open and vibrant - much more energetic than the first bottle of my stash, which I remember as soft and muted. While 19 years means a fairly light frame with fully resolved tannins, there are lots of deep, rich aromas of bloody meat here and the whole package delivers a lot more power than it first seems (and it seemed to be picking up steam as we were finishing the bottle). I'm not sure I could have pegged this as rioja over, say, older Bandol.
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This does not taste like a 19 year old bottle of wine. The prado enea is one of my favorite expressions of rioja. This wine still shows plenty of life with its tannins, fruit and acidity. Drink it now or hold it for several years to come. A great wine.
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Popped and poured and quite tight at first. Decanted and drank throughout the evening. After an hour or two, the wine was were you want it to be. A lot of tertiary aromas, but still an occasional kick in the face of this typical Rioja fruit. I don't think this will further improve, but you needn't hurry to drink up either.
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Nose: Opened nicely, a little funk blew off, now smells like old burg - sweet, earthy, dirt, dark plum, slight barnyard - fruit tends toward black cherry/plum - old fruit, not quite cooked, but not fresh (this is not a bad thing - the fruit is good) (new pour is younger - fresher fruit - purple & tannins, some oak). Nose evolves quickly in glass. Palate: Very nice on the palate - very plush, but nice structure underneath - tannins and acid - sweetness builds in mid palate - that dark plum, then the earth comes in at the end, with a rush of funkiness at the end, a little much, but still very nice. Really fills the mouth like old burg towards the end, quite striking - like an 85 burg. Very fresh with excellent balance - components come together nicely - the fruit, the tannins, the oak. Definitely has a dustiness about it that I associate with Rioja, delicious. Good underlying acidity holds it all together. Nose: 5/6, Palate: 5/6, Finish: 4/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 2/2 = 16/20 = 92/100.
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Balanced, complex, delicious. Beautiful, traditional Rioja nose. Long finish. Drinking great now, but I wouldn't worry about holding this wine another ten years or so.
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Spanish Wine Dinner with Rob Gardner and Friends in NYC: Medium ruby color. Nose of tobacco, bright red cherry and sweet spice with some ripe red plum in the background. Full on the palate with some sweet cherry, a little chalky on the finish. Juicy and quite delicious.
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This was a fun starter while I tended the grill. As Eric said, this is as old school Rioja as it gets. Still showing a deep color with hints of bricking on the rim the wine offers up a melange of aged ripe fruit along with earth and spice. This wine evolved considerably in a positive direction throughout the night never falling apart. I will drink the last of these soon.
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Holy mackeral, this wine is a baby. Old school rioja, I love it. Tons of good ole American barrels. If you dont like coconut, stay away. This wine has another 15 years on it.
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Sat at the Grillmaster's: cherry, tobacco, leather on the nose, chewy wine but amazingly light and refreshing. lots of red and black fruit. a note of tea-like tannins, i can drnk this all day.
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Saturday Grilling at Fernando's (Fernando's House): Medium ruby color with a rim tending towards tawny. Quite a lot of development on the nose, which is very intense. Elements of sweet pipe tobacco, caramel and red cherries. On the palate it is not quite as impressive, as some of the attack is lost. The acidity makes this a definite food wine, and it really shone with roast meat. Served alone I would deduct a point or so. Nice clean finish. It's definitely a good example of traditional Rioja.
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Delicious - mature, balanced fruit, tannin, acidity. So delicious with bright red fruits and mellow tannins and good but not overpowering acidity. Very nice. Fully mature but is looking forward to its old age.
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Sweaty leather nose with pretty cherry and potpurri notes. More than a passing resemblance to a hot weather grenache-based wine. Elegant with medium body and excellent blance. Finishes with sour cherry notes and integrated wood. Hard tannins and loads of acid should give this wine at least 5-10 years more. ***+
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Light purple, a bit odd colored for a traditional Rioja. Relatively unevolved and youthful compared to previous bottles. Tart cherries and bright fruit in this medium bodied wine. Quite enjoyable. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88.
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8/7/2023 - DaleW wrote:
Young, rich black cherry with cloves and ginger,. Nice length. A-
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8/6/2023 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at Copake last week. Shocked how well this wine has held up. Obviously showing signs of its age, but youthful aromas of cherries, spice and herbs. Same notes on the palate, along with some remaining oak and vibrant acidity. Lots of sediment here, so worth decanting for that reason alone. Hoping I still have another one of these lying around.
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10/2/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really a beautiful aged Rioja that's still youthful and with a bit of vanilla oak left to resolve. Delicious black cherry fruit with a fine floral quality that gives way to a complex finish with notes of vanilla, black spices and a hint of mint. This is aging quite well. 92+
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10/1/2021 - DaleW wrote:
really enjoyed this. Midbodied but with long intense finish, perfumed with spice and candied orange on nose. On palate clean black plum fruit, earth, leather, and spice. A-
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9/25/2021 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
"This is a wine I imagine people make in prison" (Chicago, IL): Clearly a nose of American oak, but without that polish that you get from La Rioja Alta. There's a little bit of sweat here as well, something that I sometimes confuse with TCA (lots of Rioja smells corked to me). The palate is quite compelling though; the fruit is silky and still young, with a slight vanilla sweetness that is counterbalanced by more of the earthy tones. Very good depth and complexity; I liked this very much.
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7/9/2021 - pavel_p wrote: 90 Points
Hmm... third vintage of Muga's Prado Enea I have tried (after 78 and 95) and third time unimpressed. Must be one of those wines which I simply do not get... Having said that and reading some of the (raving) reviews below it seems as if I am having a completely different wine in the glass altogether. Only Acyso in 2017, seems to have had the same wine as I am having now.
Back to what I am drinking... First bottle from an OWC and in perfect condition (fill 0.5cm). Unlike some of the mentioned comments below, this is definitively not bricking or maroon, it is a transparent garnet almost to the clear rim. Also not a classic Rioja style in my eyes: dark fruit, bay leaf, earthy notes. Round but not rich, with nicely integrated tannins. Fairly short finish.
Seems fully mature but not past peak.
Overall a solid and well made wine but nothing complex or particularly aromatic. The reference to Burgundy I can partially follow when it comes to weight and texture, but certainly not when it comes to flavor profile and aromatics.
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5/16/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking incredibly well. Youthful in color, aroma, and on the palate with notes of dark cherry, bay leaf, hints of roasted tomatoes, and layers of spice. The acidity is pretty high, so this will definitely go well with food, but it was also great on its own. Very classic Rioja style that still has many years left.
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11/27/2020 - Doblk wrote: 93 Points
Remarkable. Well described by others.
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11/4/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Post Election ""Drink Your Mood" Tasting...No Orange Wine (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Very impressive, this ran the risk of getting lost in a sea of great Grand Cru Burgundy, but easily held its own. Red cherry and plum are maturing gracefully and elegantly with enough of a combination with woodsy spice, earth and meat to come across as complex and elegant. Very classic Rioja style.
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10/17/2020 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 93 Points
29 y/o wine. Very smooth tannins. Probably past peak with fruit somewhat subdued. Still quite pleasurable.
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7/17/2019 - Pknut wrote:
A really great wine, showing well now and with so much potential. Wine Canuck's note is pretty similar to my experience, and I agree with Seth's comment that this is Burgundian and packed with flavor without being heavy, but what I noted, in addition, is that the palate had these date and fig nuances, dark and slightly sweet, that folded into this lovely, dark, savory palate, more dark fruits, carob and soy nuances than red fruits. Truly a lovely wine with poise and grace, yet impactful. At Kulper's place.
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5/19/2019 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
Whoa! This was killer! Quite heavily bricked. Barely transparent in the glass with an orange rim. The nose is just lovely: plum, spice box, undergrowth, old cedar, old leather, dried orange peel, thyme, mushroom broth, cherry, and dried strawberry. The palate has excellent acid with just atouch of tannin and are core of pure, sweet red fruit. The finish is long of spice box and dried orange peel. Almost 95.
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2/8/2019 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 91 Points
Celebrating a friend's 40th birthday in Nashville
Provenance was very good if not excellent. Decanted. After reading some tasting notes, I was expecting a different type of wine. Color was a dark maroon color but not as opaque as the Alion that was next to it. Nose wasn't as expressive as the Alion with a black tea and potpourri mixed in. The palate was much better with crushed red cherries and dark chocolate but faded as the evening wore on.
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1/13/2019 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:
Took a bottle to La Vara to celebrate my birthday. I'm almost always amazed how Burgundian this wine is and how much flavor is packed into this without being heavy. Classic notes of cherry, wild strawberry, plum, sous bois, tomato-meaty, funk. This is really perfumed and sexy with some serious sauvage. I found the palate to be a bit more acidic than the nose - maybe a touch dried out. But the wine wasn't a great match with most of the food so that could be it as well. Still beautiful fruit flavors, funk, some meat. This is classic Rioja and they don't make 'em like they used to.
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9/11/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nose - so gentle and delicate - cinnamon and truffles, mushrooms, soft and velvety. Again, declining but so so graceful.
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3/18/2018 - KenK wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/20/2018 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Excellent structure...Balanced. Good fruit and backbone. No hurry to open the next one.
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11/18/2017 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnPed right out of the wine fridge - it's a little cold but already very expressive. The nose is to die for: it's got a sweet dark fruit core, maybe blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry. It is really kinky with spices and savory meaty and animale aspects. It's got sauvage in the way I love with old de Montille Pommards - funky, meaty, savory, perfumed. Blind, I have no doubt I would guess high-quality Red Burg from the early 90's. The palate was similar, but more tart and not as expressive. The finish continued this trend. I came back to this an hour later and it felt like the volume had been turned down by 80%. odd. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16.5/20.
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4/9/2017 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle. At peak and probably will be for another 10 years. The nose has great perfume, like a Red Burg: with good fruit, some florals, earth, spice, some sauvage. The palate is fully resolved and has lots of secondary notes, but at the same time, there is still excellent sweet fruit - the fruit has age, so that it's got some berry aspects, but also a lot of orange peel like stuff going on. The secondary stuff is sort of earthy with some horsey funk. There's also nice florals and spice. The mouthfeel on this is velvety and smooth with excellent verve. The finish is quite pure with the great sap from the fruit and the funk. Wonderful. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.
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2/13/2017 - Belon Likes this wine:
Very good still in prime
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1/31/2017 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Hai Yen (Chicago, IL): We were talking about this wine a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, a bottle appears! This is a surprising Rioja, seemingly different from the traditional style to which I am accustomed, but at the same time this doesn't stand out as a modernist wine either. It's pretty good, whatever it is -- nice dark fruit and a relatively clean aroma that doesn't have quite the animale stench. Silky tannins round out a very solid wine.
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10/20/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: flawed
GMs - Kevin Farewell #2 @ Encasa: Corked.
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2/2/2016 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Very nice balance. Drinking well now.
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1/27/2016 - Los 12 Glotones Likes this wine: 92 Points
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Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2016/01/prado-enea-1991-gran-reserva.html
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Color rubí rojizo de capa media-alta, límpido, sin asomo alguno de precipitados. Reflejos brillantes, refulgente, espectacular intensidad para su edad. Con un poco de imaginación podría pasar por un Prado Enea con 10 años menos. Borde amplio, atejado, muy marcado respecto al exterior del menisco.
Expresivo, atropella con su fuerza inicial. Se muestra pletórico dentro del estilo de los nuevo Prado Enea, quizás más potente que elegante y algo previsible en comparación con las primeras cosechas que se embotellaron pero que se encuentra en un momento fantástico de consumo. Especiado, vivo, con mucha fruta roja reducida y un pronunciado fondo en el que se entremezclan notas anisadas, montebajo mediterráneo (mejorana, satureja) y un suave apunte de cuero viejo. Gana en madurez al tomar aire abriéndose poco a poco a fruta pasa y tostados cremosos.
En boca es amplio, ampuloso, lleno, seco, nervioso, extraordinariamente especiado y sabroso, dotado todavía de cierto músculo y de una estructura que para nada era esperada junto a taninos de calidad: maduros pero presentes. Un magnífico Prado Enea que junto al del 89 es de lo mejor de esos años y que comienza a dar pistas de los vinos que vendrían las siguientes cosechas. Aún no ha comenzado a reducirse. Tendrá mucho que decir a poco que le demos un tiempo de espera. Se trata de uno de los vinos de Muga más desconocidos pero va a dar sorpresas en el futuro.
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80% tempranillo, 10% graciano, 10% mazuelo. 13% vol.
- La mayoría de las uvas proceden de viñedos propios y el resto de pequeños viticultores de la Rioja Alta. Se trata de una selección de viñedos que permanecen sin ser vendimiados hasta su mejor momento de maduracion siendo habitualmente las últimas en entrar en bodea. Cada variedad de uva es vinificada por separado. Fermentación alcohólica en tinos de madera de 10.000 litros, sin control de temperatura ni adición de levaduras, tras la cual es trasegado a otras tinas limpias de gran capacidad, 16.000 litros, en las que permanece durante 12 meses. Transvasado nuevamente y sometido a crianza durante 36 meses en barricas de roble americano 225 litros, buena parte de ellas elaboradas por la tonelería de la propia bodega. Clarificación con claras de huevos frescos antes del embotellado. Un mínimo de 36 meses de guarda en botellero en los calados de la bodega antes de ser comercializado.
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1/24/2015 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely red strawberry fruit, dusty, minty, leathery nose. Took about 2h to really open up. Oak and tannins are resolved and the acidtiy carries the wine in a smooth lifting way. Lots of flowery fruit left complemented by licorice. Medium body. Still plenty of life ahead but this was my only bottle, sadly. My first encounter with a mature Prado Enea, and I thought I didn't particularly enjoyed Rioja, but I have to surrender! Again this shows that good wine is much a matter of patience. 92-93p
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11/2/2014 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Exceptional. No detailed notes this time, but I suggest at least 90 minutes decanting. Drink now-2025.
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9/26/2014 - baroloboy55 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted before leaving for restaurant and then poured and allowed to a air in a good sized bdx bowl. The wine is absolutely lovely and I would say in the front part of a fine drinking window. Light colored, the faintest hint of 99% resolved oak, sweet and spicy and just want you want from a maturing Rioja. I've been drinking more Lopez Heredia recently, and this wine has a slightly more modern polish to it, but all in all just a beautiful wine and I wish I had more but sadly only 1 bottle. (In this season of reflection and atonement, I must confess that I stole this bottle a few years ago for $35 from some consignor sale. An off the hook value for a wine of this value)
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6/19/2014 - Chomsky wrote:
Gift bottle from Seth (thanks!). Took it to Prospect in Fort Greene. I double-decanted the wine at home and the cork was an absolute disaster -- not at all soaked through, more like dry rot as it was super soft and crumbled instantly. Thank Dog for cheesecloth. The wine itself showed very well though I suspect it was not a tip-top bottle. Still very youthful and energetic, there's a core of plummy fruit tinged with soy and sweet tobacco. Still firm with lots of minerality and traces of hard tannins on the finish. I really enjoyed this and it seemed like the wine had ages to go before full maturity.
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4/22/2014 - ekenneth wrote: 96 Points
We had this with paella. Beautiful old wine - still a lot of life left - cherry fruit, forest floor, a touch of oxidation, but still lush and with great balance.
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9/8/2013 - Spencer wrote:
Still young, but excellent.
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6/30/2012 - ekenneth wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous old wine. Upon opening, a touch of oxidation; like a sweeter version of an old Lopez de Heredia. Then taut on the palate like nebbiolo. Then, with some time, it's like drinking an old Barolo, but with a touch of silky, sweetness, like a mature Musar.
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1/26/2012 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 97 Points
Started with a stink that blew off. Quite sweet on the nose - earthy and creamy. A perfect melange of sweet fruit and secondary aromas. Elegant on the palate - again, creamy with sweet plummy fruit, earthy, lots of acid, Really elegant. This wine was right on tonight - in the sweet spot for me - it had everything I would want. Nose - 6/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 2/2 = 18.5/20.
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1/14/2012 - phantphant wrote: 92 Points
Smooth velvet....
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12/23/2011 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
The last bottle of one of my favorites, and it was a great one.
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8/15/2011 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Starts out with a lovely scent of damp, freshly turned earth with gentle red fruited flavours, touches of cedar wood, worn leather and spice in the background; with time the fruit deepens and gains intensity and it's a very enjoyable drinking experience with all the components resolved into a single, seamless whole.
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5/14/2011 - robmatic wrote: 92 Points
Ethereal bouquet, balsamic and sweet with fully resolved tannins and potent acidity. This is the best bottle I've had in quite some time, with no hint of the funk that has plagued many. However, I do think that the wine is slightly declining now, as it just does not have the power that it once did. Probably time to drink these up.
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1/16/2011 - Neurowine1 wrote: 93 Points
Yes! For us it was drinking wonderfully. An old-style Rioja to be sure, but clean and balanced. The wood seemed much better integrated than I had experienced previously with similar btls. A good and great wine, and a fantastic experience. I would buy more in a second.
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9/24/2010 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: flawed
Color: Ruby red, with a little brown around the edges. Nose: Spicy and earthy, not showing full nose I have seen before- may take time to open up. Palate: Showing claret like right now (which is not flattering, for those who know my wine tastes) - some wood: cedar and a little smoke, not much fruit. chewy. kind of lean, not that impressive right now. Little hints of the plummy fruit and spices and perfume, but not there overall. This seems to me to be an off showing for one of my favorite wines. Nose: 2/6, Palate: 3/6, Finish: 3/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 0/2 = 8/20 = 76/100
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8/26/2010 - fillay wrote:
Drank a bottle over a long, decadent meal at Blackbird. Initially quite tight, this blossomed quickly into something open and vibrant - much more energetic than the first bottle of my stash, which I remember as soft and muted. While 19 years means a fairly light frame with fully resolved tannins, there are lots of deep, rich aromas of bloody meat here and the whole package delivers a lot more power than it first seems (and it seemed to be picking up steam as we were finishing the bottle). I'm not sure I could have pegged this as rioja over, say, older Bandol.
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2/10/2010 - CerveloGuy wrote:
This does not taste like a 19 year old bottle of wine. The prado enea is one of my favorite expressions of rioja. This wine still shows plenty of life with its tannins, fruit and acidity. Drink it now or hold it for several years to come. A great wine.
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12/14/2009 - superbarre wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured and quite tight at first. Decanted and drank throughout the evening. After an hour or two, the wine was were you want it to be. A lot of tertiary aromas, but still an occasional kick in the face of this typical Rioja fruit. I don't think this will further improve, but you needn't hurry to drink up either.
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11/20/2009 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 92 Points
Nose: Opened nicely, a little funk blew off, now smells like old burg - sweet, earthy, dirt, dark plum, slight barnyard - fruit tends toward black cherry/plum - old fruit, not quite cooked, but not fresh (this is not a bad thing - the fruit is good) (new pour is younger - fresher fruit - purple & tannins, some oak). Nose evolves quickly in glass. Palate: Very nice on the palate - very plush, but nice structure underneath - tannins and acid - sweetness builds in mid palate - that dark plum, then the earth comes in at the end, with a rush of funkiness at the end, a little much, but still very nice. Really fills the mouth like old burg towards the end, quite striking - like an 85 burg. Very fresh with excellent balance - components come together nicely - the fruit, the tannins, the oak. Definitely has a dustiness about it that I associate with Rioja, delicious. Good underlying acidity holds it all together. Nose: 5/6, Palate: 5/6, Finish: 4/6, Je ne sais quoi (wild card): 2/2 = 16/20 = 92/100.
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9/1/2009 - robmatic wrote:
Quite funky, dirty nose. Beautiful, silky mouthfeel, but most tasters could not get past the nose. Not a great example of this wine.
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4/17/2009 - jan erik wrote: 92 Points
This was very young with strong,fine tannins. keep for another 10 years. I much prefere the PE over Torre Muga which fades quickly.
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4/6/2009 - Spencer wrote: 93 Points
Balanced, complex, delicious. Beautiful, traditional Rioja nose. Long finish. Drinking great now, but I wouldn't worry about holding this wine another ten years or so.
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10/13/2007 - dougsmith wrote: 91 Points
Spanish Wine Dinner with Rob Gardner and Friends in NYC: Medium ruby color. Nose of tobacco, bright red cherry and sweet spice with some ripe red plum in the background. Full on the palate with some sweet cherry, a little chalky on the finish. Juicy and quite delicious.
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7/27/2007 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 87 Points
Seemed very reserved next to the 1989 Prado and all the other wines tonight - maybe closed or an off bottle.
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7/7/2007 - KellyW wrote: 92 Points
This was a fun starter while I tended the grill. As Eric said, this is as old school Rioja as it gets. Still showing a deep color with hints of bricking on the rim the wine offers up a melange of aged ripe fruit along with earth and spice. This wine evolved considerably in a positive direction throughout the night never falling apart. I will drink the last of these soon.
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7/1/2006 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 93 Points
Holy mackeral, this wine is a baby. Old school rioja, I love it. Tons of good ole American barrels. If you dont like coconut, stay away. This wine has another 15 years on it.
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3/11/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 93 Points
Sat at the Grillmaster's: cherry, tobacco, leather on the nose, chewy wine but amazingly light and refreshing. lots of red and black fruit. a note of tea-like tannins, i can drnk this all day.
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3/11/2006 - dougsmith wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Grilling at Fernando's (Fernando's House): Medium ruby color with a rim tending towards tawny. Quite a lot of development on the nose, which is very intense. Elements of sweet pipe tobacco, caramel and red cherries. On the palate it is not quite as impressive, as some of the attack is lost. The acidity makes this a definite food wine, and it really shone with roast meat. Served alone I would deduct a point or so. Nice clean finish. It's definitely a good example of traditional Rioja.
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2/5/2006 - Lordswood wrote: 92 Points
Delicious - mature, balanced fruit, tannin, acidity. So delicious with bright red fruits and mellow tannins and good but not overpowering acidity. Very nice. Fully mature but is looking forward to its old age.
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10/8/2005 - psmith wrote:
Sweaty leather nose with pretty cherry and potpurri notes. More than a passing resemblance to a hot weather grenache-based wine. Elegant with medium body and excellent blance. Finishes with sour cherry notes and integrated wood. Hard tannins and loads of acid should give this wine at least 5-10 years more. ***+
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12/26/2004 - JeffGMorris wrote: 88 Points
Light purple, a bit odd colored for a traditional Rioja. Relatively unevolved and youthful compared to previous bottles. Tart cherries and bright fruit in this medium bodied wine. Quite enjoyable. 50+12+11+7.5+7.5 = 88.
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