Tasted blind next to the 1998. Much younger feeling and looking than the 1998. I had no problem guessing it’s a Ribera. This one exhibited dusty black fruit, hung meat, at the beginning of its drinking window. Still some astringency and saline notes, but really nice.
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Lunch at Bacata. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl 1855. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of old leather, tertiary earth, ripe dark plums, black cherries, blackberries. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, high tannins, high alcohol (14%), full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark soy sauce, tertiary earth, sweet tea leaf, old leather, ripe dark red plums, black cherries, blackberries. Long finish. Very good quality. Already in tertiary phase but with good structure and ripe fruit still supporting. Good time to drink up and enjoy. Apparently in 2001 no Unico was made and all fruit went into this Valbuena5. Bottle 038061.
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Regular dinner group (@ My place): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, licorice and black olives. On the palate red and dark berries, a firm amount of good and fresh acidity, melted tannin with a beautiful and very soft bite. Good length. Beautiful wine at its peak now.
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Looms large. Young and intense, and just lots of everything. Sweet wood varnish on the nose, like a piece of vintage furniture, and then some soy sauce. Chunky on the palate, powerful, long. Put this away in the cellar for another 10 years.
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An ode to our August 2021 trip. Dark cherry and a touch of raspberry, balances evocative and sensual like no other. Such a pretty acidic and perfumed red fruit blend, with… sea salt salinity — over time — along with 75-80% dark chocolate cracked off the bar. Maddy gets all of the spices… vanilla, all spice, xmas hearth; I get white pepper. Recall this is the Valbuena year that has ALL of the Unico grapes. 75 min decant before first sip. @ Gramercy Tavern
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90 minute decant. Dark from core to rim. A monster of a wine. Highly extracted overripe red fruits with a touch of plum and blackberry that were chewy and not jammy that offset a strong acid base and for palate piercing and coating experience. 45 second finish.
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Hard to score this given how young this is drinking. Deep, dense, black fruit, cedar. This opened up a bit after decanting but the next day it was closed again. The wood is still too evident. This seems very promising but I think it will be many years before really ready.
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This candidates for being one of the best Valbuena's ever made, it's still quite young (compared to the 2004 Valbuena) for Christmas, this had almost none secondary aromas, almost meaty, very dense almost a port-like nose, this I found a bit more closed than normal, it' needed 3 hours, the fig-like fruit is more refinded than the 2004 for excample and the tannin extremly fine and with the air it became more Pomerol-like, very intense & floral. Drink 2020-2032
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Excellent, drinking well after a 40 min decant. great bouquet, tannins have softened, balanced from start to finish , dense flavors, long aftertaste. ready, no hurry.
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Other worldly. I've decided that the best wines transport you to some special place and this one did that for me on this Christmas 2019. So smooth. Blackberry, leather, cedar. But the flavors don't begin to describe the wine. Perhaps there aren't the words or perhaps my ability to express falls short. Wines like this is why people drink wine. Paired wonderfully with the Texas brisket cooked for 17 hours over Mesquite wood. Rated the 2001 vintage on Dec
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Unfortunately the last bottle out of my cellar...even better than the last two times a few years ago. Very elegant and fine body. Perfect structure, beautiful integrated tannins, nice fruit and acidity, absolutely beautiful - even better than some Unicos I had. Simply great!
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Unbelievably good. Enjoyed with a Spanish themed meal. From the first moment, the aroma filled with fruit, flowers and spice. Those were also present on the palate plus undertones of mineral and earth. Mild tannins, and a long smooth finish. An extraordinary wine.
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Now a bottle from my own cellar and it was even better than the restaurant bottle last year! Just a beautiful aged wine with a great body and a loooong aftertaste. Awesome!
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Had this one at Sansibar restaurant Sylt, Germany along with the 1999 and the 2002 vintage. The 2001 was my clear favourite. Nice structure, soft and silky tannins and a long finish.
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This is the 3rd time we try this wine int he last 3 years and its definitely improving at every step. Surprisingly mellow on the ripeness and oak and it seems that the wine has balanced out that lactic oaky feel it had a year ago. On this occasion it was really singing if we might say. 92-93
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Agree with previous commentator. Just lovely and complex with big fruit balanced with enough acidity. Oak is under control, and yes watch the fine sediment. Still slightly dry finish.
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First impressions were the red fruits that jumped out of the decanter, along with leather and tobacco (be careful of very fine sediment). After almost one hour the wine integrated very nicely, showing red fruits, cedar, a touch of spice, and a bit more than enough balancing acidity. Given that there was no Unico in 2001, Valbuena received the best of the VS tempranillo and may have been blended with more than the usual amount of merlot, which shaved some complexity. Drink now to 2020.
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Definitely requires decanting and even at age of 14 has a pretty much full on ripe core of fruit and lots of oak, like lactic at times feel of oak. We tried this blind and guessed new style Rioja. Has that usual heavy side of fruit of Valbuena but its also quite charming and goes very well with heavy foods. Good acidity, lots of ripe fruit. Hopefully time will help this wine develop. 90-91 for now
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Deep red colour. Fairly muted nose. On the palate this is not currently showing the class of complexity I'd expect. It has lost its youthful fruit and not yet reached a point where it is showing the complex notes of aged tempranillo. The alcohol is a touch prominent. A little disappointing to be honest, I had expected more from this. A 2005 tasted two years ago was far more satisfying.
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Opened at a tempranillo tasting of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, & Toro. It came across as closer to Bordeaux in style (since this was a non-Unico year - w/ some Cab & Merlot). Very polished showing black currant fruit with some leather and spices with fine tannins. Little evidence of oak influence at this point. This is great now or will continue to be for 5-10 years.
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Rioja, Ribeira en Toro (@ Dordrecht): Beautiful bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, spiciness and some perfume. On the palate fresh acidity, some chocolate and slightly sticky tannin. Classical wine.
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Kruidige, bloemige neus met zwart fruit en rook. In de smaak rode en zwarte bes en een mooie frisheid, balsamico. Iets plakkende tannines, lang aanhoudend.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS #085; Spain: Ribera del Duero. (by EvA): In the bouquet beautiful smoke, and red as well as dark fruits. On the palate beautiful red and dark fruits, some gunpowder and beautiful acidity. A classical wine with good freshness. A little less complex than I hoped for.
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Decanted for two hours after straining through a funnel – little amount of sediment. Dark purple in colour and youthful in appearance the nose showed of tobacco and old period furniture. Typically Spanish with great elegance and finesse. The mouth feel and flavour were - medium to intense, very smooth; finish was medium to long and balanced. This was a quality bottle of wine given to me as a gift. I wish I had kept it for a few years.
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Quite forward and approachable. We decanted and served and the wine was quite open, round and lush frot. Lots of extraction as expected and wood, heavy dark fruit, earthy notes. Well round, silky tannin and at a right time to be enjoyed and not sure if it gets better with age from now on. Has a bit of the heaviness that we expected but also has a charming side to it. Not the most complex but still enjoyable.
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Very expressive and deep nose of blackcurrant, roses, slight hint of vanilla; sweet sweets while also brilliantly kept up with acidity, at the same time elegant and powerful; long aftertaste; simply delicious
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Beautifully crafted wine. Hard to assess the color in a dark restaurant. Medium intensity nose; floral notes, with red fruit and old-world earthiness. Medium body on the palate; low acid; soft tannins; good fruit on the palate; medium length. Outstanding representation of the varietal and region. No need to wait on this wine; it's drinking perfectly now. We felt it was the WOTN.
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April Fools Dim Sum; 4/2/2011-4/3/2011 (Seattle, WA): Decanted two hours. Dark garnet color. The nose is a blast of red fruit and vanilla (almost like Dr. Pepper) significantly influenced by the new American oak. At best distracting and at worst repulsive. One can determine their spot on the scale. A nice wine in the mouth for a brief moment as the medium body and high acidity offer promise, but the oaky flavors take over again on the finish. Maybe a longer decant or some bottle age will help this integrate, but I'm not buying any more to find out.
This wine really has an identity crisis. It has nice, structured old world sensibility, but the oak program drives it full speed into modernity. Once upon a time, I might have celebrated the richness, now I just see this as a very confusing bottle. Not enjoyable at all.
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Wow!! Unbelievably great nose. One of those noses that you just like to sniff and sniff. The wine also had that wonderful Ribera del Duero fruit, which has softened with time in the bottle. A very open wine, that I think should be consumed now. Not much time left in this wine, but excellently feminine and approachable now.
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Wineflock - Ribera del Duero 94-01 (Rich's): Group #5, My #4 - Opaque red/black color. Nice full nose of black fruit and mint. Big round firm black fruit. Great stuffing with spicy finish but a bit one dimensional.
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Flock: 1994-2001 Ribera del Duero Tasting (Chicago): Mature ruby color. Tight nose has minerals and aged, red fruit. Palate is good earthy cherry fruit, herbs and a leafy note. Buoyant acids throughout including in the slightly tart in the finish. My #9, Group #5.
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Vega-Sicilia (A Figueira Rubaiyat): Vinho #04. Provado às cegas. Rubi com traços violáceos. Frutos negros, notas minerais e resinosas, taninos mais macios e refinados que os do #03. Grande estrutura, bom potencial, final prolongado. E/E. Meu palpite: Valbuena 01 (ou Alion 01).
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Wineflock - Taste of Spain Intro/Retro (Dennis'): Opaque purple red clolr. Big ripe blackberry nose iwth a clean finish. Big tight coffee black fruit with a bit of sour and a long finish. Interesting.
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PI. Frutos negros, mineral, tostado, chocolate amargo, um vinho 'escuro'. Fruta madura mas seco, taninos finíssimos e macios. Cheio, potente, com bastante concentração de fruta, num estilo marcadamente moderno. Revela a procedência mais no retrogosto resinoso do que nos aromas e em boca. Perfil mais próximo do 2000 do que do 1999. Porém, no estágio atual, inferior a ambos, o que me parece surpreendente, já que se trata de uma safra reconhecidamente extraordinária e recebeu as uvas que seriam destinadas ao Unico. Ótimo potencial de evolução. 92+pts.E
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Sweet fruit and a lush mouthfeel. This is gorgeous and might become something special. Though massive, it is a bit closed now and may benefit from a few horizontal years. With food the tannins were very mild, but became much more apparent in my last few sips after lunch.
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Nose is smokey with a light minerals but overall quite closed. Watery in the mouth with cherry and thin earth. Really can't say this is representative. Out of all the wines served at the Salon de los Mejores, we were given a small if non exsistent sample of this wine, and then ignored. Really a disappointment and I hope to try this one day in a proper setting. 2.5/5
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Vega-Sicilia library wines with proprieters and Michael Broadbent (Christies NYC): Dark ruby with a purple edge. Dark chocolate on the nose. This wine is thick and impenetrable. Leather and black fruit. It's a tannic beast on the palate with a totally drying effect. Oak is apparent. The sips taste like a meal. Boasting 14.5% Alc. The tannins are oh so sweet but ohh so apparent. The are masking fruit and all this wines concentrated nuances.
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1/20/2024 - Rani Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted blind next to the 1998. Much younger feeling and looking than the 1998. I had no problem guessing it’s a Ribera. This one exhibited dusty black fruit, hung meat, at the beginning of its drinking window. Still some astringency and saline notes, but really nice.
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10/20/2023 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Lunch at Bacata. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of old leather, tertiary earth, ripe dark plums, black cherries, blackberries. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high tannins, high alcohol (14%), full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark soy sauce, tertiary earth, sweet tea leaf, old leather, ripe dark red plums, black cherries, blackberries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Already in tertiary phase but with good structure and ripe fruit still supporting. Good time to drink up and enjoy.
Apparently in 2001 no Unico was made and all fruit went into this Valbuena5.
Bottle 038061.
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1/21/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Regular dinner group (@ My place): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, licorice and black olives. On the palate red and dark berries, a firm amount of good and fresh acidity, melted tannin with a beautiful and very soft bite. Good length. Beautiful wine at its peak now.
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12/18/2022 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
Looms large. Young and intense, and just lots of everything. Sweet wood varnish on the nose, like a piece of vintage furniture, and then some soy sauce. Chunky on the palate, powerful, long. Put this away in the cellar for another 10 years.
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8/30/2022 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 93 Points
An ode to our August 2021 trip. Dark cherry and a touch of raspberry, balances evocative and sensual like no other. Such a pretty acidic and perfumed red fruit blend, with… sea salt salinity — over time — along with 75-80% dark chocolate cracked off the bar. Maddy gets all of the spices… vanilla, all spice, xmas hearth; I get white pepper. Recall this is the Valbuena year that has ALL of the Unico grapes. 75 min decant before first sip. @ Gramercy Tavern
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5/29/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 96 Points
90 minute decant. Dark from core to rim. A monster of a wine. Highly extracted overripe red fruits with a touch of plum and blackberry that were chewy and not jammy that offset a strong acid base and for palate piercing and coating experience. 45 second finish.
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1/9/2022 - acidqueen wrote: 92 Points
Hard to score this given how young this is drinking. Deep, dense, black fruit, cedar. This opened up a bit after decanting but the next day it was closed again. The wood is still too evident. This seems very promising but I think it will be many years before really ready.
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1/24/2021 - In2wines wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux January 2021
This candidates for being one of the best Valbuena's ever made, it's still quite young (compared to the 2004 Valbuena) for Christmas, this had almost none secondary aromas, almost meaty, very dense almost a port-like nose, this I found a bit more closed than normal, it' needed 3 hours, the fig-like fruit is more refinded than the 2004 for excample and the tannin extremly fine and with the air it became more Pomerol-like, very intense & floral.
Drink 2020-2032
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12/15/2020 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
Meaty, cherry, sappy, iron. Gritty but very fine tannins. Juicy, extracted, powerful and long. Entirely worthy of its reputation and price tag.
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4/7/2020 - brianakrin wrote: 98 Points
Excellent, drinking well after a 40 min decant. great bouquet, tannins have softened, balanced from start to finish , dense flavors, long aftertaste. ready, no hurry.
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12/25/2019 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Other worldly. I've decided that the best wines transport you to some special place and this one did that for me on this Christmas 2019. So smooth. Blackberry, leather, cedar. But the flavors don't begin to describe the wine. Perhaps there aren't the words or perhaps my ability to express falls short. Wines like this is why people drink wine. Paired wonderfully with the Texas brisket cooked for 17 hours over Mesquite wood.
Rated the 2001 vintage on Dec
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10/16/2019 - DrZett Likes this wine: 96 Points
Unfortunately the last bottle out of my cellar...even better than the last two times a few years ago. Very elegant and fine body. Perfect structure, beautiful integrated tannins, nice fruit and acidity, absolutely beautiful - even better than some Unicos I had. Simply great!
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11/19/2018 - Wolfde wrote: 95 Points
Unbelievably good. Enjoyed with a Spanish themed meal. From the first moment, the aroma filled with fruit, flowers and spice. Those were also present on the palate plus undertones of mineral and earth. Mild tannins, and a long smooth finish. An extraordinary wine.
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10/19/2018 - Tartiflette Likes this wine: 93 Points
What a wonderful wine it was. After a long double decant which was really needed it shone. Wonderful texture and a fruit which is so strong yet silky.
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10/11/2017 - DrZett Likes this wine: 95 Points
Now a bottle from my own cellar and it was even better than the restaurant bottle last year! Just a beautiful aged wine with a great body and a loooong aftertaste. Awesome!
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7/26/2017 - BradE wrote:
Had the 01 next to a few 98's and it was a step up. Really a terrific Valbuena. Apparently its the Unico juice as they didn't make 01 Unico.
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12/29/2016 - DrZett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had this one at Sansibar restaurant Sylt, Germany along with the 1999 and the 2002 vintage. The 2001 was my clear favourite. Nice structure, soft and silky tannins and a long finish.
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6/4/2016 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
This is the 3rd time we try this wine int he last 3 years and its definitely improving at every step.
Surprisingly mellow on the ripeness and oak and it seems that the wine has balanced out that lactic oaky feel it had a year ago. On this occasion it was really singing if we might say. 92-93
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3/13/2016 - Blaireaux wrote: 92 Points
Agree with previous commentator. Just lovely and complex with big fruit balanced with enough acidity. Oak is under control, and yes watch the fine sediment. Still slightly dry finish.
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1/30/2016 - VlgJeff wrote: 93 Points
First impressions were the red fruits that jumped out of the decanter, along with leather and tobacco (be careful of very fine sediment). After almost one hour the wine integrated very nicely, showing red fruits, cedar, a touch of spice, and a bit more than enough balancing acidity. Given that there was no Unico in 2001, Valbuena received the best of the VS tempranillo and may have been blended with more than the usual amount of merlot, which shaved some complexity. Drink now to 2020.
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11/15/2015 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Definitely requires decanting and even at age of 14 has a pretty much full on ripe core of fruit and lots of oak, like lactic at times feel of oak. We tried this blind and guessed new style Rioja.
Has that usual heavy side of fruit of Valbuena but its also quite charming and goes very well with heavy foods. Good acidity, lots of ripe fruit. Hopefully time will help this wine develop. 90-91 for now
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8/14/2015 - rayq wrote: 89 Points
Deep red colour. Fairly muted nose.
On the palate this is not currently showing the class of complexity I'd expect. It has lost its youthful fruit and not yet reached a point where it is showing the complex notes of aged tempranillo.
The alcohol is a touch prominent. A little disappointing to be honest, I had expected more from this. A 2005 tasted two years ago was far more satisfying.
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4/12/2015 - portman63 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened at a tempranillo tasting of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, & Toro. It came across as closer to Bordeaux in style (since this was a non-Unico year - w/ some Cab & Merlot). Very polished showing black currant fruit with some leather and spices with fine tannins. Little evidence of oak influence at this point. This is great now or will continue to be for 5-10 years.
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5/23/2014 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Rioja, Ribeira en Toro (@ Dordrecht): Beautiful bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, spiciness and some perfume. On the palate fresh acidity, some chocolate and slightly sticky tannin. Classical wine.
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5/23/2014 - Strikermax wrote: 93 Points
Kruidige, bloemige neus met zwart fruit en rook. In de smaak rode en zwarte bes en een mooie frisheid, balsamico. Iets plakkende tannines, lang aanhoudend.
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1/24/2014 - Chris Riesbeck wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, lots of lead pencil, woody aromas. On the palate dark berries, soft cedar notes. Left to decant for 1 1/2 hours. Wish I had more.
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1/8/2014 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #085; Spain: Ribera del Duero. (by EvA): In the bouquet beautiful smoke, and red as well as dark fruits. On the palate beautiful red and dark fruits, some gunpowder and beautiful acidity. A classical wine with good freshness. A little less complex than I hoped for.
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12/25/2013 - grenache lover Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very young, great fruit precision, excellent balance with oak, creamy tannins. Will improve.
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10/15/2013 - MWiking wrote: 93 Points
Fantastiskt vin, moget läder, Bordeaux känsla är min första tanke. Så bra
Kanske på väg mot sin peak, en lite hög syra men dock fantastiskt bra.
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9/23/2013 - Tony N wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for two hours after straining through a funnel – little amount of sediment. Dark purple in colour and youthful in appearance the nose showed of tobacco and old period furniture. Typically Spanish with great elegance and finesse. The mouth feel and flavour were - medium to intense, very smooth; finish was medium to long and balanced. This was a quality bottle of wine given to me as a gift. I wish I had kept it for a few years.
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6/2/2013 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Quite forward and approachable. We decanted and served and the wine was quite open, round and lush frot. Lots of extraction as expected and wood, heavy dark fruit, earthy notes. Well round, silky tannin and at a right time to be enjoyed and not sure if it gets better with age from now on. Has a bit of the heaviness that we expected but also has a charming side to it. Not the most complex but still enjoyable.
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12/25/2011 - Miceri wrote: 95 Points
Very expressive and deep nose of blackcurrant, roses, slight hint of vanilla; sweet sweets while also brilliantly kept up with acidity, at the same time elegant and powerful; long aftertaste; simply delicious
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10/22/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 92 Points
(Saison, Hellerup) No notes
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8/27/2011 - Margauxguy wrote: 94 Points
Very good, but still young. Almost cal cab in style, but not slathered in oak. Dark fruit, reticent at first on the nose, but opened beautifully.
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6/23/2011 - James B wrote: 94 Points
Beautifully crafted wine. Hard to assess the color in a dark restaurant. Medium intensity nose; floral notes, with red fruit and old-world earthiness. Medium body on the palate; low acid; soft tannins; good fruit on the palate; medium length. Outstanding representation of the varietal and region. No need to wait on this wine; it's drinking perfectly now. We felt it was the WOTN.
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4/2/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
April Fools Dim Sum; 4/2/2011-4/3/2011 (Seattle, WA): Decanted two hours. Dark garnet color. The nose is a blast of red fruit and vanilla (almost like Dr. Pepper) significantly influenced by the new American oak. At best distracting and at worst repulsive. One can determine their spot on the scale. A nice wine in the mouth for a brief moment as the medium body and high acidity offer promise, but the oaky flavors take over again on the finish. Maybe a longer decant or some bottle age will help this integrate, but I'm not buying any more to find out.
This wine really has an identity crisis. It has nice, structured old world sensibility, but the oak program drives it full speed into modernity. Once upon a time, I might have celebrated the richness, now I just see this as a very confusing bottle. Not enjoyable at all.
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11/21/2010 - cpsmith33 wrote: 93 Points
very nice and drinking well now.
dark fruits balanced, great nose, chocolate...smooth and easy to drink
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6/28/2010 - A&C wrote: 91 Points
Wow!! Unbelievably great nose. One of those noses that you just like to sniff and sniff. The wine also had that wonderful Ribera del Duero fruit, which has softened with time in the bottle. A very open wine, that I think should be consumed now. Not much time left in this wine, but excellently feminine and approachable now.
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11/19/2008 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Wineflock - Ribera del Duero 94-01 (Rich's): Group #5, My #4 - Opaque red/black color. Nice full nose of black fruit and mint. Big round firm black fruit. Great stuffing with spicy finish but a bit one dimensional.
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11/19/2008 - Nanda wrote: 89 Points
Flock: 1994-2001 Ribera del Duero Tasting (Chicago): Mature ruby color. Tight nose has minerals and aged, red fruit. Palate is good earthy cherry fruit, herbs and a leafy note. Buoyant acids throughout including in the slightly tart in the finish. My #9, Group #5.
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9/11/2008 - Vinho wrote: 93 Points
Vega-Sicilia (A Figueira Rubaiyat): Vinho #04. Provado às cegas. Rubi com traços violáceos. Frutos negros, notas minerais e resinosas, taninos mais macios e refinados que os do #03. Grande estrutura, bom potencial, final prolongado. E/E. Meu palpite: Valbuena 01 (ou Alion 01).
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5/22/2008 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock - Taste of Spain Intro/Retro (Dennis'): Opaque purple red clolr. Big ripe blackberry nose iwth a clean finish. Big tight coffee black fruit with a bit of sour and a long finish. Interesting.
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2/12/2008 - Vinho wrote: 92 Points
PI. Frutos negros, mineral, tostado, chocolate amargo, um vinho 'escuro'. Fruta madura mas seco, taninos finíssimos e macios. Cheio, potente, com bastante concentração de fruta, num estilo marcadamente moderno. Revela a procedência mais no retrogosto resinoso do que nos aromas e em boca. Perfil mais próximo do 2000 do que do 1999. Porém, no estágio atual, inferior a ambos, o que me parece surpreendente, já que se trata de uma safra reconhecidamente extraordinária e recebeu as uvas que seriam destinadas ao Unico. Ótimo potencial de evolução. 92+pts.E
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11/11/2007 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 90 Points
Sweet fruit and a lush mouthfeel. This is gorgeous and might become something special. Though massive, it is a bit closed now and may benefit from a few horizontal years. With food the tannins were very mild, but became much more apparent in my last few sips after lunch.
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10/4/2006 - mattiasjansson wrote: 91 Points
Backstreet - Spain (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Tannic and tight. Full-bodied.
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4/25/2006 - obiscoito wrote:
Nose is smokey with a light minerals but overall quite closed. Watery in the mouth with cherry and thin earth. Really can't say this is representative. Out of all the wines served at the Salon de los Mejores, we were given a small if non exsistent sample of this wine, and then ignored. Really a disappointment and I hope to try this one day in a proper setting. 2.5/5
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11/30/2004 - jamiekutch wrote: 90 Points
Vega-Sicilia library wines with proprieters and Michael Broadbent (Christies NYC): Dark ruby with a purple edge. Dark chocolate on the nose. This wine is thick and impenetrable. Leather and black fruit. It's a tannic beast on the palate with a totally drying effect. Oak is apparent. The sips taste like a meal. Boasting 14.5% Alc. The tannins are oh so sweet but ohh so apparent. The are masking fruit and all this wines concentrated nuances.
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