The level was outstanding for a wine of this age - basically no ullage. The cork, however, was a swine. Spongy and moldy, to say it collapsed would be to ascribe qualities of firmness that simply did not apply. I dug it out using the end of a tea-spoon, then strained the wine into a decanter. There was a notable stink of musty cupboard - would that blow off, or was it the dreaded cork taint?
Pouring a glass straight from decant, my feelings are it might blow off and the sense I get is of a wine that will build in glass. The colour is browm, with russet tints.
10 minutes later there is still a distinct musty note, but it is now a little less prominent. The wine itself is indeed building in the glass. The tannins are surprisingly firm, though fine. Given the colour and the criminal nature of the cork it isn't surprising that at this stage the characters are mostly tertiary - polished wood, earth and mushroom and brown sugar, but there is something else - liquorice hints and perhaps blueberry and raspberry. I am already thinking it will tie in nicely with my rib-eye on the bone. In steak we find our inner selves.
Alas, 30 mins later the moldy cupboard is winning the battle with the wine. Chalk up another win to the devil known as the cork closure. Old spelunkers everywhere will smile on this wine that has been stiffed by the cork, but the rest of us weep. As if to add insult to injury, in the mood for more Spanish (pardon the double entendre), I opened a 2007 from Valquejigoso and, although not TCA affected, the cork was also buggered. Read 'em and weep. After beef, in my pantheon, is the screw cap closure.
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Frankly amazing. Cork broke but level was good. Light, sweet, fragrant, red berry and dark spice, fragrant sweet old oak. Very clean, pure, nose, some earth but not gamey. Sweet, raspberry and damson, sour cherry stone, light vanilla oak and spice. Fine furry tannins. Reasonable acidity. Superb. And double superb for its age.
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Rioja Night (Chicago, IL): Verdict is corked, but some pretty dark fruits and spice notes poke through a bit. It's a shame these have been so variable as there is good raw material here.
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An odd wine. Musty throughout, this seemed slightly corked to start. But that musty character never materially changed, making me think it more likely slightly dirty or bretty, but not corked. Still, there were good dried red cherry flavors that stayed persistent over several hours. Also interesting is that this seemed more corked/musty from a Burg (bowl) stem vs a Bordeaux stem.
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Rich with lots of undergrowth and tertiary interest. Plenty of red fruit here, becoming cranberry with air. Held up well, no hurry here but it drinking extremely well... no reason to wait! Drink to 2035.
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Earth, sweet red cherry, and vanilla nose. Well-integrated with some remaining sweet red fruits on the palate. Soft with good length and balance throughout. Tart, balancing acidity pick up on the finish. Very nice. Mature.
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I started off here thinking this was a bit corked as ACYSO noted, before thinking it not corked, and then going back and forth for a while until it opened up pretty well; who knows? Either way, I like where it ended up... medium bodied, sweet, leathery and earth notes. A bit lean in the middle, particularly for the producer, but a good backbone and generally very drinkable.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru; 12/12/2014-12/13/2014 (Chicago, IL): Slightly corked. Still lots of fruit and stuffing underneath that layer of wet cardboard though. Leather, earth, and fruit on the palate, this has plenty of interest despite the wet blanket of cardboard that gets in the way.
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Perfumado, elegante, con todas las señas de identidad de la bodega. Una gran botella de 890 Gran Reserva que se muestra tan o más clásico que la cosecha de 1955. En la misma línea de aromas de vino reposado, maderas nobles, cedro, cuero viejo, pero con una mayor presencia de fruta roja reducida y flores marchitas. Va creciendo, sin parar, ganando en presencia y sobre todo en finura y elegancia, llegando a una complejidad y cantidad de detalles que desborda a cualquier aficionado a estos vinos. A diferencia de otras añadas ésta quizás está ligeramente más marcada por los cremosos de la barrica.
En boca es recio, hosco y menos dado a florituras de lo esperado. Inicialmente seco, muy seco, pero con un tanino esférico y una antítesis de dulcedumbre que pone el contrapunto perfecto. Notas especiadas, ahumados, y un fondo terroso de gran calidad que a ratos ensombrecen esos ratros de fruta roja en licor, muy reducida, de enorme belleza. Fresco, aparentemente ligero pero concentrado y de una acidez vibrante. Los 890 de los años 50 están en un momento espectacular. Vino de los de verdad!!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -E-L-S - 1-2 - G-O-L-A-F-R-E-S - W-I-N-E - T-A-S-T-I-N-G - G-R-O-U-P - - - - - - - Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 90% tempranillo, 10% graciano y mazuelo - 13.5% vol. Selección de uvas a su llegada a la bodega. Permanece entre 12 meses y 18 meses en los grandes tinos de roble centenario fundacionales de la bodega, de madera gris, donde completa la fermentación malolática y se estabiliza. Trasegado a barricas de roble americano de 225 litros elaboradas por la tonelería de la propia bodega. Es sometido a crianza durante 96 meses con un total de 14 trasiegas manuales en la emblemática nave Vigier. Embotellado directamente de barrica, sin filtrar. Producción limitada a 7.300 botellas de 75 cl. Un mínimo de 72 meses de guarda en botellero antes de ser comercializado. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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TN: Twelve from 1959, six from 1952-1962 and a 1929 La Conseillante, in secret.: From a bottle with a great fill and cork. Shows that wonderful, classic old school Rioja nose of sweet cherries, cedar, beef blood and hints of dustiness. There's also a lactic note that blows off quickly. On the palate it's mature, but also sports some youthful qualities. The cherries initially have that dessicated quality to them that comes from age, but retains sweetness and are joined by earth, leather and spice flavors with worn wood. With air the cherry flavors really blossomed to the point that Sasha said it reminded him of a Vosne-Romanée. Lovely sweetness throughout the mid-palate, though the finish does dry out a little. It's a little too butch to call it elegant, though it's certainly harmonious. Beautiful wine, though I'd start to drink up. A/A-.
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5/14/2021 - Rote Kappelle wrote: flawed
The level was outstanding for a wine of this age - basically no ullage. The cork, however, was a swine. Spongy and moldy, to say it collapsed would be to ascribe qualities of firmness that simply did not apply. I dug it out using the end of a tea-spoon, then strained the wine into a decanter. There was a notable stink of musty cupboard - would that blow off, or was it the dreaded cork taint?
Pouring a glass straight from decant, my feelings are it might blow off and the sense I get is of a wine that will build in glass. The colour is browm, with russet tints.
10 minutes later there is still a distinct musty note, but it is now a little less prominent. The wine itself is indeed building in the glass. The tannins are surprisingly firm, though fine. Given the colour and the criminal nature of the cork it isn't surprising that at this stage the characters are mostly tertiary - polished wood, earth and mushroom and brown sugar, but there is something else - liquorice hints and perhaps blueberry and raspberry. I am already thinking it will tie in nicely with my rib-eye on the bone. In steak we find our inner selves.
Alas, 30 mins later the moldy cupboard is winning the battle with the wine. Chalk up another win to the devil known as the cork closure. Old spelunkers everywhere will smile on this wine that has been stiffed by the cork, but the rest of us weep. As if to add insult to injury, in the mood for more Spanish (pardon the double entendre), I opened a 2007 from Valquejigoso and, although not TCA affected, the cork was also buggered. Read 'em and weep. After beef, in my pantheon, is the screw cap closure.
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4/10/2020 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Frankly amazing.
Cork broke but level was good.
Light, sweet, fragrant, red berry and dark spice, fragrant sweet old oak. Very clean, pure, nose, some earth but not gamey.
Sweet, raspberry and damson, sour cherry stone, light vanilla oak and spice. Fine furry tannins. Reasonable acidity. Superb. And double superb for its age.
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5/11/2017 - psmith wrote:
Rioja Night (Chicago, IL): Verdict is corked, but some pretty dark fruits and spice notes poke through a bit. It's a shame these have been so variable as there is good raw material here.
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5/11/2017 - acyso wrote: flawed
Rioja dinner at Phil's (Chicago, IL): A second bottle of this, from the same lot as my note from 2014, was also corked.
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7/19/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:
An odd wine. Musty throughout, this seemed slightly corked to start. But that musty character never materially changed, making me think it more likely slightly dirty or bretty, but not corked. Still, there were good dried red cherry flavors that stayed persistent over several hours. Also interesting is that this seemed more corked/musty from a Burg (bowl) stem vs a Bordeaux stem.
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5/3/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 96 Points
Rich with lots of undergrowth and tertiary interest. Plenty of red fruit here, becoming cranberry with air. Held up well, no hurry here but it drinking extremely well... no reason to wait! Drink to 2035.
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12/31/2015 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
Earth, sweet red cherry, and vanilla nose. Well-integrated with some remaining sweet red fruits on the palate. Soft with good length and balance throughout. Tart, balancing acidity pick up on the finish. Very nice. Mature.
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12/13/2014 - psmith wrote:
I started off here thinking this was a bit corked as ACYSO noted, before thinking it not corked, and then going back and forth for a while until it opened up pretty well; who knows? Either way, I like where it ended up... medium bodied, sweet, leathery and earth notes. A bit lean in the middle, particularly for the producer, but a good backbone and generally very drinkable.
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12/13/2014 - acyso wrote: flawed
HDH auction tasting at Tru; 12/12/2014-12/13/2014 (Chicago, IL): Slightly corked. Still lots of fruit and stuffing underneath that layer of wet cardboard though. Leather, earth, and fruit on the palate, this has plenty of interest despite the wet blanket of cardboard that gets in the way.
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6/19/2014 - Los 12 Glotones Likes this wine: 98 Points
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Els12golafres Wine Tasting Group: http://vinosclasicos.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/la-rioja-alta-890-gran-reserva-1959.html
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De color rubí rojizo de capa media-alta, bastante más oscuro que añadas análogas. Limpio pero opaco, sin mucho brillo. Borde mínimo, anaranjado, marcado respecto el menisco.
Perfumado, elegante, con todas las señas de identidad de la bodega. Una gran botella de 890 Gran Reserva que se muestra tan o más clásico que la cosecha de 1955. En la misma línea de aromas de vino reposado, maderas nobles, cedro, cuero viejo, pero con una mayor presencia de fruta roja reducida y flores marchitas. Va creciendo, sin parar, ganando en presencia y sobre todo en finura y elegancia, llegando a una complejidad y cantidad de detalles que desborda a cualquier aficionado a estos vinos. A diferencia de otras añadas ésta quizás está ligeramente más marcada por los cremosos de la barrica.
En boca es recio, hosco y menos dado a florituras de lo esperado. Inicialmente seco, muy seco, pero con un tanino esférico y una antítesis de dulcedumbre que pone el contrapunto perfecto. Notas especiadas, ahumados, y un fondo terroso de gran calidad que a ratos ensombrecen esos ratros de fruta roja en licor, muy reducida, de enorme belleza. Fresco, aparentemente ligero pero concentrado y de una acidez vibrante. Los 890 de los años 50 están en un momento espectacular. Vino de los de verdad!!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-E-L-S - 1-2 - G-O-L-A-F-R-E-S - W-I-N-E - T-A-S-T-I-N-G - G-R-O-U-P - - - - - - -
Wine Info - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
90% tempranillo, 10% graciano y mazuelo - 13.5% vol.
Selección de uvas a su llegada a la bodega. Permanece entre 12 meses y 18 meses en los grandes tinos de roble centenario fundacionales de la bodega, de madera gris, donde completa la fermentación malolática y se estabiliza. Trasegado a barricas de roble americano de 225 litros elaboradas por la tonelería de la propia bodega. Es sometido a crianza durante 96 meses con un total de 14 trasiegas manuales en la emblemática nave Vigier. Embotellado directamente de barrica, sin filtrar. Producción limitada a 7.300 botellas de 75 cl. Un mínimo de 72 meses de guarda en botellero antes de ser comercializado.
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10/7/2009 - BradKNYC wrote:
TN: Twelve from 1959, six from 1952-1962 and a 1929 La Conseillante, in secret.: From a bottle with a great fill and cork. Shows that wonderful, classic old school Rioja nose of sweet cherries, cedar, beef blood and hints of dustiness. There's also a lactic note that blows off quickly. On the palate it's mature, but also sports some youthful qualities. The cherries initially have that dessicated quality to them that comes from age, but retains sweetness and are joined by earth, leather and spice flavors with worn wood. With air the cherry flavors really blossomed to the point that Sasha said it reminded him of a Vosne-Romanée. Lovely sweetness throughout the mid-palate, though the finish does dry out a little. It's a little too butch to call it elegant, though it's certainly harmonious. Beautiful wine, though I'd start to drink up. A/A-.
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