This would have benefited from a couple of hours decanting. It took that long for the warm fruit notes to emerge from the mineral driven tannic structure.
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with so many beautiful wines higher up in their hierarchy, i wasn't sure what to expect at this level. i was pleasantly surprised to say the least. ...this was very good. medium+ body, lots of blackberry fruit forwardness, vanilla, with some leather and mineral notes rounding things out nicely. drinking wonderfully now, has life left in it too.
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Wine has aged well, dark color, medium bodied but not heavy tasting, great fruit and flavors, good acidity keeps it lively, smooth tannins add to the package, will need to find newer vintages, drank with magret of duck, won’t be able to drink again since where can I find it.
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A few Spanish wines at Eric's: I enjoyed this wine. Just a little more fruit than the Lopez Heredia and it has also has nice acidity. Somewhat elegant, with earthy accents. Possibly a hint of Brett here, I think. My favorite of the night though.
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Nice wine ... purple /red in color with slight browning. Aromas of red berries, smokey, cigar box, vanilla. Fairly rich tasting modern Rioja. Thicker mouthfeel, ripe sweet chewy tannins with some bitter cherry on the finish. Also notes of cocoa, tea, and dark berries. Medium length finish.
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Really liked this wine. Good fruit but the tannin gave it a long finish. Lots of tough reviews on this wine, not sure why. It drank beautifully especially for an 06 wine. Enjoyed with paella. The terms 'old world' and 'new world' are being tossed around too casually. Will drink again.
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Enjoyed with a simple Thursday evening grilled pork loin chop basted with a maple infused balsamic and a little olive oil and salt so I was looking for some bright fresh red fruit and it delivered perfectly. It had an added nose of soya and not sure why. I have one more bottle and have no expectation of it developing to something worth further wait further so will happily drink soon.
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Better than my previous bottle. Pleasant but unremarkable modern Rioja with very little sense of place. Medicum body, decent balance, polished fruit, but not anything at all memorable or interesting.
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Dim Sum Club at Fat Cow (Fat Cow, Camden Medical Centre, Singapore): This was pretty enjoyable but, rather frustratingly, it hardly seems to have developed at all since the last bottle a year-and-a-half ago. It was a certainly a big, rather modern Rioja, with a full-scale nose showing sweet notes of red berries and cassis wreathed with plenty of cigarette smoke, a touch of woody oak and a little floral lilt that just started coming out with some time in the decanter. A bit too full and fruity for my liking, but it was far from an unpleasant bouquet. Like the nose, the palate was dominated on the attack by rich black fruit, with sweet plums and cassis cossetted by soft powdery tannins. It was still very big, very primary, but while not as bright as some other vintages, also intrinsically very nicely balanced. With time, some nice savoury notes started showing as the sweetness on the fruit mellowed some what, with earthy, meaty, smoky notes drifting out at the finish. I did like this, and I think it will be a nice wine in say 5-8 years' time. I am just not sure it has the structure to go beyind that though.
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from memory -- great rioja for its price, full fruit and not much old wolrd taste, getting integrated and much more pleasant than previous bottle which was pure watery oxidated stuff
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This was my favorite of three vintages I've tried (2004 - 2006). I decanted this for about an hour, which opened the wine up nicely. I think the QPR is good at $25/bottle (I paid a bit more). Overall, a very good rioja.
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Nice wine. Drinking nicely now. Very new-world rioja, but not quite as overly fruity as it was 2 years ago. More structured now. Still has a strong tannic backbone. Notes of chocolate, with some liquorish on the finish Edit: Originally gave this a 90. Day 2 was fantastic. Great balance and flavors. Day 2 was a 92, so I'm averaging the scores into a 91. I would suggest either holding this for another year, or opening now and giving it a good decant.
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Day 1--pleasant but very generic red with no sense of place (or even of varietal). Days 2 and 3--develops more complexity, making the wine more intersting, but still lacking any discernable Rioja (or even Tempranillo) characteristic. Not worth the tariff.
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While not showing much on the nose, on the palate this is a very seductive Rioja which convinces with its beautiful balance of its components: fruit, alcohol, tannins, acidity, sweetness and barrel flavors all are woven together seamlessly, making this a fine and uncomplicated drink. It shows a nice mix of black and red berry fruits, vanilla & caramel flavors from oak ageing, silky tannins and a fresh acidity. More modern than traditional, but that's not necessarily a bad thing is it? Drinks well now. - 89 points
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This has evolved into a slightly jammy, rich modern, plush red with a cherry-liqueur like finish. Super-modern Rioja, very ripe and round. Did not start that way.The 2006 evolved from stone-hard, medium body to full, plush rich style. In contrast, 2005 was a knockout, drier with firmer tannins and more of the textbook Rioja strawberry character (though the strawberry is fresh, juicy, ripe fresa lepera), and could be mistaken for one of the very best modern Rioja Reservas (Roda, Finca Allende, Baron de Oña, Muga, Predicador) which sell at 3x the price.
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Don't really know what to think about this wine. With earlier bottles I liked the fruitiness in particular (not that common with me) but now the wine is tighter and a bit coarse with slight heat from the alcohol creaping in. There's this mouth-drying effect coming through as well but I'm not sure if it's just the tannins to support ageing or over extraction. Is the wine going through an awkward, closed period or is it just a bad example of modern Rioja? Right now my bet is on the latter but I will give it another chance in, say, two years time.
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This wine has softened a bit since my 11/10 review. It's very new world - not what you would be looking for if you were seeking a traditional Rioja. I've updated my drinking dates to indicate more near-term drinking. I don't think there will be additional complexity in 2015 or beyond.
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Not very expressive nose, couldn't really get much out of it. Mellow acidity, bordering on new world kind of white, not much fruits and gives me the taste of artificial sweetener.
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Nose is clean, medium- intensity, with lots of secondary aromas (barrell) and some black fruit and mocha notes. It is youthful.
Palate is dry, with medium + body, medium + tannins that are quite fined grained and medium acidity. The flavor intensity medium + although the finish is only medium. The flavor characteristics are as expected from the nose.
Overall this is good quality wine expressing its medium + fruit and lavish oak treatment quite well. It is youthful, but based on the aromas that I find -- only secondary and primary -- I would guess that it will not develop further. It is not "falling apart" and will hold for five more years.
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"Huat-Huat" Chinese New Year Dinner (Ana Lucia Grill, Serangoon Gardens): A good wine - I definitely preferred the 2005 at the same point of evolution. This seemed rather more modern right off the bat, thicker too. It calmed down and showed more restraint after a double-decant, but always remained that bit more extracted and obvious than the 2005. The nose here had sweet scents of fruit compote, dark cherries and blackberries, some earth notes and a little curl of smoke. With time, some flower petal accents started coming up. On the palate, some sweet oak notes, followed by ripe plums, more black cherry and then dried earth and smoke. Balance was decent, not as bright as I expected though, so that it seemed to flatten out a little, leaving the wine a bit on the shortish side at the finish, where spicy and smoky note lingered shortly. This is drinking okay now - there was a touch of tannins that have just begun to soften out, but it was very approachable with food. A very nice pairing with a rabbit in Barolo stew I must say. Overall, I liked this. I think it is a good wine, but I would leave my one other bottle for some time in the cellar before opening it.
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Fresher, with more vibrancy and a lighter fruit character than I remember it previously having. On the other hand I was just drinking AALTO, which is very full bore.
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I agree with other posters who found a berry nose and cherry and cedar in the mouth. Over time though the tannins took grip. I'm not sure that it will all come together over time but will hold and try again in another year.
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90+ Tasting (Wine Route Ramat Hasharon): Complex and interesting nose. Excellent body, well balanced, with dominant tannins that assure its involving in the next years. Excellent!
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Tempranillo tasting (Weygandt Wines, DC): Cherry, kirsch and cedar with a dosing of heat. Blueberry and oak on the mouth. Perhaps my palate was shot at this point but not my wheelhouse at all.
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Dios, Mio, Tempranillo! (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.): nose on this shows caramel corn. tremendous amount of those brach's candy pumpkins that they sell around halloween. sweet fruit, pumpkin pie and caramelized sugar. interesting, but not much weight or complexity. but the flavors it does bring are very nice.
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Spain! (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had earth and graphite, blackberry and cherry, and a big shot of vanilla at the end. The palate was smooth, with pencil lead and earth, blackberry and black cherry, and nice oak finish.
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Saturdays at One - Volume 34: Tasted non blind. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, plums, smoke, lavender and black berries. Flavors of tart berries with some added notes of cherries. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body Drink over the medium term.
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Opened and poured, this wine shows in a big, rich style. The aromatics feature black cherry, mocha and oak notes. The color is a dark ruby to almost black. The medium/full bodied shows density and richness. The tannins make an appearance on the medium plus finish. The does lack finesse and it is not clear how this will benefit from additional bottle age.
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Lots of rich dark cherry and mocha with lively mouthwatering acidity. Soft, velvety tannins that should hold up for the long term. Look forward to seeing where this goes over the next few years.
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My my, I had forgotten what really good tempranillo tasted like.
Apperently, the idea behind this label is that they will now try and take the wine up to $40 a bottle, representing a "mid tier". The low tier, which this was, will become the "orobio" series. The high tiers will stay Pagos Viejos, El Pison, and Grandas Anadas (if they ever make another GA).
In my frank opinion, this plan sucks. Now I can certainly understand why they are doing it -- to make money -- but Orobio is mere shadow of Vinas de Gain. Hopefully, via the economic decline, we can all keep Vinas de Gain right where it needs to be -- around $25.
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Red cherry with some smokiness. Aerated at first, but wine got a little flabby. Not as much structure as expected. A little better straight from the bottle but have to question it's aging potential A very good wine but expected a little more.
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Popped and poured: Dark purple in glass. Some initial funk on the nose, then stewed fruit, leather, and tobacco aromas. In the mouth; very jammy fruit, leather, copper, menthol. Long smoky finish. Medium-to-full bodied in the mouth and a bit hot. Better the second night after a 2-hour decant.
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Nice dark purple color. Nose: Smells of alcoholic blackberries and some spices Taste: A mix of cherries with a hit of raspberries and clear spices, nice length for a low tannins wine. Because of the low tannins the wine will probably be at is top within 3/5 years.
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Nice dark purple color. Nose: Smells of alcoholic blackberries and some spices Taste: A mix of cherries with a hit of raspberries and clear spices, nice length for a low tannins wine. Because of the low tannins the wine will probably be at is top within 3/5 years.
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A modern style Rioja. This wine has very deep purple colour with black cherry, spices, wood and mint flavours. This is full in body and has higher acidity.
More details on comparing it against traditional style Rioja in below URLs.
If it smells like a Rioja (fresh red fruit, and funky, sweaty earthiness), tastes like a Rioha (tons of fruit and a touch of vanilla) and finishes like a Rioja (drying tannins) then it must be a Rioja. Can't complain. Could be cheaper but it is tasty!
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Wow, this is tightly wound! The nose gives up some caramel, tobacco and iron. Tannic in the mouth, but there's some nice black fruit, raw beef, and dried herb beneath the tannins. This shows obvious promise, but needs time. How much? Dunno: time. 88 with a potentially positive future.
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Extremely youthful purple in colour; Quite closed on the nose even after 3 hours in the decanter! Faint hints of spice and cassis but quite closed and inaccessible at present; Palate is quite extracted- dense brooding fruit and mocha oak, quite tingling high acidity. No fun at present but could get better. Very modern styled - claret drinkers Rioja?
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Popped and poured. This is decidedly smoky --almost to the point of bacon-- with dark fruit, floral and charcoal notes. Silky mouthfeel, owing to low apparent acidity, that reminded me a little bit of Cayuse wines. And that's a very good thing. Only flaw here is that I find it a little thin in the mid palate. But, really, this is astounding quality at a sub-$30 price point. I'll be buying more. 91.
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Tasted a tank sample that was bottled. Not sure if it was sulphured or not. It took about 2 hours to open. Dark purple color. The nose is just telltale Rioja that has that great tabacco nose that I love. Almost like snuff. Some backberrys and anise in there as well. Medium bodied but with an amazing finish. This is really great wine for medium term consumption.
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The nose on this excellent wine was apple tart, yeast, black currants and caramel. In the mouth, this baby was well balanced with structured tannins and big fruit fighting it out. I say the fruit was big, but it was not forward in the profile nor was it over powering. It was centered and well balanced. The finish was moderately long and mouth smacking with good, food friendly acidity.
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5/7/2021 - IlonaN wrote: 89 Points
This would have benefited from a couple of hours decanting. It took that long for the warm fruit notes to emerge from the mineral driven tannic structure.
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10/25/2020 - #1 or #2? Likes this wine: 91 Points
with so many beautiful wines higher up in their hierarchy, i wasn't sure what to expect at this level. i was pleasantly surprised to say the least. ...this was very good. medium+ body, lots of blackberry fruit forwardness, vanilla, with some leather and mineral notes rounding things out nicely. drinking wonderfully now, has life left in it too.
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4/7/2020 - Pike_Fisherman Likes this wine: 90 Points
For this price this is a fantastic wine. this belongs into 20-30 $ range.
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6/10/2018 - mwneil Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wine has aged well, dark color, medium bodied but not heavy tasting, great fruit and flavors, good acidity keeps it lively, smooth tannins add to the package, will need to find newer vintages, drank with magret of duck, won’t be able to drink again since where can I find it.
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6/7/2018 - Outplaying wrote:
A few Spanish wines at Eric's: I enjoyed this wine. Just a little more fruit than the Lopez Heredia and it has also has nice acidity. Somewhat elegant, with earthy accents. Possibly a hint of Brett here, I think. My favorite of the night though.
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10/28/2017 - mvande21 wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby, red fruits, medium body, long finish. More complexity with time in the glass.
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6/15/2017 - madia wrote: 92 Points
Excellent!. Red fruits and hints of farm in a very complex nose/ Medium bodied, balanced, good acidity. May be at its pick.
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5/12/2017 - rojoloco wrote: 90 Points
Not bad but the 2005 is better, rounder and easier to drink. The 2006 is a little harder and needs a little air before drinking.
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11/14/2016 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice wine ... purple /red in color with slight browning. Aromas of red berries, smokey, cigar box, vanilla. Fairly rich tasting modern Rioja. Thicker mouthfeel, ripe sweet chewy tannins with some bitter cherry on the finish. Also notes of cocoa, tea, and dark berries. Medium length finish.
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1/1/2016 - jmoon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent value mid level rioja
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12/19/2015 - ntruder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Plush and generous - cigar box mingles with beautiful fruit...
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6/25/2015 - GregGH wrote: 87 Points
an average good Rioja .... a fair QPR .. there are better values out there
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5/22/2015 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sweet Black cherry, tar, mineral, medium body, medium-long finish
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3/23/2015 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lots of Cherry, red berries, good acid and long finish.
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11/24/2014 - MGBJR Likes this wine: 89 Points
Full bodied, deep purple, woody, warm fruit, candy, nice long finish. No/minimal sediment, pour it all out if you decant.
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10/31/2014 - mwneil Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really liked this wine. Good fruit but the tannin gave it a long finish. Lots of tough reviews on this wine, not sure why. It drank beautifully especially for an 06 wine. Enjoyed with paella. The terms 'old world' and 'new world' are being tossed around too casually. Will drink again.
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10/23/2013 - Armando B wrote:
see my previous note. meh.
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7/25/2013 - ZinFan CA Likes this wine: 89 Points
Enjoyed with a simple Thursday evening grilled pork loin chop basted with a maple infused balsamic and a little olive oil and salt so I was looking for some bright fresh red fruit and it delivered perfectly. It had an added nose of soya and not sure why. I have one more bottle and have no expectation of it developing to something worth further wait further so will happily drink soon.
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7/18/2013 - Armando B wrote: 87 Points
Better than my previous bottle. Pleasant but unremarkable modern Rioja with very little sense of place. Medicum body, decent balance, polished fruit, but not anything at all memorable or interesting.
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3/31/2013 - MLD70 wrote: 88 Points
Very nice with Easter lamb, especially at the price.
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2/7/2013 - Paul S wrote: 89 Points
Dim Sum Club at Fat Cow (Fat Cow, Camden Medical Centre, Singapore): This was pretty enjoyable but, rather frustratingly, it hardly seems to have developed at all since the last bottle a year-and-a-half ago. It was a certainly a big, rather modern Rioja, with a full-scale nose showing sweet notes of red berries and cassis wreathed with plenty of cigarette smoke, a touch of woody oak and a little floral lilt that just started coming out with some time in the decanter. A bit too full and fruity for my liking, but it was far from an unpleasant bouquet. Like the nose, the palate was dominated on the attack by rich black fruit, with sweet plums and cassis cossetted by soft powdery tannins. It was still very big, very primary, but while not as bright as some other vintages, also intrinsically very nicely balanced. With time, some nice savoury notes started showing as the sweetness on the fruit mellowed some what, with earthy, meaty, smoky notes drifting out at the finish. I did like this, and I think it will be a nice wine in say 5-8 years' time. I am just not sure it has the structure to go beyind that though.
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1/10/2013 - Faknr0ll Likes this wine: 88 Points
from memory -- great rioja for its price, full fruit and not much old wolrd taste, getting integrated and much more pleasant than previous bottle which was pure watery oxidated stuff
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12/21/2012 - AtoZ wrote: 89 Points
Not bad at all. A touch woody maybe? Tannic but fruity. Enjoyable.
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11/13/2012 - Troon wrote: 90 Points
This was my favorite of three vintages I've tried (2004 - 2006). I decanted this for about an hour, which opened the wine up nicely. I think the QPR is good at $25/bottle (I paid a bit more). Overall, a very good rioja.
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9/28/2012 - Jayarr wrote: 89 Points
Started out a bit tannic but that faded quickly. Dark ruby, not much of a nose blank fruit, smoke and good fruit. Smooth, round and lush.
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9/20/2012 - Dar3 wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine. Drinking nicely now. Very new-world rioja, but not quite as overly fruity as it was 2 years ago. More structured now. Still has a strong tannic backbone. Notes of chocolate, with some liquorish on the finish
Edit: Originally gave this a 90. Day 2 was fantastic. Great balance and flavors. Day 2 was a 92, so I'm averaging the scores into a 91. I would suggest either holding this for another year, or opening now and giving it a good decant.
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9/16/2012 - Armando B wrote: 86 Points
Day 1--pleasant but very generic red with no sense of place (or even of varietal). Days 2 and 3--develops more complexity, making the wine more intersting, but still lacking any discernable Rioja (or even Tempranillo) characteristic. Not worth the tariff.
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5/20/2012 - Tom Ricks wrote: 92 Points
Better after an hour open.
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3/14/2012 - isbjoern wrote: 89 Points
While not showing much on the nose, on the palate this is a very seductive Rioja which convinces with its beautiful balance of its components: fruit, alcohol, tannins, acidity, sweetness and barrel flavors all are woven together seamlessly, making this a fine and uncomplicated drink. It shows a nice mix of black and red berry fruits, vanilla & caramel flavors from oak ageing, silky tannins and a fresh acidity. More modern than traditional, but that's not necessarily a bad thing is it? Drinks well now. - 89 points
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2/2/2012 - Henry Miller wrote: 91 Points
This has evolved into a slightly jammy, rich modern, plush red with a cherry-liqueur like finish. Super-modern Rioja, very ripe and round. Did not start that way.The 2006 evolved from stone-hard, medium body to full, plush rich style. In contrast, 2005 was a knockout, drier with firmer tannins and more of the textbook Rioja strawberry character (though the strawberry is fresh, juicy, ripe fresa lepera), and could be mistaken for one of the very best modern Rioja Reservas (Roda, Finca Allende, Baron de Oña, Muga, Predicador) which sell at 3x the price.
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1/25/2012 - rolandkyle wrote: 89 Points
This is starting to mature very nicely.
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9/2/2011 - henkka wrote:
Don't really know what to think about this wine. With earlier bottles I liked the fruitiness in particular (not that common with me) but now the wine is tighter and a bit coarse with slight heat from the alcohol creaping in. There's this mouth-drying effect coming through as well but I'm not sure if it's just the tannins to support ageing or over extraction. Is the wine going through an awkward, closed period or is it just a bad example of modern Rioja? Right now my bet is on the latter but I will give it another chance in, say, two years time.
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7/24/2011 - petermpls Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine has softened a bit since my 11/10 review. It's very new world - not what you would be looking for if you were seeking a traditional Rioja. I've updated my drinking dates to indicate more near-term drinking. I don't think there will be additional complexity in 2015 or beyond.
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3/27/2011 - Mingmong wrote: 79 Points
Not very expressive nose, couldn't really get much out of it. Mellow acidity, bordering on new world kind of white, not much fruits and gives me the taste of artificial sweetener.
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3/21/2011 - Yagil Likes this wine: 89 Points
Advanced Tasting Course - session #5 (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): Blind tasting.
Dark red color.
Forest fruits, leather, spices and meat aroma.
Full bodied, fruity, spicy, young wine, tannic, dusty, bitter, rich palate.
Long after-taste, fruity, rich with bitter ending.
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3/21/2011 - Yagil Likes this wine: 88 Points
Advanced Tasting Course - session #5 (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): Blind Tasting. Dark red-black color with purple edges.
Smoked entrecote distinguished in aroma.
Full bodied, fruity, spicy, powdery tannins, coarse; long & warm after-taste.
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2/15/2011 - nrosen wrote:
90 very nice smooth balanced wine
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2/8/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Color is opaque purple.
Nose is clean, medium- intensity, with lots of secondary aromas (barrell) and some black fruit and mocha notes. It is youthful.
Palate is dry, with medium + body, medium + tannins that are quite fined grained and medium acidity. The flavor intensity medium + although the finish is only medium. The flavor characteristics are as expected from the nose.
Overall this is good quality wine expressing its medium + fruit and lavish oak treatment quite well. It is youthful, but based on the aromas that I find -- only secondary and primary -- I would guess that it will not develop further. It is not "falling apart" and will hold for five more years.
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2/5/2011 - Paul S wrote: 90 Points
"Huat-Huat" Chinese New Year Dinner (Ana Lucia Grill, Serangoon Gardens): A good wine - I definitely preferred the 2005 at the same point of evolution. This seemed rather more modern right off the bat, thicker too. It calmed down and showed more restraint after a double-decant, but always remained that bit more extracted and obvious than the 2005. The nose here had sweet scents of fruit compote, dark cherries and blackberries, some earth notes and a little curl of smoke. With time, some flower petal accents started coming up. On the palate, some sweet oak notes, followed by ripe plums, more black cherry and then dried earth and smoke. Balance was decent, not as bright as I expected though, so that it seemed to flatten out a little, leaving the wine a bit on the shortish side at the finish, where spicy and smoky note lingered shortly. This is drinking okay now - there was a touch of tannins that have just begun to soften out, but it was very approachable with food. A very nice pairing with a rabbit in Barolo stew I must say. Overall, I liked this. I think it is a good wine, but I would leave my one other bottle for some time in the cellar before opening it.
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2/5/2011 - Alex H wrote: 78 Points
A bit flattish with red rose petals. Fat on the sides. Lots of sweet berries but confected and a bit needing of acid.
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12/16/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Fresher, with more vibrancy and a lighter fruit character than I remember it previously having. On the other hand I was just drinking AALTO, which is very full bore.
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12/16/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/10/2010 - bboy wrote: 84 Points
Still I like it though it did not hit me as it did the first time.
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11/27/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 89 Points
quite good, though not as impressing as the 2005
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11/13/2010 - petermpls Likes this wine: 88 Points
I agree with other posters who found a berry nose and cherry and cedar in the mouth. Over time though the tannins took grip. I'm not sure that it will all come together over time but will hold and try again in another year.
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10/19/2010 - madia wrote: 92 Points
90+ Tasting (Wine Route Ramat Hasharon): Complex and interesting nose. Excellent body, well balanced, with dominant tannins that assure its involving in the next years. Excellent!
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9/28/2010 - Faryan wrote:
Tempranillo tasting (Weygandt Wines, DC): Cherry, kirsch and cedar with a dosing of heat. Blueberry and oak on the mouth. Perhaps my palate was shot at this point but not my wheelhouse at all.
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9/28/2010 - manonthemoon wrote: 86 Points
Blue candied nose. Palate of black and blue, mocha, a little paint, coffee grounds.
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9/28/2010 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 87 Points
Dios, Mio, Tempranillo! (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.): nose on this shows caramel corn. tremendous amount of those brach's candy pumpkins that they sell around halloween. sweet fruit, pumpkin pie and caramelized sugar. interesting, but not much weight or complexity. but the flavors it does bring are very nice.
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9/18/2010 - mmurry Likes this wine: 91 Points
Spain! (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had earth and graphite, blackberry and cherry, and a big shot of vanilla at the end. The palate was smooth, with pencil lead and earth, blackberry and black cherry, and nice oak finish.
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9/18/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 90 Points
Saturdays at One - Volume 34: Tasted non blind. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of currants, plums, smoke, lavender and black berries. Flavors of tart berries with some added notes of cherries. Medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body Drink over the medium term.
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8/22/2010 - sehill wrote: 88 Points
Opened and poured, this wine shows in a big, rich style. The aromatics feature black cherry, mocha and oak notes. The color is a dark ruby to almost black. The medium/full bodied shows density and richness. The tannins make an appearance on the medium plus finish. The does lack finesse and it is not clear how this will benefit from additional bottle age.
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8/14/2010 - talesofthegrape wrote:
Lots of rich dark cherry and mocha with lively mouthwatering acidity. Soft, velvety tannins that should hold up for the long term. Look forward to seeing where this goes over the next few years.
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8/13/2010 - JJKinch wrote: 87 Points
Dark fruit (blueberry), a little heat, slight minerality - graphite? Seemed to get better as the night went on - somewhat closed off.
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8/13/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Yes, ok, multiple days in a row. But I like it. More sudden black fruit off the cork pull. Wow, this bottle is wildly delicious. Right in the pocket.
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8/11/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
My my, I had forgotten what really good tempranillo tasted like.
Apperently, the idea behind this label is that they will now try and take the wine up to $40 a bottle, representing a "mid tier". The low tier, which this was, will become the "orobio" series. The high tiers will stay Pagos Viejos, El Pison, and Grandas Anadas (if they ever make another GA).
In my frank opinion, this plan sucks. Now I can certainly understand why they are doing it -- to make money -- but Orobio is mere shadow of Vinas de Gain. Hopefully, via the economic decline, we can all keep Vinas de Gain right where it needs to be -- around $25.
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8/7/2010 - Clay & Lisa wrote: 89 Points
Drank with Matt in GA.
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6/7/2010 - Grillgod wrote: 87 Points
Red cherry with some smokiness. Aerated at first, but wine got a little flabby. Not as much structure as expected. A little better straight from the bottle but have to question it's aging potential A very good wine but expected a little more.
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5/30/2010 - newworldman wrote: 90 Points
Really one of the better Rioja's I've had for the price
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4/9/2010 - lewisrise wrote: 88 Points
Nose of smoke, cedar, and briar blackberry. Dark fruit, pencil lead, and smoke at the finish.
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3/2/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 89 Points
Spanish intro tasting (Wine Road, Raanana): Dar red color; modern wine aroma, fruity, tannic, chewy, quite full-bodied.
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2/26/2010 - BYOB wrote: 89 Points
Nice bottle.
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2/16/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Dark cherry red fruit with notes of coffee and minearlity, or roast meat as tempranillo often comes off to me. Fine $28.
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12/2/2009 - suzanna9452000 wrote: 87 Points
Popped and poured: Dark purple in glass. Some initial funk on the nose, then stewed fruit, leather, and tobacco aromas. In the mouth; very jammy fruit, leather, copper, menthol. Long smoky finish. Medium-to-full bodied in the mouth and a bit hot. Better the second night after a 2-hour decant.
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11/16/2009 - bluefrog wrote: 88 Points
Nice dark purple color.
Nose: Smells of alcoholic blackberries and some spices
Taste: A mix of cherries with a hit of raspberries and clear spices, nice length for a low tannins wine. Because of the low tannins the wine will probably be at is top within 3/5 years.
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11/16/2009 - bluefrog wrote: 89 Points
Nice dark purple color.
Nose: Smells of alcoholic blackberries and some spices
Taste: A mix of cherries with a hit of raspberries and clear spices, nice length for a low tannins wine. Because of the low tannins the wine will probably be at is top within 3/5 years.
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10/25/2009 - Manus wrote:
A modern style Rioja. This wine has very deep purple colour with black cherry, spices, wood and mint flavours. This is full in body and has higher acidity.
More details on comparing it against traditional style Rioja in below URLs.
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/hkwine-blog/article?mid=1
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/hkwine-blog/article?mid=5
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10/17/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 89 Points
Drank well. Good mouthfeel. Earthy with red fruit and herbs. Nice finish. This followed a mindblowing Sassacaia so it was in a tough spot.
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10/14/2009 - MauriceE wrote: 89 Points
Very good price-quality. Red, dark fruit dominates the nose, good balance on the palate.
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10/1/2009 - BYOB wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruit, nicely balanced with a touch of oak. Nice wine from Rioja.
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9/21/2009 - nietzschephilosopher wrote: 89 Points
If it smells like a Rioja (fresh red fruit, and funky, sweaty earthiness), tastes like a Rioha (tons of fruit and a touch of vanilla) and finishes like a Rioja (drying tannins) then it must be a Rioja. Can't complain. Could be cheaper but it is tasty!
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9/18/2009 - BYOB wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit ripe blackberriy and dark cherry notes balanced with a touch of toasty oak. Terrific wine that is good now and should age well.
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8/14/2009 - pgm wrote: 88 Points
Wow, this is tightly wound! The nose gives up some caramel, tobacco and iron. Tannic in the mouth, but there's some nice black fruit, raw beef, and dried herb beneath the tannins.
This shows obvious promise, but needs time. How much? Dunno: time. 88 with a potentially positive future.
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6/19/2009 - Yagil wrote: 94 Points
weak aroma, weak in flavor.
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5/19/2009 - vespasian wrote: 86 Points
Extremely youthful purple in colour; Quite closed on the nose even after 3 hours in the decanter! Faint hints of spice and cassis but quite closed and inaccessible at present; Palate is quite extracted- dense brooding fruit and mocha oak, quite tingling high acidity. No fun at present but could get better. Very modern styled - claret drinkers Rioja?
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2/28/2009 - jmull wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. This is decidedly smoky --almost to the point of bacon-- with dark fruit, floral and charcoal notes. Silky mouthfeel, owing to low apparent acidity, that reminded me a little bit of Cayuse wines. And that's a very good thing. Only flaw here is that I find it a little thin in the mid palate. But, really, this is astounding quality at a sub-$30 price point. I'll be buying more. 91.
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2/16/2009 - NealN wrote: 90 Points
Floral,honey and plum nose. Black cherry and chocolate with moderate tannin, balanced acidity and nice finish.
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2/14/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
nose: good fuller nose with red cherries, red currants, cedar, smoke, and cranberries. Very well balanced with classic tempranillo aromatics
taste: excellent medium/full feel with medium+ tannins. Well balanced flavors of black currants, red cherries, red currants, and hints of cedar
overall: needs a bit of time, but can be drunk easily right now with a good decant. Well balanced with a nice robustness to it
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2/7/2009 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 91 Points
Tasted a tank sample that was bottled. Not sure if it was sulphured or not. It took about 2 hours to open. Dark purple color. The nose is just telltale Rioja that has that great tabacco nose that I love. Almost like snuff. Some backberrys and anise in there as well. Medium bodied but with an amazing finish. This is really great wine for medium term consumption.
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1/19/2008 - Tudz Drkl wrote: 89 Points
The nose on this excellent wine was apple tart, yeast, black currants and caramel. In the mouth, this baby was well balanced with structured tannins and big fruit fighting it out. I say the fruit was big, but it was not forward in the profile nor was it over powering. It was centered and well balanced. The finish was moderately long and mouth smacking with good, food friendly acidity.
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