2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia

Community Tasting Notes (151) Avg Score: 89.6 points

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  10/22/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points

  Dinners at Tiny Pine Bistro; 10/21/2023-10/22/2023 (Carbondale, CO): Absolutely outstanding, and definitely at some sort of peak right now. This shows no sign at all of the overripeness of the vintage -- just a good amount of dark fruit. Meaty and sweaty as good Rioja ought to be but with a relative lightness that makes this readily drinkable. Wonderful "entry-level" stuff.

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  7/20/2022 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  A blend of Tempranillo (80%), Garnacha (15%), Mazuelo and Graciano, the grapes sourced from the El Bosque vineyard. Fermented spontaneously in old and very large oak fermenters, aged for 5 years in barrels and then for a further 3 years in bottles before release. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted in a Bosconia 2011-2002 vertical.
  
  Very deep and still surprisingly youthful ruby color (for the age) with a clear, pale cherry-red rim. The rather dark-toned nose feels quite rich and sweet-toned with relatively linear aromas of ripe dark plums and wizened black cherries, some dusty old wood tones and a little bit of meat stew. With a little bit of air, subtle nuances of dried flowers and hoi sin start to emerge. The wine feels surprisingly rich, ripe and full-bodied on the palate for a Bosconia. Despite its breadth, the wine is still quite recognizable for a Bosconia. There are quite sunny flavors of wizened black cherries, some sweet strawberries, a little bit of ripe red plum, light earthy notes, tart hints of sour cherries and lingonberry juice and a tertiary hint of meat stew. The acidity is a bit on the soft side, but they keep the wine quite nicely structure along with the moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is long, somewhat evolved and moderately grippy with dry-ish (not bone-dry) flavors of ripe red plums, some woody notes of savory oak spice, a little bit of tart cranberry and lingonberry, light earthy notes, tertiary hints of meat stew and soy sauce and a touch of tangy salinity.
  
  A nice and still relatively youthful vintage of Bosconia that didn't feel as advanced and evolved as the 2004 and 2005 that were tasted alongside. However, it is noteworthy that this was probably the least typical vintage of Bosconia we tasted (along with the similarly solar vintage 2009) with is quite noticeable richness and ripeness, which contributed to the breadth, bigger body and sweeter fruit flavors. Unlike the 2003 Tondonia Reseva, which is surprisingly stern and not really showing any signs of the hot 2003 vintage, this Bosconia is obviously a child of a sunnier vintage. I have to admit the wine is quite wonderful and in a great spot right now, even if there seems to be some potential for future development too, I still must admit I like the classic Bosconia style much more and this wasn't really among my favorites. Nevertheless, at just approx. 20€, this has been a steal.
  
  On a completely unrelated note: this was my 100th RLdH tasting note, whoo!

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  6/21/2022 - rsbeck wrote: 92 Points

  Remarkably medium bodied and fresh for a wine from the 2003 vintage. Has developed nicely since my last tasting 10 years ago. Very solid and satisfying traditionally made single vineyard Rioja Riserva.

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  1/2/2022 - dangdad wrote: 88 Points

  Needed decanting for at least 2 hours. Finally opened up. Full body, strong tannins, modest fruit and a modest finish.

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  12/21/2021 - AndrewR wrote: 87 Points

  On its last legs. Learned to drink these when Lopez releases them...no need to wait.

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