1998 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890

Community Tasting Notes (70) Avg Score: 93.1 points

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  1/10/2024 - Adrian Chmielarz Does not like this wine:

  Most likely an issue with my bottle, but I was extremely disappointed. No cork or any fault I could identify, but despite the enticing leathery nose, everything else was either average or bad. The alcohol didn't feel fully integrated, there was no balance, the fruit was slightly hidden. First tasted with Coravin, then opened and decanted -- nothing helped. Siri, play Sadness by Enigma. No rating as, again, most likely just a local problem.

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  4/28/2023 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points

  A pair of Nebby twins walk into a tapas Bar (Eric&Megan's, Chicago IL): This needed about 15 minutes to wake up. And wake up it did! It was all systems go with about as classic of a Rioja as it gets. The nose is deep and layered with sour cherries, raspberries, licorice, vanilla, dried herbs, violets, cedar, red currants, and spice notes. The Medium/full bodied feel is poised, lengthy, and refined with tart, medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins that have really integrated. Whooooo baby! This was all that I could've wanted in that moment. This was an absolute beauty and a wine that I will be thinking about for a while to come.

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  10/9/2022 - acyso wrote: 90 Points

  Sunday hangout (Chicago, IL): Distinctively LRA with a very intense dill note on the palate. The nose comes off more leathery than anything else, and I would have liked to have a little more fruit and polish there. The palate has an intense green dill note with a slight creaminess that evokes a sour cream dip. Otherwise, this is quite refined and resolved, and drinking very nicely now, though given the track record of aging for LRA, I'm sure this will be plenty fine many decades from now too.

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  9/24/2022 - Oliverl1 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Upon opening, it seemed it didn’t really need decanting. Not a surprise for a 1998 vintage! A very nice wine with a pronounced nose and taste of oak and dill (classic La Rioja Alta)! I gave it a total of 5 hours and it took on a completely different personality! The oak and dill seemed to have dissipated and was just a plain and simple VERY fine wine with a fabulously long finish. In my honest opinion, I think it still needs more time! Yes, I think this will be at his best in about 5 to 10 years. Amazing for a 24-year-old wine!

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  6/10/2022 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points

  Brought by FC to Lorne. Quite youthful still, primary dark fruit, notes of chocolate, mint, medium/full bodied, quite rich, soft tannins, balanced acidity, some rtobacco notes emerging, drinkable buyt will improve and show more character with time.

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