1999 Bodegas y Viñedos de la Marquesa Rioja Valserrano Gran Reserva

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 87.3 points

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  11/20/2010 - igaf wrote:

  No formal notes. Seemed more heavily oaked and less interesting (and less Rioja) than I remembered from older vintages (94 IIRC), so somewhat disappointing.

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  6/19/2010 - Henman wrote: 89 Points

  Popped and poured.On the nose earth,oak and some fruit.Very soft and mellow on the palate,showing earthy,oaky and good fruity and perfumy notes.Not too complex but nicely developed and enjoyable.

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  2/26/2008 - Rossodio wrote: 87 Points

  I actually had a bottle of this before I had cellartracker (around may of 2007), and I remember exactly what it tasted like because it was the first Rioja Gran Reserva I'd had. At the time, to me, I recalled it being a bit too heavy on the overwhelming rubbing alcohol, with quite the overdone tannins as well.
  
  Trying it again, now 9 months later, pop and pour...
  
  This wine really has evolved a bit. On the nose, earthy cedarwood and a green, not-quite ripe strawberry aroma dominate, backed up by leather and maybe a smidgeon of dried tobacco. On the palate, this wine is dry and full-bodied, but lacking in the weight I would expect from a gran reserva, and also has a bit of a watered down taste; that being said, the mouthfeel doesn't ruin the wine completely. I taste red cherries, a background of the same cedar that is on the nose, and tobacco. The finish is about 15-20 seconds long, leaving a smooth fadeaway first of the dryness and tobacco, then of the cherry and cedar. In the end, a pleasant finish that does not leave any loose ends hanging.
  
  In the 25 minutes or so it took to drink this 1/3 of a bottle, it already began to widen and open up just a bit, and clearly softened up (a good thing, but perhaps a bit new-worldy in its fruit component, allllmost balanced but not quite). The second glass, 3 hours later, was divine and perfectly balanced.
  
  While this wine has picked up in its complexity and interestingness a bit over the last year, the same slightly watery taste and unimpressive finish may forever keep this wine a sub-90 pointer. That being said, I think it will open up and gain complexity in the coming few years; I just don't know if the justifies the price tag. I was much more impressed with the 1996 LAN Gran Reserva I've tried at a similar price.
  
  EDIT: After letting the wine breathe for a day.... it is mostly the same, though the high-end edge of the cedar smell and taste has been wiped away, and the alcohol taste has toned down a bit. Essentially the same, though honestly I think it was at its best 3 or 4 hours after opening.

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  3/31/2007 - ews3 wrote: 86 Points

  clear, medium intensity garnet with legs on the glass. still looks relatively young with few brown hues. clean, developing, medium intensity nose of spice, cedar, black cherry. dry, medium acid, medium(+) alcohol, full body, medium(+) level of coarse tannins. medium(+) intensity flavors of red cherry, raspberry, cedar, and tobacco. medium(+) length finish.
  
  very disappointing when tasted side by side with a reserva and crianza that showed better at lower price points. the finish was excellent, but the palate was not very concentrated and showed almost a watery character that I would not expect for this price. still a good quality wine, but not worth the price for a gran reserva. will drink well for the next 5 years before fading.

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