1970 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Gran Reserva

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 90.5 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View ProperClaret's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/15/2017 - ProperClaret Likes this wine:

  Marvelous. Purchased from Rare Wine Co., which was the importer. Nose of beeswax and sweet black fruits. Palate of leather and books and blackberries, but with an undercurrent of beef blood and iron. Sweet on the tongue like so many wines of this age, and of course gorgeous umami notes. No issues with VA as others have noted. Although past its prime, still beautiful.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Vinomane's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/1/2017 - Vinomane Likes this wine: 92 Points

  For the low auction price, simply extraordinary, at its absolute drinking peak, level only 1.5 cm below cork. I defy any 1970 Bordeaux or Burgundy, irrespective of price, to top this. Well, maybe La Mission, not Montrose. OK, so you don't like volatile acidity? Ho-hum, great wines have it, so quit reading and stick to your Cali Cabs. Showed its Gran Reserva pedigree on the palate and finish, where crianzas and even regular reservas fall short. Supreme elegance for a song. One feels -- privileged.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View yofog's profile
  • Report Issue

  3/12/2016 - yofog wrote:

  Good at first, if a bit more oxidative than I would really like, but it's 46 years old, right? I hoped it would come around as wines like this sometimes do. It did not. Anyway, dusty red fruit, tobacco, soil, not very clearly expressed what with the oxidation muddling things a bit. Nice to try but not a great showing.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View WDSteers's profile
  • Report Issue

  12/20/2014 - WDSteers wrote: 89 Points

  Hour to open up.
  Carmel, toffee,

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View BradKNYC's profile
  • Report Issue

  10/5/2011 - BradKNYC wrote:

  Nine 1970 Rioja with a Vega Sicilia ringer. (Il Corso): Not the best bottle. It initially smelled completely maderized, despite having a healthy ruby color. With time the nose improved marginally to show mostly VA with a little brown sugar, cherry and leather underneath. The first sip is a bit sour and a second sip is needed to remove the pucker from one's face. Despite being fragile and clearly not a particularly good showing, there are some things of interest here, but it's tough to get by all the VA. Some cherry emerges with air and with a bit of citrus and leather, it does show a classic old Rioja profile, but that VA....C-.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.