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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 47 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by cweiss on 5/31/2022: In Norton. I'd say fully mature and quite nice, though outdone by a 2001 Rioja Alta. (1102 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 8/8/2020 & rated 91 points: Mid garnet. Lovely nose of damson, spice, leather, and a touch of coffee. Thirteen years since previous bottle, primary fruit has calmed and settled now, and is starting to show some secondary development, the lush and padded fruit now silky and refined. Classic Rioja profile. Mid palate complexity and a decent finish. Lovely. **** (2046 views) | | | Tasted by Ticker tape guy on 10/28/2018 & rated 87 points: unfortunately the cork crumbled upon opening and the wine just had very little structure..tasted ok..but it was definitely not quite right..i think to much oxygen got to the wine and it aged out (2252 views) | | | Tasted by millej on 8/22/2017: Drinking much better than the Vina Real Gran Reserva at this point. Delicious crushed blackberry notes and it doesn't have the overpowering oak of the 1996 VR GR. (3532 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 4/12/2016 & rated 92 points: Delicious. Menthol on the nose, but it wasn't unpleasant or overwhelming. Very smooth, resolved tannins. My last bottle unfortunately, because this wine still had lots of life left. Took to my wine group dinner. By coincidence, it followed a 2005 Murrietta Ygay Rioja Gran Reserva. Lots of similarities noted, but the Murrietta was still too young and overpowering. (4465 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 11/12/2013 & rated 92 points: Cherry, vanilla, fruit cake and caramel. Others found the dill (am oak) but I did not. Supple in the mouth with resolved tannins. (6593 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 8/23/2013 & rated 89 points: Lovely nose of creamy vanilla, oak and caramel. Palate has some fruit some acidity, but just lacking a touch from what it was a year ago. Maybe needs to breathe a bit. Still very good 89 (6170 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 8/14/2013 & rated 92 points: Simply beautiful. (6017 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 4/20/2013 & rated 89 points: Great Rioja nose and palate, caramel and silky smooth and rounded. Just a tad less good as my last ones. 89 points (5129 views) | | | Tasted by cweiss on 11/21/2012: Hamtopia. Nose lovely though dominated by american oak at this stage. Impeccable balance, elegant style. Could be more complex and will give other bottle a few more years to see. (4936 views) | | | Tasted by markellen.foodies@gmail.com on 11/6/2012 & rated 90 points: Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): - Crimsom color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a medium body. Polished texture with a long finish - Bob's wine. I don't believe anyone recognized it as Rioja! (3042 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 11/6/2012 & rated 90 points: wine group dinner (2729 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 6/6/2012 & rated 91 points: Wonderfully traditional and drinking beautifully, though a bit woodier than I was expecting. (3465 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 4/13/2012 & rated 90 points: Just like the last bottle very good (2947 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 2/9/2012 & rated 90 points: Drank 3 bottles at a friend's birthday party I held at my house, everyone wanted to drink more but I wouldn't let them! Caramel nose, not too much oak showing, nice fruit and a smooth and a wonderful finish, still a good few years left (2835 views) | | | Tasted by king-bing on 9/22/2011: Small Rioja gathering (RSJ, London SE1): This and the 1995 Contino Reserva were very much cut from the same cloth. Excellent weight and balance from both, though the Imperial was more structured and backward of the two. Great balance. (3655 views) | | | Tasted by Harley1199 on 5/20/2011: Imperial Gran Reserva Vertical Tasting / Cata Vertical Imperial Gran Reserva (Bodega Santa Cecilia - Madrid): Fermented in steel. PN colour for orange rims. Almost transparent. Frank nose. Kitchen cupboard, mainly clove. Toffee. Pastryshop. Creamy mouthfeel. Remarkable acidity. To be smelt for hours. My outsider.
Fermentado en acero. Color PN para ribetes naranjas. Casi transparente. Nariz franca. Armario de cocina, principalmente clavo. Caramelo de café con leche. Pastelería. Sensación cremosa en boca. Para ser olido durante horas. Mi inesperado. (4180 views) | | | Tasted by Didman on 4/22/2011 & rated 92 points: A beautiful sophisticated lady. Delicate, mature, elegant. (3261 views) | | | Tasted by thamuhacha on 4/10/2011 & rated 86 points: The edges are almost orange now, and it is very, very soft. Possibly a little past it's prime (My 1st taste, so hard to say) but still drinking very nicely. (3460 views) | | | Tasted by tuebach on 2/3/2011: Over the hill! (3653 views) | | | Tasted by imcarthur on 12/11/2010 & rated 94 points: Wonderful maturing rioja. Slight bricking. Nice floral nose. Surprisingly fruity middle with a long finish. A very good wine. (3606 views) | | | Tasted by Alan S on 9/19/2010 & rated 92 points: Beautiful classic Rioja - one of my all time favourites. Always consistent. Only have one of these left now from 96 (3789 views) | | | Tasted by Tudz Drkl on 1/10/2010 & rated 91 points: Nose
Eucalyptus, big dark red fruit, nuts, vanilla, a little smoke
Profile
Long acidic finish with tannins left on roof of mouth and dark baked burnt fruits on tongue.
(4170 views) | | | Tasted by Eugene on 6/15/2009 & rated 93 points: Amazingly still feels young. Drinks well now, although needs some air, but will last for a long time. Balanced, classic rioja. (4170 views) | | | Tasted by J_R on 3/7/2009: smelled like chicken soup and dill. delicious. (4260 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Producer website
U.S. Importer (add'l info)
alternate U.S. Importer (add'l info)Tempranillo BlendTempranillo is the backbone of wines made ihvhhcn the best well-known Spanish regions Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but is also grown as far afield as Mexico and Australia.
As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate - but with a rustic edge. The Many wines made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumers . Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak - add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle - and occasionaly not-so-subtle - leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly.Spain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.La Rioja Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja
Map on weinlagen-infoLa Rioja Alta Map on weinlagen-infoRioja Consejo Regulador DOC Rioja - Control Board of the D.O.Ca. Rioja
HISTORY
The wine region of La Rioja in Spain was first demarcated by the area's governing body, the Consejo Regulador, in 1926. The region extends for approximately 120 kilometres along both sides of the Ebro River and is, at its widest point, bounded by mountains on either side. In fact, the word 'Rioja' is a derivation of the two words 'Rio' (River) and 'Oja (the name of a tributary of the Ebro that runs right through La Rioja creating a series of microclimates and providing much needed water for the vines).
La Rioja has always been a vital part of Spain's history. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, and finally, medieval Crusaders have all played a part in the area's history. The Romans, however, made wine a part of their culture wherever they travelled, and La Rioja was no exception. Ancient sites of Roman wineries still exist in and around the area today.
After the Romans came the Moors, and winemaking all but ceased. It wasn't until after the famous 'El Cid' liberated Spain, and medieval Christianity brought trade via the Crusaders through the region, that it flourished again. The Benedictine monks of Cluny in Burgundy, known for their viticulture, helped to establish three monasteries in the area. The vines they planted were mostly white grapes. In the fourteenth century, English traders acquired a taste for a local Rioja wine, which was a blend of white and red wines called Blancos Pardillos. Over time, development of lighter reds came about satisfying eighteenth century English and French courts.
The real improvements to Rioja's viticulture began around 1780 when the need to prolong wine during transport brought about experimentation with different woods and preservatives. Studies were made of the techniques used by great chateaux in Bordeaux. With the outbreak of the Peninsular War, progress was halted until 1852, when the Bordelais came south to Rioja seeking vines because their vineyards had been blighted with oidium. French winemaking methods were eagerly taken up by great rivals the Marques de Murrieta and Marques de Riscal (who both claim to have been the first in Rioja to make wine in the Bordeaux fashion).
When phylloxera devastated Bordeaux in the 1870s and the French influence really took hold in Rioja, many of the region's finest bodegas started production on what we now consider as the great wines of Rioja. It’s important to remember that Bordeaux winemaking methods then were very different to those employed today in France, and involved long ageing in barrel, a factor that the Riojans took up enthusiastically. So enthusiastically in fact that to this day there are a number of Bodegas that still make their wine in a surprisingly similar fashion to that of the Bordelais in the later part of the 1800s and this also explains why oak ageing is such an important part of Riojan winemaking.
USE OF OAK
Pronounced vanilla flavours in the wines are a trademark of the region though some modern winemakers are experimenting with making wines less influenced by oak. Originally French oak was used but as the cost of the barrels increased many bodegas began to buy American oak planks and fashion them into barrels at Spanish cooperages in a style more closely resembling the French method. This included hand splitting the wood, rather than sawing, and allowing the planks time to dry and 'season' in the outdoors versus drying in the kiln. In recent times, more bodegas have begun using French oak and many will age wines in both American and French oak for blending purposes.
In the past, it was not uncommon for some bodegas to age their red wines for 15-20 years or even more before their release. One notable example of this is Marqués de Murrieta which released its 1942 vintage Gran Reserva in 1983 after 41 years of ageing. Today most bodegas have shifted their winemaking focus to wines that are ready to drink sooner with the top wines typically ageing for 4-8 years prior to release though some traditionalists still age longer. The typical bodega owns anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 oak barrels.
The use of oak in white wine has declined significantly in recent times when before the norm was traditionally 2-5 years in oak. This created slightly oxidised wines with flavours of caramel, coffee, and roasted nuts that did not appeal to a large market of consumers. Today the focus of white winemakers has been to enhance the vibrancy and fruit flavours of the wine.
WINE CLASSIFICATION
Most Riojan Bodegas believe that the ageing of a wine should be the responsibility of the producer rather than that of the consumer, and this is why much Rioja is more mature than wines from other countries. Rioja red wines are classified into four categories. The first, simply labelled 'Rioja', or 'Sin Crianza' (meaning 'without ageing') is the youngest, spending less than a year in oak. A "Crianza" is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which is in oak. 'Reserva' is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, 'Gran Reserva' wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle. Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are not necessarily produced each year. Also produced are wines in a semi-crianza style, those that have had a couple of months of oak influence but not enough to be called a full crianza. The designation of Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva might not always appear on the front label but may appear on a neck or back label in the form of a stamp designation known as Consejo.
SUB REGIONS
Rioja Alta
Located on the western edge of the region, and at higher elevations than the other areas, the Rioja Alta is known for more fruity and concentrated wines which can have very smooth texture and mouth feel.
Rioja Alavesa
Despite sharing a similar climate as the Alta region, the Rioja Alavesa produces wines with a fuller body and higher acidity. Vineyards in the area have a low vine density with large spacing between rows. This is due to the relatively poor conditions of the soil with the vines needing more distance from each other and less competition for the nutrients in the surrounding soil.
Rioja Baja
Unlike the more continental climate of the Alta and Alavesa, the Rioja Baja is strongly influenced by a Mediterranean climate which makes this area the warmest and driest of the Rioja. In the summer months, drought can be a significant viticultural hazard, though since the late 1990s irrigation has been permitted. Temperatures in the summer typically reach 95°F. Twenty percent of the vineyards actually fall within the Navarra appellation but the wine produced from the grapes is still allowed to claim the Rioja designation. The predominant grape here is the Garnacha which prefers the hot conditions, unlike the more aromatic Tempranillo. Consequently Baja wines are very deeply coloured and can be highly alcoholic with some wines at 18% alcohol by volume. The wines typically do not have much acidity or aroma and are generally used as blending components with wines from other parts of
the Rioja.
The Riojans are master blenders (as they have to be because there are relatively few single estates in the area, the norm being to blend from a wide variety of vineyards and wine areas). Consequently they are able to reduce vintage variation by careful blending and many of the best wines vary relatively little between vintages.
VITICULTURE & GRAPES
Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grape varieties, and can be either red (tinto), white (blanco) or rosé (rosado). Rioja has a total of 57,000 hectares cultivated, yielding 250 million litres of wine annually, of which 85% is red. The harvest time for most Rioja vineyards is September-October with the northern Rioja Alta having the latest harvest in late October. The soil here is clay-based with a high concentration of chalk and iron (which provides the redness in the soil that may be responsible for the region's name, Rioja, meaning red). There is also significant concentration of limestone, sandstone and alluvial silt.
Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavours and ageing potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavours and Graciano adding additional aromas.
With Rioja Blanco, Viura is the prominent grape (also known as Macabeo) and is sometimes blended with some Malvesia and Garnacha Blanca. In the white wines the Viura contributes mild fruitness, acidity and some aroma to the blend with Garnacha Blanca adding body and Malvasia adding aroma. Rosados are mostly derived from Garnacha grapes. The 'international varieties' of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have gained some attention and use through experimental plantings by some bodegas but their use has created wines distinctly different from the typical Rioja.
Some of the most sought after grapes come from the limestone/sandstone based 'old vine' vineyards in the Alavesa and Alta regions. These 40 year old plus vines are prized due to their low yields and more concentrated flavours. A unique DO regulation stipulates that the cost of the grapes used to make Rioja must exceed by at least 200% the national average of wine grapes used in all Spanish wines.
VINTAGE CHART
Rioja (Red) Year %
2004 Superb vintage, classic wines Drink or Hold 94
2003 Hot, dry year, long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 91
2002 Smallest vintage in 10 years. Variable quality.
Keep to top names Drink or Hold 87
2001 Excellent year for long ageing Reservas
and Gran Reservas Drink or Hold 94
2000 A generally good vintage with fine Reservas Drink or Hold 89
1999 Smaller vintage of good quality Drink or Hold 88
1998 Good vintage Drink or Hold 97
1997 Unexciting so far, but quaffable Drink or Hold 84
1996 Good year, plenty of ageing potential Drink or Hold 89
1995 Very good vintage, Reservas now showing excellent fruit Drink or Hold 92
1994 Outstanding, some great long-ageing wines Drink or Hold 94
1993 Lesser wines, apart from best-known names Drink 77
1992 Rather light vintage Drink 80
1991 Still improving, average quality Drink or Hold 85
1990 Fairly ordinary but quaffable Drink 84
1989 Good, firm structure Drink 88
Rioja Reserva & Gran Reserva – Vintages of the Eighties Year %
1989 Goodish vintage, well balanced Drink 88
1988 Fairly good vintage, well balanced wines Drink 88
1987 Very attractive vintage, now at peak Drink 90
1986 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1985 Average year, now drinking well Drink 87
1984 Disappointing, with problem weather Avoid 80
1983 Don't keep it any longer Drink 86
1982 Now past its best Drink 83
1981 Superb wines, finest will keep longer Drink 90
1980 Average vintage, don't keep any longer Drink 86
More vintage charts
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