EOTC $15-20 Blind Rioja Tasting

Second Every Other Tasting Clob (EOTC) event. Blind Rioja Tasting, $15-20 guided range.

Held at Robert and Shefali's, with a wonderful pannini spread to accompany the wines. Which was a good thing - most of these wines were better with a little food. As Ryan decided, the real test of these wines was how they did with the Chinese roast pork!

Single blind tasting - wines opened and in lettered bags. Most people bought from stores just prior to the event, a few pulled from cellars.

Mixed impressions overall. Most of us have had some nice rioja's we've loved, and there were a few here that fit the bill. But John decided he's not a rioja fan. Several of us were surprised at how relatively thin most of the wines were. Also, the relatively weak impressions on the nose were surprising - often overpowered by alcohol. But there were some very nice wines here. I'm left wondering if these wouldn't have been better off with a little decanting first?

On to the tasting! All the notes are my impressions unless otherwise indicated. My scores are probably a little generous overall, but certainly accurate (per my opinions of course!) relative to each other.

• 2001 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Cosme Palacio y Hermanos 88 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Subtle red, a touch thin. Nose of white pepper, blackberry. Delicate, earthy, red fruit, some light acifity. Soft. Tastes older.

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• 1999 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 86 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  My least favorite of the night. Thin, red with some purple. Nose of tannins, artificial raspberry, cherry. Limited structure, easy finish, still rather tannic.

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• 2001 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 89 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Red with a touch of purple, somewhat thin. Nose of tannins. Kind of barolo-esque, with more substance than others tonight. Definitely more structure than others. Red raspberry, some metal - copper maybe?

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• 1998 Martin Cendoya Rioja Reserva 87 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Red, thicker than some tonight. Nose of alcohol only. Strawberry, acids, a touch of earth. Much bigger than others tonight, but not necessarily well structured. A little unbalanced.

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• 2001 Finca Allende Rioja Allende 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  One of the group's favorites of the night. Red, medium bodied. Alcohol, chalk, red fruit on the nose. One of the bigger, more full-bodied wines of the night. Cherries, oak, some substance. Chewy. "has attitude" per Ann.

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• 2001 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Several people's WOTN. Red, medium bodied. Nose of strawberries, no alcohol on the nose. Strawberries, cherries, earth. Much more substantive and structured than most others tonight.

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• 2001 Bodegas y Viñedos Solabal Rioja Crianza 93 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  WOTN for me and several others. Medium-bodied, pure red. Well-layered and structured, much moreso than others tonight. Much more body than others. Tart cherries with some sugar on top. Very nice. A much more impressive wine comparatively.

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• 1999 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Pure red, somewhat thin. Nose of cherries, gentle fruits, less alcohol than others tonight. Tart cherries, rather acidic. Nice wine, well structured, very tasty.

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• 1999 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 87 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  Thin, red color. Very little on the nose. Lots of strawberries, a touch of blueberry on the palate. Overall rather simple, but well made.

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In the hopes of refining our palates and learning more, we're ending each tasting with a blind bottle brought by one person. In this case, Katrina and Frank teamed up to pick the mystery bottle tonight.

Guesses were all over the map (shows you how much we have to learn!). But we all thought this was a much older wine than it was. Guessing because it was a wet year, and it's a cooler climate that must explain it.

• 2002 Wölffer Estate Merlot Reserve 87 Points

  USA, New York, Long Island, The Hamptons

  Brick Red, thin, almost orange. Nose of alcohol and earth. Berries, strawberry, slighlty metallic. Seems old.

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My takeaway on "typical" rioja: relatively little on the nose, bright red, maybe a touch of purple, generally relatively thin. Taste of strawberries and cherries, with some tartness and acidity.

I'd have to say these are food wines. The acidity needs some protein to balance it. But Cheech & Shef came home in spades on that one!!! Thanks guys!