Aromatic grapefruit. Surprisingly powerful bitter citrus with some glycerine texture. Pretty nice for the price.

Medium to light color. Raspberry notes. Light bodied, spicy, lively and tart at the end. Some tobacco. Short but not bad at this level.

Medium core, faded edge. Dill pickle character imparted by American oak-classic in its own way. Some transient appeal and feel, but the wood comes up and stomps out everything else. Astringent and just too oaky for the modest material.

Medium center with some brown. Black cherry fruit and more subtle wood. Sappy with saddle leather but I found the fruit muddled and poorly focused. Tannic finish. Seems out of balance.

Darkest of the series so far. Wow, this is a real anomaly-distinctly fruity and not as marked by the wood. Concentrated black leaning fruit, some tannins at the end. Fairly anonymous, modern wine with little regional character.

Deep center with lightening edge. Here we are back to a greener oak nose. Big for Rioja but certainly more typical weight and feel than the Vina Sastre. Excellent balance and interplay between the fruit and the gentle oak with coffee tones for additional interest. Best balance and most satisfying wine of the tasting, although not nearly the most expensive.

Deep and evenly tinted. Smells like left bank Bordeaux. Here, the aromas of wood are quite discernible but not nearly as dill oriented as in some of the other wines. Harmonious, seamless subtle blackberry fruit with some graphite. Medium to full body. Polished, smooth tannins. Long. Very good but the oaky base dominates does not let go of the palate from beginning to end.