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Old Rioja - A Walkabout Tasting

Roberson Wine

Tasted October 24, 2013 by hadwin with 772 views

Introduction

Not many regions offer such great value mature wines as Rioja, so when the opportunity arises to taste a wide selection of old vintages, we inevitably get excited. We found a small merchant based in Rioja that had an Aladdin’s cave of old vintages from top producers and the temptation to bring them in for a tasting proved too much to fight. Spain has a rich history of producing fine wines that age for decades. As styles have changed in the last twenty years and more international styled wines have emerged, the uniqueness of old-school Rioja offers a wonderful contrast to the super-slick wines that dominate the market today.

Now…we have no idea how many of these wines will be in good drinking condition. Most of the wines have good levels and some of them are excellent, but.....we cannot guarantee anything. So, if you decide to join us at this tasting, please bear with us. Some of the wines could be past it, but then again look at the line-up – this could be the best £50 you ever spend!

Flight 1 - CVNE (6 notes)

2nd Table visited.

Red
1975 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Clear and bright. Very intense port like nose. Still tannic with little fruit left on the palate.
Red
1973 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Clear and bright. Mineral stone on the nose with some fruit. Light start with a long finish, somehow a little disappointing.
Red
1970 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Darker than expected. Nose of grilled meat and a little smoke. Powerful, tannic, little fruit and abrupt finish.
Red
1966 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
91 points
Clear and bright. Bol smokey and fruity nose. Soft, subtle, wonderful cherry note through to a long finish.
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Red
1975 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
90 points
Pale, clear and bright. Vegetal nose with a touch of perfume. Silky, good acidity, soft with a lingering cherry note.
Red
1973 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
89 points
Clear and bright, pale. Vegetal with a touch of perfume, Silky and soft with still the soft fruit notes of cherry.

Flight 2 - The Big Guns (7 notes)

The first table visited - well, I am a huge fan on La Rioja Alta.

Red
1976 Bodegas Muga Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
86 points
Very pale garnet. Polish but little fruit on the nose. Much more fruit on the palate, long. This is bottled as the Reserva in the UK.
Red
1974 Bodegas Muga Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Pale garnet. Nose of stewed berries with polish. Surprisingly fresh fruit on the palate with good length.
Red
1973 Bodegas Muga Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Pale garnet. Smokey nose. Lighter than the '74. Good fruit and long.
Red
1970 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
90 points
V pale. Nose of roast meat. Rich, lush and long.
Red
1969 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
92 points
Pale. Rich and fruity nose. Luscious, long with a great fruit finish.
Red
1982 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
92 points
Very little sign of age, perhaps a slight drop in colour. Very berry nose. Sweet fruit, subtle rather than bold in the middle palate, good length.
Red
1970 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva 904 Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Holding colour well. Vegetal nose with perfume underlying. Acidic, fruity and later savoury. Feels in transition.

Flight 3 - The Three Marques (7 notes)

Last table visited and had to skip two wines as time ran out.

Red
1978 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Ygay Etiqueta Blanca Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
88 points
Dark. Fruity nose, fruity on the palate. Perhaps under rated as being tasted alongside some fabulous wines.
Red
1976 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Ygay Etiqueta Blanca Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
90 points
Clear and Bright. Rich, fruity and meaty nose. Fresh fruity palate.
Red
1982 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
85 points
Clear and bright. Pineapple and Marzipan nose. Bit soapy and short.
Red
1976 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
88 points
Clear and Bright. Classic Riscal nose with perfume and fruit. Soft, fruity, good acidity but drops quite quickly.
Red
1974 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
88 points
Clear and bright. Fruit and some blood notes. Soft, fruity and acidic. Good but not great.
Red
1976 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
85 points
Clear and bright. Vegetal pong nose. Not very expressive on the palate.
Red
1970 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
88 points
Clear and bright. Some smokiness on the nose with sweet fruit. Light with good fruit.

Flight 4 - Various (8 notes)

Third table visited with some duds but some great surprises!

Red
1973 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Glorioso Reserva Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
92 points
Clear and Bright. Glorious rich fruity nose. Silky smooth, still fruity with good length but no lingering.
Red
1970 Solar de Samaniego Rioja Crianza Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
flawed
Clear TCA on the nose but cleared with some agitation leaving polish. Wine was figgy on the palate and past it's best.
Red
1970 Bodegas Franco-Españolas Rioja Reserva Especial Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
88 points
Clear and bright. Old polish on the nose with little fruit or meat. Meaty and savoury in the mouth. Long.
Red
1970 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Reserva Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
91 points
C+B. Sweet fruity nose. Sweet fruity start moving to a more earthy taste.
Red
1970 Señorío de Sarría Navarra Reserva Spain, Navarra
flawed
This wine was on the list as a Rioja as SEÑORÍO SARRÍA.
Red
1964 Viña Santana Rioja Gran Reserva Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
87 points
Incredibly dark for the age. Tapenade nose of olives! Smooth, soft, subtle but all still present and drinking well.
Red
1959 Bodegas Fuenmayor Rioja Gran Reserva Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
88 points
Very pale. Intriguing nose of pre-baked cake mix! Amazingly still fruity and long on the palate.
Red
1955 Yago Condal Spain
85 points
Darker than expected for the age. Punchy prune like nose. Cooked fruit, acid failing so past it's best.

Closing

Well organised and eclectic tasting - would have preferred sitting down but this was possibly the best stand up tasting I have attended. Not over populated and easy to get wine from all bottles - no fear of missing any specials!

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