September 5, 2023 - Tasted blind. As it often happened I had no problem identifying the unique footprint of La Rioja Alta. Vanilla, warth and plum notes combine with a very chewy texture and high acidity. Good structure and length. Better slightly than its 1994 counterpart.
January 29, 2023 - Vibrant ruby with a rim that is starting to brick a bit. The nose starts out with a lovely tight core of sweet dark cherry aromas that unfortunately fade quite quickly. The cherry character sticks around, but it turns towards tart/sour, and less candied as the wine takes on air. Some lovely fresh raspberry aromas round out the fruit-driven profile, which compliments a plethora of leathery, earthy, and herbaceous (sage? mint?) smells.
Age has lightened the body to a medium-minus. Tannins are nearly all gone. Acidity is wonderfully high. Flavors of sour cherries and pomegranates along with an herbal bitterness lead in the mouth. Plenty of that leather and dusty quality that I picked up on the nose. There is a reasonable level of complexity, though nothing that will knock your socks off.
Overall, a very good wine that has done well for nearly 30 years. It has aged nicely, but age did not take it to the high peak that some fine Riojas can reach. It is very good, though probably not going to get any better- the loss of tannin and leathery flavors indicate to me that this is probably going to start on the backslope sooner rather than later. I'd happily drink this any day, though not sure if I'd want to be the one paying- these older Gran Reserva Riojas from good vintages are getting expensive! Personally, I'd pay a bit more and get Lopez de Heredia or Ygay.
August 31, 2022 - Drank at 67
So drinkable
October 17, 2021 - Simply beautiful! Everything in harmony, super smooth, so many subtle tertiary flavours in harmony, with a very long finish.
October 17, 2021 - Decantado y filtrado debido a la enorme cantidad de poso que contiene. Color picota de capa muy alta y el borde es sólo ligeramente atejado. El aroma es de nivel medio-alto, es una auténtica sinfonía compuesta de una multitud de elementos, cueros, en su variante de silla de montar, higos y melocotón confitados, tabaco rubio y de pipa, hojarasca, tierra mojada, especies orientales, balsámicos y muchos otros elementos que cuesta describir. En boca es un vino suave, redondo, aterciopelado, de gusto muy complejo y difícil de describir, casi enigmático, se podía constatar la presencia de uva pasa, una punta de cueros, hojarasca y tierra, todo ello con vainilla y un ligerísimo toque de manera y con un final larguísimo.
Ahora está en un perfecto momento de consumo pero este tipo de vinos sorprenden por su enorme longevidad, sin duda ira evolucionando durante al menos dos décadas
Se trata de un Rioja clásico de manual, fruto de una gran bodega que guarda y conserva el modo de hacer tradicional de estos vinos y que desgraciadamente hoy en día cada vez son menos.
April 8, 2021 - Brilliant. Fully resolved tannins with good tertiary notes an enough acid to be an interesting food companion. I liked it a lot.
December 26, 2020 - Quite similar to my previous note, though the fruit has softened a bit and some of the intensity is subdued. There's a languid, louche feeling to this bottle, but it's delightfully moreish.
December 15, 2020 - Glass: Riedel Sommelier Bordeaux
Popped and poured, drunk over two days. Clear, medium+, tawny color with some fine orange rim. Clean, medium+ intense, fully developed nose with lots of tobacco, menthol, leather, red fruit, fine oak and herbs. Deep and very complex!
Dry, only 12,5% abv and a racy acidity, that makes the wine very fresh and lean. Fine, medium+ tannin. On the palate lots of red fruit, tobacco, cedar wood, leather, herbs, some dried rose petals and spices. Great texture, fresh, elegant and lots of tension and depth. Very long, over 70 seconds with fine fruit and lots of tertiary aromas. Seems at its full peak. Beautiful wine with an excellent PQR! 93-94
September 17, 2020 - Perfectly mature and rounded classic rioja. Burgundian in style but with some telltale lactic notes and a fine touch of volatility.
September 1, 2020 - Wonderfully balanced old school rioja, gently fading sweet cherry, subtle spice and vanilla, a gorgeous nose and a very long finish.