Community Tasting Notes 152

• MikeJK Likes this wine: 94 points

  September 9, 2019 - Coravin to a glass and allowed to stand for about an hour. The robe is a deep, murky ruby--hazy with fine sediment. Pronounced nose with vanilla top note and backdrop of mature red fruit and old, damp cellar (in a good way!). Lovely aromas of spice box linger in the empty glass.
  
  Palate also delivers with m+ body, m tannin and m+ acid. The lively acid cuts through to invigorate the slightly muddled dried fruit. Well done, sorry to only have a single bottle of this particular vintage. Typical, mature tradional Rioja, very well in balance. I would consider this an excellent example that is at its peak (for my taste).

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• SimonG wrote: 92 points

  August 21, 2019 - Initially dark and dense, but opens up to show a lighter, more typically bright red fruited profile, raspberry, some spice, and just starting to develop some spice and leather notes. Mellow, smooth and satisfying. Just at the start of its plateau. Lovely, and a relief after two substandard (different wines) bottles. ****

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• kfk wrote: 92 points

  February 16, 2019 - Spot on. Wine of the night at Spanish tasting. Fully integrated but I think this will live on for another decade plus to take on more tertiary.

  Comment

• IndyTom Likes this wine: 94 points

  January 18, 2019 - Stunning. Opened and let breathe for 30 minutes and then decanted for another hour. Dark red fruits on the nose. Seamless texture, fully integrated tannins and wonderful fruit. Everything is in total balance right now. 21 years old and a total delight.

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• straight outta iowa Likes this wine: 93 points

  September 25, 2018 - I found the LRA to be in a very nice spot at the age of 20, with potential for decades of continuing evolution. The wine was bigger than I expected, and really nicely balanced and integrated. Particularly prominent here was vanilla from the American oak, cherry, spice, grass/hay, and a nice touch of cinnamon. Also stood up quite well vs. the rib eye. While the age might have been surprising, the LRA could not be mistaken for anything other than just what it is -- which in my book is a cool thing nowadays.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1998
• Type Red
• Producer La Rioja Alta
• Varietal Tempranillo Blend
• Designation Gran Reserva 904
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Spain
• Region La Rioja
• SubRegion La Rioja Alta
• Appellation Rioja
• UPC Codes 8413529761093, 890841002024

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 30 (1%)
• In Cellars 1,188 (55%)
• Consumed 940 (44%)

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