May 20, 2022 - Corkscrew absolutely disinterested the cork (went in fine, then pulled a cylindrical plug out of the middle of it, tried with an ah-so, but no luck. Had to filter the wine through a coffee filter which was an inauspicious start. No idea why this happened as I have used that corkscrew with plenty of other older bottles without issue, and when the cork did come out in pieces, it wasn't stained or anything - looked brand new apart from the bottom circle, which was dark red.
It was a tasty bottle, but the cork palaver shook up the sediment and kinda ruined the experience somewhat. Had it with lamb cutlets and then over the course of the next couple of days. It was OK on day 1 and 2, but by day 3 it started to fall apart. Very much delicious acidity with tertiary character to the nose. My wife said it smelled of "a walk in the woods", so sous bois.
April 18, 2022 - Easter Sunday with lamb. Oaky nose, smoke. Long finish. Well balanced and not over the hill. Subtle nuances lost with mint sauce, but nonetheless a good wine.
January 14, 2022 - Complex, cherry, leather cassis coffee tar, very smooth
December 31, 2021 - PnP and 90min decant. Drinking straight from the go.
Fully mature, soft, mellow. Nose of red fruit and balsam. On the palette, the fruit gently arrives and then quickly transitions to lovely aged flavours of wood, smoke and cocoa. Powerful. Resolved tannins
Extremely impressive Rioja at £28.
December 25, 2021 - Really special. Still lots of fruit - plum, black cherry and sweeter bramble notes - but the age characters starting to shine through, some gentle spice (clove or nutmeg) into a smooth savoury finish with cedar and light oak notes. Gone back for a case.
November 19, 2021 - Tasted at home with friends at my annual DECADEnt dinner, where every wine served has its vintage ending in the same as the current year, so this year all vintages ending in “1”. Generally reckoned by those around the table to be the best wine of the evening. Opened one hour before tasting to accompany coq au vin. Still remarkably fresh and all that I would have expected a 20 year old Rioja Gran Reserva to taste like. Soft, plummy raspberries with a hint of spice. Very smooth. Deliciously long in the glass. Excellent.
October 24, 2021 - Mørke bær, smak av lær. Krydret jordsmonn. God til kjøtt, grillet. Lam.
October 23, 2021 - Rund og fin på smak 👌 20 år gammel.
September 20, 2021 - As noted before, very traditional in style. Still very much alive after 20 years from what is generally regarded as a truly great vintage. Nicely paired with pork chops.
September 18, 2021 - Loved this. Vestiges of oak on the nose, which were beautifully integrated by the work of years. Like settling into a comfortable armchair: wood, leather, tobacco, slightly sweet fruit. Dark but not stern, plenty of time in hand.