Monday, December 20, 2010 - I do not have much experience drinking Rioja, so I came to his bottle without clear expectations. Good solid bottle of wine. Dry without being astringent. The fruit was not that prominent (don't know if it should be), but overall the wine was fairly well-balanced. I did not catch any vanilla flavors or the like.
It benefited considerably from breathing (about an hour or so), as it was pretty sharp upon opening. I have two more, and reading the other TNS more carefully, I think I will let them rest for a while.