Smooth and silky, raspberry with cherry tones impart a delicate, seamless structure, hint of earth and tobacco. Balanced with tannins fully integrated.
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Cherry, tart plum, raspberry are all presented in this smooth and silky medium bodied wine with lots of mineral/graphite notes on the finish. So easy to drink with refreshing acidity, this wine is peaking now and should continue to drink well through 2020.
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Wow, what a difference 4 years make. This is lovely right now with a short decant. Drank fruit, Earth, leather, tobacco, sweet tannins, lots of minerality. Fantastic food wine.
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Excellent with roast pork loin with leeks; modern and appealing; juicy but not that distinctive. I don't see this being much better at maturity so enjoy over the next few years.
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Pnp through a Vinturi. Modest bricking to the wine. The aromamatics on this are muddled. Aromas of oak, smoke, cherry, and dried herbs. On the palate the acidity is flattening with smooth tannic structure. This has toasted oak, sour cherry, smoke, pepper, and orange peel. This has a weak entry but picks up the pepper notes in the mid palate where there is drive through the finish with orange peel that lingers.
Muddled aromas, and nothing special holds back the overall score. Nonetheless this is enjoyable and is a solid overall wine.
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Full body, dark fruits - black cherry, blackberry, some licorice and dark chocolate notes. Nice spice in the mid palate with mild drying tannins. Better than a couple of years ago. Better balance. Good QPR.
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First bottle to open of this. This has plenty of acid zip and should hold nicely for at least five years though I suspect it should cruise beyond that.
The aromas on this were puzzling/muddled to me. Has cherry with dried herb qualities (though not distinct) and cedar on the nose.
On the palate this has a toasted vanilla with smoke and bitter cherry. This also has pepper notes that really fall in behind the acidity to add a brightness to this wine that I was not expecting.
Interesting, but I am not sure what this evolves into. Neither elegant, nor disappointing. Not tannic or drying which I appreciated.
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My final bottle and it was certainly the best of the four. Opened about 90 minutes ahead of time and it exceeded expectations. As expected, blackfruit dominant, but the brightness has begun to be replaced with a smooth richness that really ties the fruit together much more enjoyably than when the wine was younger. The transition from mid-palate fruit to licorice, toast and excellent mineral notes on the finish remains this wine's strongpoint. While this wine was certainly brawny in it's youth, it's starting to become much more refined. If you have held onto any bottles, you will be well rewarded.
pnp'd.. meh... but open an hour, and this was a really great wine; last glass on 3rd day equally delicious.. next time i'll decant for an hour prior to meal
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This wine continues to show well and as expected – slightly better than the last bottle in February 2014. Beautiful, well integrated blackfruit flavors. Shows great balance and smoothness through the middle into the finish. Good structure and length on the finish. Drinking at or close to peak, but no rush to drink up as it should last several more years. Excellent value for the money and glad I have one more.
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Blackfruit and mineral qualities on the nose. Very smooth and medium to full bodied. Much better integrated than when I first tried it in March 2013. Lots of bright, black cherry flavors. Outstanding transition from fruit to finish. Adds in a mineral quality, some toast and chocolate notes on the finish. Tannins are very soft to almost fully integrated. This isn’t a tremendously complex wine in terms of its fruit profile, but where this wine shines is the mid-palette and the transition from fruit to finish. The richness and density are quite good and the seamless transition brings it all together. No rough edges here. While this may improve slightly, it’s drinking very well now and should continue on this level for a few more years. Great QPR.
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Shared with guests from Spain to complement grilled hamburgers and bratwurst. They claimed 2005 was a good vintage and we had no reason to doubt them. A nice, balanced Rioja.
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The color is deeply hued garnet and translucent. The smells are plum, cedar, leather, and anise. The tastes are olive, plum, tobacco, coffee, red licorice, vanilla, and cedar notes. The tannins are formidable and the body is light. The finish is dry and a bit short.
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Deep garnet in color and a terrific nose of smokey olives and black cherries. On the palate, this is medium bodied with flavors of cranberry, raspberry tart, crushed rock and spice. The tannins are grippy and somewhat astringent that will need some time to smooth out and the finish is nice and long. A very nice Rioja and a superb QPR at under $20/bottle.
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The color is dense but see though and is dark garnet in color. The smells are dark cherries, vanilla, smoke, and olive. The tastes are tart sour cherry, camphor, currants, minerals, tobacco, and pine. The body is tight and the tannins are mouth coating and dry and almost coarse. This is a complex, but tough wine with old world character that has a somewhat lengthy finish.
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Very nice wine. Decant for an hour though and let it open up some and it also becomes more balanced. Nice fruit and mouth feel and smooth finish. Great with food. Slightly better(more balanced) than the Vina Olabarri which is similar in style. 89+
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In lovely condition at seven years in, needing only a little bit of air to come to life. Wet earth and dried currant in the nose. Plum and date fruit up front, with vanilla lingering in the moderately tannic finish. Excellent structure, and with enough age to bring everything together smoothly. Very enjoyable.
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Quite ready to drink now; but probably will last for another 5+ years, this was a great example of a Rioja- I had not had a decent one in years. Hints of vanilla and medium finish with moderate tannin structure for an '05.
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nach 1 Stunde im Decanter ( unbedingt erforderlich) kommen die Vorzuege des Weins zur Geltung : ein nicht zu holzlastiger Rioja mit Kirschen , dunklen Fruechten mit der typischen Vanillenote . Langer Abgang. Fuer den Preis ein Best Buy !
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12/11/2023 - wineoracle wrote: 91 Points
Cherry, leather, earth with a tannic finish. I found this one while reorganizing my cellar and I was surprised at how youthful the wine remained.
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4/25/2020 - edckim wrote: 92 Points
Smooth and silky, raspberry with cherry tones impart a delicate, seamless structure, hint of earth and tobacco. Balanced with tannins fully integrated.
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12/15/2018 - Janstan Likes this wine: 88 Points
Cherry, leather. Cooked rioja pork with it
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4/12/2018 - Kentw wrote: 88 Points
A little better than last bottle but past peak. Still a decent drinker but loses some compared to drinking it in 2016.
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3/9/2018 - SchlaepDog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cherry, tart plum, raspberry are all presented in this smooth and silky medium bodied wine with lots of mineral/graphite notes on the finish. So easy to drink with refreshing acidity, this wine is peaking now and should continue to drink well through 2020.
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2/24/2018 - Kentw wrote: 88 Points
Smooth, easy drinking but past prime and starting to fade.
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4/23/2017 - Kentw Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice now. Smooth, well balanced. Great with food. Shared with friends who enjoyed it as well.
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12/10/2016 - ABM wrote: 89 Points
Great wine for the price Drinking well for a 2005.
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11/22/2016 - Winiac wrote: 90 Points
Very good concentration yet, nuanced and finessed. Let it breath at least 1 hour before you drink it, you will be rewarded!
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10/29/2016 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow, what a difference 4 years make. This is lovely right now with a short decant. Drank fruit, Earth, leather, tobacco, sweet tannins, lots of minerality. Fantastic food wine.
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10/17/2016 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
Excellent with roast pork loin with leeks; modern and appealing; juicy but not that distinctive. I don't see this being much better at maturity so enjoy over the next few years.
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6/4/2016 - COWineLover wrote: 88 Points
Pnp through a Vinturi. Modest bricking to the wine. The aromamatics on this are muddled. Aromas of oak, smoke, cherry, and dried herbs. On the palate the acidity is flattening with smooth tannic structure. This has toasted oak, sour cherry, smoke, pepper, and orange peel. This has a weak entry but picks up the pepper notes in the mid palate where there is drive through the finish with orange peel that lingers.
Muddled aromas, and nothing special holds back the overall score. Nonetheless this is enjoyable and is a solid overall wine.
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5/31/2016 - muskie wrote: 90 Points
Had with smoked Brisket - Excellent
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3/28/2016 - Rollerball wrote: 92 Points
Even better than a couple of years ago. Ideally ripened cherry predominates from start to finish with fantastic texture and sweet plush tannins.
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2/3/2016 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 91 Points
My wife and I really enjoyed this. She said "What is that?" on the first taste and meant it in the very best of ways. Paired with a hearty soup.
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1/31/2016 - Kentw Likes this wine: 90 Points
Full body, dark fruits - black cherry, blackberry, some licorice and dark chocolate notes. Nice spice in the mid palate with mild drying tannins. Better than a couple of years ago. Better balance. Good QPR.
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9/14/2015 - COWineLover wrote: 89 Points
First bottle to open of this. This has plenty of acid zip and should hold nicely for at least five years though I suspect it should cruise beyond that.
The aromas on this were puzzling/muddled to me. Has cherry with dried herb qualities (though not distinct) and cedar on the nose.
On the palate this has a toasted vanilla with smoke and bitter cherry. This also has pepper notes that really fall in behind the acidity to add a brightness to this wine that I was not expecting.
Interesting, but I am not sure what this evolves into. Neither elegant, nor disappointing. Not tannic or drying which I appreciated.
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9/5/2015 - Pour Boy wrote: 89 Points
Very soft, almost liike an aged merlot. Should have opened this sooner...
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7/27/2015 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 92 Points
My final bottle and it was certainly the best of the four. Opened about 90 minutes ahead of time and it exceeded expectations. As expected, blackfruit dominant, but the brightness has begun to be replaced with a smooth richness that really ties the fruit together much more enjoyably than when the wine was younger. The transition from mid-palate fruit to licorice, toast and excellent mineral notes on the finish remains this wine's strongpoint. While this wine was certainly brawny in it's youth, it's starting to become much more refined. If you have held onto any bottles, you will be well rewarded.
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3/31/2015 - gf2182 Likes this wine: 92 Points
pnp'd.. meh... but open an hour, and this was a really great wine; last glass on 3rd day equally delicious.. next time i'll decant for an hour prior to meal
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3/23/2015 - Marcosolow wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruit flavors dominate.
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11/2/2014 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine continues to show well and as expected – slightly better than the last bottle in February 2014. Beautiful, well integrated blackfruit flavors. Shows great balance and smoothness through the middle into the finish. Good structure and length on the finish. Drinking at or close to peak, but no rush to drink up as it should last several more years. Excellent value for the money and glad I have one more.
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10/10/2014 - toddmk Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very solid wine. Mouth filling fruit and a long finish. Improved since last time I tried 1.5 years ago.
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9/16/2014 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Almost a year to the day since the last bottle. Same report. Remains healthy with smooth dark fruit. Enjoyed.
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5/15/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
Remarkable consistency between bouquet and palate. An appealing and memorable pattern. 91-92
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2/14/2014 - Zumboto wrote: 91 Points
Agree with last 2 comments and although my price point was higher, I wish I bought more.
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2/2/2014 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blackfruit and mineral qualities on the nose. Very smooth and medium to full bodied. Much better integrated than when I first tried it in March 2013. Lots of bright, black cherry flavors. Outstanding transition from fruit to finish. Adds in a mineral quality, some toast and chocolate notes on the finish. Tannins are very soft to almost fully integrated. This isn’t a tremendously complex wine in terms of its fruit profile, but where this wine shines is the mid-palette and the transition from fruit to finish. The richness and density are quite good and the seamless transition brings it all together. No rough edges here. While this may improve slightly, it’s drinking very well now and should continue on this level for a few more years. Great QPR.
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9/28/2013 - VinoPKM wrote: 90 Points
Similar notes- for $20 I wish I had bought more.
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9/18/2013 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very smooth. Little Tannins which was unexpected but dark fruit on the nose and in the mouth with a subtle finish.
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8/22/2013 - Astjerne Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dusty and earthy right after opening and pouring. Settles nicely in the glass. Smooth, leathery dark red.
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8/19/2013 - tantotinto wrote: 87 Points
Cherry, lean and dusty. A slight sour note on the finish. Underwhelming.
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8/10/2013 - McMalbec wrote: 89 Points
Shared with guests from Spain to complement grilled hamburgers and bratwurst. They claimed 2005 was a good vintage and we had no reason to doubt them. A nice, balanced Rioja.
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6/24/2013 - patsox wrote: 89 Points
Very nice, full flavored Rioja.
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5/17/2013 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 88 Points
The color is deeply hued garnet and translucent. The smells are plum, cedar, leather, and anise. The tastes are olive, plum, tobacco, coffee, red licorice, vanilla, and cedar notes. The tannins are formidable and the body is light. The finish is dry and a bit short.
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4/11/2013 - mutantwine Likes this wine: 88 Points
First very fruit driven, with a lot of cherry, later more Rioja style. Not the most complex wine, but very well balanced and enjoyable.
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3/25/2013 - Fateful Destiny wrote: 88 Points
Very fruit forward and lacking the character of a Reserva Rioja in my opinion. Medicore.
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3/1/2013 - VintageSully Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep garnet in color and a terrific nose of smokey olives and black cherries. On the palate, this is medium bodied with flavors of cranberry, raspberry tart, crushed rock and spice. The tannins are grippy and somewhat astringent that will need some time to smooth out and the finish is nice and long. A very nice Rioja and a superb QPR at under $20/bottle.
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1/2/2013 - Kentw Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very nice, similar to last bottle. Nice balance of mixed dark and red fruits, soft tannins and acidity. 89+
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12/26/2012 - smorris291 wrote: 90 Points
Really liked this. Medium ruby. Bright red fruits with a hint of spice.
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12/21/2012 - corkscrews wrote: 88 Points
A nose of cherry and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium bodied red, with black cherry, blackberry, smoke with spicy finish, good not great.
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12/10/2012 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 89 Points
The color is dense but see though and is dark garnet in color. The smells are dark cherries, vanilla, smoke, and olive. The tastes are tart sour cherry, camphor, currants, minerals, tobacco, and pine. The body is tight and the tannins are mouth coating and dry and almost coarse. This is a complex, but tough wine with old world character that has a somewhat lengthy finish.
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12/10/2012 - Fateful Destiny wrote: 88 Points
Wasnt blown away. Have had better
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11/29/2012 - TBA wrote: 88 Points
A nice rioja wine but not exciting. Better with food than sipper. Did not seem to improve with air.
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11/28/2012 - Sniffy-Sniff wrote: 87 Points
This was all about sour cherry and never evolved to anything more - even after two hours. Very one dimensional. At $19 this is a "pass".
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11/5/2012 - Kentw wrote: 89 Points
Very nice wine. Decant for an hour though and let it open up some and it also becomes more balanced. Nice fruit and mouth feel and smooth finish. Great with food. Slightly better(more balanced) than the Vina Olabarri which is similar in style. 89+
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9/26/2012 - VinoPKM wrote: 89 Points
A solid very tasty Rioja- no wowing factors, but was good and worth $20. A food friendly Rioja with a little age.
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9/16/2012 - NJ BIG CHRIS wrote: 90 Points
Cherries, chocolate, licorice, tobacco, vanilla, great acidity. More modern style Rioja. Good stuff.
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6/17/2012 - pkatz wrote: 88 Points
Good but a little more austere than I would have liked. Maybe some more age would help.
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6/15/2012 - stvjackson wrote: 91 Points
In lovely condition at seven years in, needing only a little bit of air to come to life. Wet earth and dried currant in the nose. Plum and date fruit up front, with vanilla lingering in the moderately tannic finish. Excellent structure, and with enough age to bring everything together smoothly. Very enjoyable.
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5/20/2012 - angryphoton wrote: 82 Points
Not very well balanced, things were a bit all over the place and disjointed. Did not like the overall taste of the palate but nose was OK.
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5/3/2012 - saxual wrote: 91 Points
Quite ready to drink now; but probably will last for another 5+ years, this was a great example of a Rioja- I had not had a decent one in years. Hints of vanilla and medium finish with moderate tannin structure for an '05.
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3/28/2012 - scheune wrote: 91 Points
nach 1 Stunde im Decanter ( unbedingt erforderlich) kommen die Vorzuege des Weins zur Geltung : ein nicht zu holzlastiger Rioja mit Kirschen , dunklen Fruechten mit der typischen Vanillenote . Langer Abgang. Fuer den Preis ein Best Buy !
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