Consumed at wine dinner with friends, note from memory. Appearance: Clear, medium garnet with edge bricking. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with developed aromas of dark fruit - blackberry and black cherry, leather, tobacco, and spice. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium tannin is soft and resolved, medium+ body, medium+ intensity, 14.0% abv with developed flavors dried black cherry, tobacco, and spice with a medium+ finish. This was likely at peak, drinking wonderfully - can drink now or over next 2-3 years.
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Frey's Cat Ranch (Somewhere in the Northern Burbs, MN): Very dark red color. Slow O for a couple of hours. Drank a glass over an hour plus. This still feels rather youthful, full bodied, cassis, lacquer, oaky, moderte tannins, not a lot of finesse.
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Seems to be a modernist/traditionalist hybrid Rioja. The oak has integrated and is a fantastic counterpoint to the funkiness that has crept in with time. This is the product of masterful winemaking and one of the best Spanish reds I’ve tasted in a while.
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Decanted 2 Hrs. Starts off a bit Bordeaux-ish aromatically; cedar, dark cassis, earth some mature French oak aromas. More classically Rioja once the drinking gets going with the telltale of dark berries, pronounced acidity, a bit of shoe polish / leather and the aforementioned of well-integrated French Oak. In a great spot and likely to easily hold another decade if not longer.
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Been a few years since last bottle. Steaks and roasted potatoes at home with Val and Charlotte. Decanted for 30 minutes.
from prior notes (2020):" Deep ruby color. Nose showing dark red fruits, cedar, violets, smoke. Palate of dark raspberry, cherry, plum, leather, floral pastille. Classically styled Rioja, oak (American) is present. Medium/full body, long finish."
Still great, perfect pairing with grilled steaks. Picked up balsamic notes, leather and aged oak on this tasting. Should go for a while - but worth opening now...
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2/3, vg cork. Decanted then served. Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, smoke, vanilla oak. Youthful. Medium/full bodied, blackcurrant, vanilla, some red fruit, spice, soft tannins, vibrant acids, very good length finish. Still very youthful/oaky, needs time to integrate. Next bottle 5 + years.
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Dark fruit, Mediterranean spice, peat moss and dried mushrooms. This wine has the “X” factor that I seek. Great depth and texture. After a needed two hour decant, this wine expressed it self beautifully. There are ten years of great drinking in this wines future. Great juice.
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Deep garnet. The nose shows lovely depth and concentration with wafts of lovey, fresh fruit - black cherry, black plum together with fine spices, dried violet, sage, and prune. Elegant and powerful on the palate which brings licorice and black chocolate. Still structured for its age, it should continue to mature beautifully.
WSET notes:
Deep garnet.
Pronounced on the nose with black cherry, black plum, dried violet, sage, cinnamon, smoke, cloves, prune, earth, dark chocolate, mushroom and forest floor. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate. Medium plus body, high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging.
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Red fruits, balsamic, cedar aromas. A little unyielding at first and then after 30 min this blossomed with much richer fruit aromas and a plethora of baking spices. Moderately long finish.
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It starts with complex balsamic notes, eucaliptus, liquorice, peppermint leaving space to a mix of sage, corainder blended together with evolved dark small fruits with black cherry and blackberries. During the evening it evolved in more earthy notes dancing with leather and liqorice tree.
In the mouth it has a strong impact even though wrapped in velvet. acidity well present and a drying and cleaning finish thanks to elegant tannins that for sure will stay there for many years.
Medium long finish.
Last bottle wish I had more even though I would drink almost all them now simply because I like it so much right now even though it will evolve form many years gaining more of those tertiary notes we love so much in old Rioja.
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80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Vinification. The grapes used for making Prado Enea, along with those for Torre Muga, are always the last ones to be brought into the winery. This late picking ensures ideal ripening. The grapes are th Parker: The 2005 Prado Enea Gran Reserva spends 36-months in oak, nine months in new oak after which it is racked into American oak that is _semi-new_ (i.e. a new barrel that is _broken in_ with a wine beforehand).
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Muga delivers, love the Prado Enea: plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, fig, dried cherry, soft earthy note, tobacco, medium plus body, love the long aftertaste. Ed and family over for diner.
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Still deep ruby. Pine resin aromas from start to finish. Lean blackberry fruit and a lot of soil. The wood which was so prominent 2 years ago has loosened its grip, but I still had a hard time warming to this wine.
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Notes from PNP. Dark red color. On nose, black cherry, tobacco, sweet cherry and dill. On palate, medium+ body, integrated tannins, medium+ acidity (especially noticeable on the very long finish). Enjoyed this - didn't write down a formal rating. Will do so if I can tonight as I left a glass in the bottle.
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:30 decant at Hermanos Concentrated, ripe berries with a nice touch of secondary. It’s still maintains acidity and tannin to balance with a long finish
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80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo
Excellent developed for past nine years. Medium to full body, beautiful, deep ruby color. Impressive red and blue fruits aroma complemented by pepper and spices box. Still fresh palate, in spite so solid age, of blackberry, blueberry, currants and sweet spices background following by lingering finish of juicy acidity and polished, completely resolved tannins. Rich, concentrated and complex but very elegant, perfectly balanced and harmonious wine. Food friendly, well pairing to grilled poultry. Open one hour ahead. Serve 18ºC - 20ºC. Drink now to end of the decade, perhaps longer.
Pnp tableside at restaurant. Min sediment. Red/orange with noteable bricking. Dark red fruit n earth on nose. Rustic palate of dark fruit, earth and spice. Good food wine. Wonder what more time would do for this?
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So great to come back to this epic gran reserva. This vintage was made from composition of 80% Tempranillo, 7% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 6% Graciano. Deep garnet red colour. Quite shy subtle aroma of plums, smoke, earth, dried cranberries and plums. Medium body, rewarding and harmonious palate, so smooth, silky and elegant with velvety tannins, well integrated acidity, complex flavour profile of dried black fruits, spices, chocolate hints and long smoky finish.
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Creamy rich vanilla flavours from American oak. Rounded warm and caressing. Just begin to enter into its prime. On the more modern, darker side for a Rioja. Good quality
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In a beautiful place today. Earthy and complex but with plenty of freshness and verve. Black olives, wild mushrooms and herbs. Superfine tannins, a structured full body and a long finish. Delicious!
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Again a stellar performance alter three Hours in the decanter. Cork perfect. Seductive in the nose. Solid on the palate. No signs of age at all. A great candidate for my personal top five. Too late to order more but look forward to the 2010 vintage to carry the tradition.
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WOTN on International Tempranillo Day extravaganza with 2009s CVNE Imperial, Remirez de Ganuza and Ygay as well as 2001 Tondonia (2nd place). Taberna Jamon Jamon in Bangkok rocked the house.
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour, improved until final drop 2 hours later. Serious dark colour. Gorgeous, brooding, rich, dark berry fruit, oak and vanilla scent; mercurial layered palate, layer upon layer of huge, muscular, dreamy ripe—but tingling with acidity—damson fruit, creamy-textured glycerine (not as unctuous as a comparably fine Ribera del Duero, but luxuriant for a Rioja Alta) and sea salt(!); long, resonant finish. Superb now, and surely for at least a decade to come. Tonight, this seems an ideal compromise between the brash tannic excesses of over-extracted new wave Rioja and the sometimes mousy-mouldy-fungal over-American-oaked traditional style of Lopez de Heredia. 93P
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1st time trying since purchased on release 8 years ago. needs some air to wake up and reveal itself. magenta red color. American oak showing but not invasive. showing some secondary notes of tobacco, and loam.
A totally intellectual wine, but with the ability to wrap around the soul of every wine enthusiast. Dark fruit is accented by tilled soil, Mediterranean spice and damp earth. There is magic in the aroma. Wonderful depth and texture. This wine may still have some up, but its “X” factor is on full display today. Great juice.
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Given 5 hours of air in the bottle. Dark, deep center. At first, quite strong pine needle scent, but with more air, ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit. Medium to full bodied, quite dense-this surely does not have the airy feel of Rioja from days gone by. Ground coffee note from the oak base, excellent, lively sweet blackberry and boysenberry fruit, roundly tannic finish. Many years to go. Being accustomed to a more classic rendition of this cuvée, it is shocking to see how much Prado Enea had shifted to a more extracted, overtly oaky, fruit driven style by 2005. What is there is very, very good though, so your opinion will be shaped by what you expect going in. Personally, I still vote for the leaner, drier wines of yesteryear.
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This wine has evolved nicely since my last tasting in 2017. Dark red fruit is holding hands with earthy notes, tobacco and Mediterranean spice. Layers upon layers of complexity. There is so much going on in the glass aromatically and on the palate. This wine is just entering a good drinking window after a three hour decant and promises to provide pleasure over the next ten years at least. Great juice.
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Fabulous wine! Parker (Gutiérrez) says its drink window is until 2030. I disagree. Based on my bottle, I think it is on the tail end of its prime. I recommend drinking it now instead of waiting.
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Deep garnet to mahogany rim. Gentle bouquet of ripe red fruits, graphite, and ripe banana skins with secondary aromas from the oak of coconut, balsa wood, milk chocolate and a lick of vanilla. As the wine opens, there is some crushed flowers, boysenberry or perhaps tayberry. Very complex and draws you back in - fantastic aroma! A polished entry with plenty of mocha, cocoa powder, and chocolate drops alongside ripe banana, raspberry and dried cherry that are wonderfully balanced by a vibrant acidity. There is a silky sheen to the texture that gives you a feel of liquid chocolate. Fuller than expected, with some firmness and minerality rising towards the super long finish. Fabulous drive and concentration of flavours done elegantly. A cracking example of complex, mature Rioja.
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Deep burgundy colour with cherry rim. Lots of red fruit here with an underlying vanilla. Medium length finish but very good. First of 3 bottles. Very enjoyable. Evolution will bring more results.
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Decanted for 4 hours. Primary deep ruby to the rim. Resiny pine and fennel aromas. Medium weight, unusual volume of fruit atop a woody, mineral base. Tart cherry, blackberry, and herb. Lush but not at all overripe, reined in by its excellent acidity. Very strong material but hardly ethereal, subtle Rioja of days of yore. This may well still improve, but I don't sense that it is heading toward greatness.
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Red fruits with some earthiness. Got more plum and prune after a couple of hours. Integrated tannin which turned a little firm on the finish. An easy-going wine overall. Went well with lamb chops tonight. Not a big fan of this wine but this bottle was drinking better than the others I had.
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Deep ruby color. Nose showing dark red fruits, cedar, violets, smoke. Palate of dark raspberry, cherry, plum, leather, floral pastille. Classically styled Rioja, oak (American) is present. Medium/full body, long finish.
Interesting comparison with the Muga - if doing again I would serve this one first to show the "old" Rioja style. True to form, this wine is evolving slowly, drinking well now but with a considerable window still ahead of it. I paid ~$45 for this at release, incredible QPR
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Nose: Rich fruit, tobacco, chocolate, spices. Color: Opaque garnet, hints of brown. Medium acid, medium body, tannin's still firm but not too overpowering. - Fruit forward with a hint of smoke and spice. Chocolate, oak/wood finish. Still has some life in it, good to age another couple years.
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Fragrant and smokey. Nice acidity. This is showing nice notes of secondary development. Barnyard, chocolate, black tea leaves and spices. Very smooth fine tannins. Medium finish.
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Intens red cherry on the nose, minerals, smoke and tobacco. Concentrated ripe red berries, still fresh and vibrant, fine grained dusty tannins. Excellent now, but not at the end of its life either.
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So I have been using a coravin to drink a glass every night while cooking but last night while cleaning up decided to pop the cork and finish the last glass. Very dark red in color, dark fruit on the nose, cedar, oak, plum and dark berries on the palate, a hint of tobacco on the finish. This was a major improvement over the bottle I had in January.
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1/3, excellent cork, decanted 1/2 hr. Bottle # 46393. Deep ruby core, very narrow pale ruby rim. Nose shows dark fruit, touch of chocolate, leather, spice. Rich, a touch spirity. Medium/full bodied, touch hot and porty - something not right here. NR
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Wow this is absolutely beautiful in the moment. Still lots of fresh red berries and a lot of other red fruits left here. Some soft chocolate notes too. Very elegant and round body with nicely integrated tannins. Amazing price quality ratio!
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no change to rating since last bottle - v solid, enjoyable rioja - earth forward, little in way of tertiary notes so far - this has lots of road ahead of it...
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Deep purple color. Still fairly primary and tannic. Dark fruit and a bit of earth and tobacco. Almost a little closed down. Needs more time. 5+ years?? Has another 10 years after that. Decant for aeration and sediment.
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It has been over 6 years since i last tried a bottle. I bought a half case in 2013 and drank three bottles that year rating them at the 90 mark. I reviewd my notes from them after tasting this bottle and it sounded like a different wine. This wine had a nose of dark fruit which was nice. The palate on the other hand was like drinking roasted root vegetables and was not pleasant. The finish was moderate in length but reminded me of roasted parsnips. It just wasnt a pleasant drinking experrience. It wasn't bad just not pleasant. For my wife and I along with our Wednesday night dinner partners to leave a third of the bottle on the table really sums it up. I have two bottles left and I will keep them downstairs for a while.
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Initial nose was funky but it didn’t last long. Deep purple color. Once the wine got some air the nose was full with leather, cedarbox, hints of floral violets and forest floor. The flavors included blackberry, blueberries, black fruits with just a tad prune and sweet vanilla. Fully integrated tannins. Beautiful wine.
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Bo & Sarah over for lunch: cedar, black currant, graphite, blackberries, plum, espresso, medium to full body, long strong finish, in a great spot, yet years of life ahead.
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My 2nd of 3 bottles, first consumed in March of 2013, pop and pour - consumed over 2 hours. Nose: Medium-plus expressiveness, rust, bright red fruit - cherry - with dark fruit undertones, leather and tobacco notes - very Barolo like on the nose. Palate: Medium-full bodied, ripe red and dark fruit attack, spice driven mid-palate lift, soft (not Barolo like) but gritty tannins with earthy notes in the back-end. Finish: Medium-plus length dominated by ripe dark red fruit and earthiness. This has evolved wonderfully in the 6 years since I last tasted with the palate rounding out very nicely. Drink now or within the next 2-3 years.
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Great Rioja, cedar, dried red fruit, espresso, oak is present yet not too dominant, leather, tannins have resolved, medium to full body, years of live ahead, black currant, excellent long finish.
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A nice Rioja with depth, fine tannins and ample acidity -- a good food wine. Very dry and a touch edgy on the finish. Maybe never had time to fully open up as served at a party and was gone quickly.
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Served blind at our tasting group, this was the highlight of the evening for me. The host opened, but did not decant, about three hours before serving. Coming off a prior wine in the lineup that had shown quite rich and jammy, this was a model of restraint. Modest red fruit, spice, firm tannins and freshening acidity put this squarely in the “classic” camp. The balance of fruit and tannin was tilted a bit towards structure, but overall it drank quite well. Certainly some cellar time could soften up the tannins a bit. Check in periodically to make sure the structure does not outlast the fruit.
This keeps getting better. I must have opened the previous two bottles too early. Tasted several samples from Coravin with consistent results. Not decanted in a decanter, but rather allowed to breath in the glass for an hour (after filtering sediment with a coffee filter, which does increase aeration compared to just pouring straight to the glass - in this case - this is an advantage). It has everything I'm looking for in a Rioja Gran Reserva. I can add this to a growing list of delicious 2005s that feel quite polished, balanced and easy going (given enough bottle age and aeration). I was tempted to score it higher but although everything is in place, it feels just a little too polished and/or perhaps a little more predictable (or perhaps uniform) than other vintages. Having said this, we have quite a few bottles of this favourite and perhaps we just need to diversify.
Weekly tasting group RWP #330; Spain; Priorat, Rioja or Ribeira del Duero (@ JdB): In the bouquet sweet spices like cinnamon and vanilla, herbs and dark berries as well. On the palate chocolate, red and dark berries, a firm amount of good and fresh acidity, vanilla forest floor and tannin which shows some pleasant evolution. Beautiful wine in its (young) maturity stage now.
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Nez ouvert et complexe de prune broyé, de cuir, boîte à cigare, de note viandé et d'anis... et de cassonade par la suite ! Tannins encore présents : corsé, charpenté, gras...superbe texture. Longue finale épicée/poivrée... magnifique ! Could hold the next bottle for 2-3 years but don't think I will be able to wait!! 95+
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Beautiful Rioja with perfectly matured aroma, complex bouquet of cherries, leather, coconut and a little menthol. On the palate in perfect weight distribution, great length and aciditiy structure. Some Mugas are heavy and not my style. This is a little more elegant in spite of Power, deep and more traditional. Great Rioja.
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In the two years since last tasted, this wine hasn't really aged. The color in the glass was dark, almost purple. Fruit aromas were immediately apparent on opening. After an hour and a half in the decanter, it was silky smooth and mellow with gorgeous dark fruits to match the nose. The body was full and, as when tasted before, lightly acidic with silky tannins and a long black cherry finish. This remains outstanding Rioja that's now in its prime. In fact, there is nothing else that I could want in a Rioja. My expectation is that this Gran Reserva will remain outstandingly good over another 8-10 years.
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Still youthful but the tannins are rounding out nicely. Drinkable now and very tasty, but I'd hold it another 5-10 years to get the most out of it. Of course, I like old Riojas, so take that advice cautiously. Firm in the mid palate and long in the finish. Good character; excellent example of what a Rioja can be.
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These wines are still so young, they need hours of decanting. First day, it’s pretty but comes off as lightweight. A day later and all the depth comes out, rich black fruits, tobacco, and leather, and burly tannins. This could last another 20 years.
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Très bon. J'aurais pu lui laisser encore du temps pour qu'il soit exactement là où je le veux. Le nez est complexe: fruits noirs, cuir, tabac blond, épices, bois brûlé et un petit peu de fauve. En bouche, les arômes se poursuivent. Encore une belle acidité et des tanins présents. Belle longueur. Bref, très agréable. Ce vin peut encore se bonifier. L'acidité et les tanins peuvent s'assouplir et le bois peut continuer à s'amoindrir. J'aurais une autre bouteille, j'aurais attendu 3 ans.
2 heures de carafe avant de se l'envoyer derrière la cravate.
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delicious but did not budge on night one or night 2 so another bottle needing a long decant or more sleep time will be a reward if you can keep your hands off this for awhile
looked back at a note from 2017 where there was some age on the nose, so there is some bottle variation
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Stunning!!! absolument délicieux. au nez, en bouche, long, complexe, fruits rouges, belle balance. Tres bon en ce moment. va assurément évoluer pour le mieux dans les prochaines années
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Excellent gran reserva rioja. A notable improvement relative to my last tasting few years ago. Full of energy and much vigor and terrific acidity. Was highly promising upon opening and got only better over several hours of decanting. Earthy notes with plenty of dark fruit on the palate. Delightful nose. Too bad this was my last bottle from the 2005 vintage; will have to pace myself with my 2006 batch.
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Nose started a little funky with some greek yogurty nose but that blew off after a few minutes in the glass to a beautiful earthy, leather, cherry notes, with the palate echoing the nose. Plenty of dusty tannin remain, this is not a bottle that you need to be in a hurry to open, but its in a wonderful place right now.
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Continues to perform at a high level, dark cassis fruits with more elevated acidity than say a left bank Bordeaux, complexity in spades, a little of the classic gloss one gets from the Prado Enea, and I’m happy.
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Wow....what a bouquet!....leaps from the bottle and more so in the glass.. nose has a pronounced leather spice tobacco floral note... Color was just beginning to show the slightest of bricking, mostly Vibrant dusty red still.... on the palate it’s delicious, with the fruit nicely integrated with the aroma components noted above... Really enjoyed this wine... I think this is in its prime window now..
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Super smooth. Tannins have rounded out, just a little on the back end after some oak mid palate. Acidic. Solidly old world that leans more towards graphite, dust and tobacco flavors than fruit.
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Similar to my notes of 6/8/2017 "Dark garnet; opaque. Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, hints of chocolate, spice. Tannin is soft and integrated into the wine. Nice structure and acid. Rich and intense fruit. A longish finish.
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A prima donna, even after thirteen years. Less than an hour of air is punished by acidity that keeps joy in check. But then... the spirits Muga’s wine wizards put in the bottle of the bottle escape to produce a wine that effortlessly combines endless fragrances with deep flavors. Gorgeous at this point in its life. Will it get much better? Not sure. Yet the 2013 Terra de Zambujeiro opened after two Prado‘s, by itself with a respectable 93 Parker endorsement, paled in comparison. Got hold of six 2010 Prado Enea‘s in the meanwhile and look forward to future highlights as tonight.
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Brought and drank at Entente in Chicago. Decanter for 60 minutes. Dark purple, little signs of aging. Classic Rioja with a slightly modern flavor profile. Dark fruit, little oak influence, no citrus/ orange peel yet. Still a baby with years of life left but delicious now.
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Tasted at Pergola wine bar. Aromas of cherry, liquorice, vanilla and foxy oak. Sweet, juicy and tart in the mouth. Not very complex at the moment. Probably needs some years to put itself together.
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Coravin sample: begins to open up after 30-45 min in the glass. Great after 2 - 3.5 hours in the glass. I'd give it a 1 hour decant and follow its development the rest of the evening. Classic flavour profile. Like other 2005s I find this relatively more approachable than other vintages at this stage (in particular the 2004). Just ready but ideally keep at least another 2 years (if you can't wait another 8-10).
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We had this with our dinner this evening at the Holly Hill Inn, and it was delightful, showing fragrant black cherry, and a firm, but deft and light-footed, Spanish rectitude.....a dancer. It is a fine old-school Rioja. Highly recommended.
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This is such great Rioja. One of those wines that they only make in good enough vintages...you have to appreciate that. The nose shows vanilla bean, cherry licorice, leather, and spice. medium to full bodied with well integrated oak, dark fruits,and rhubarb pie Chewy but silky tannins and a long finish. Feels young for a 12 year old.
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Très belle Rioja, disque un peu orangé trahissant son âge. Belle texture soyeuse avec des arômes profonds de fruits. Absolument delicieux. A encore bénéficier de la carafe.
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Tobacco, black cherry and minerality dance together nicely here. Decanted for an hour. Great texture and amazing concentration. Layers of complexity. The wine started to show its personality by the third glass. I would give this wine another 5 years to evolve. Magical juice.
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Dark garnet; opaque. Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, hints of chocolate, spice. Tannin is soft and integrated into the wine. Nice structure and acid. Rich and intense fruit. A longish finish. Paired well with roasted chicken. Score 92+.
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Double decanted about 5 hours before serving at dinner with work colleagues and friends. Served with grilled steak and 3 other wines, including 2004 Haut Bailly, 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou, and 2002 Lafite. The Muga Prado Enea, while still young, certainly held its own among this flight of excellent Bordeaux. Nice nose of plums, blackberries and oak with moderate, soft tannins in the initial flavors and mid-range and very good length. This wine is approaching its drinkable period but will improve for several years and hold for 10-15 years. I think the 2005 Prado Enea is more advanced for current drinking than the 2006, but both are excellent wines and hold their own with Excellent Bordeaux.
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This was great and a terrific example of why I should drink more Rioja than I do - dark pruney/figgy fruit, cedar, fur, spices. Beautifully balanced with a long finish. I'd love to see this again in 10 years.
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The wine was dark ruby in colour, leaning towards garnet, and threw some fine sediment. It offered red fruit, cherry, chocolate, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, anise, clove and some tobacco as well as some smoke on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, clove, some anise and some tobacco as well as wood smoke and balsamic notes, complemented by underlying mineral notes, with good, lively acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin and incredible length. The alcohol was noticeable, but the medium- to full-bodied wine was well balanced, with good structure and concentration and very good complexity. The vibrant wine was still young, but it seemed to be starting to lose its baby fat. It benefited from a two-hour decant and showed great potential for future development. You may pop the cork now, but I would recommend holding off for at least another three years.
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Smokey and straight ahead. It is a very good wine, but I had hoped for more for a wine from this vintage and at this price point. Fruit was a bit hidden by the heavy hand of oak. Balance front to back was excellent, but not a lot of nuance or twists and turns.
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Still youthful. Full bodied, ripe dark fruit with layers of mineral and spice adding to its complexity. Bold flavors, but with nice balance. Should continue to drink well for many more years.
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Double decanted several hours before serving and notes are from the second night of tasting. Initial nose and flavors of plums, touch of wood, cassis, spices, and touch of caramel. Soft round tannins in the mid-range and long finish. This is an excellent Rioja that takes to time to open up and requires decanting and breathing but has excellent balance, good acidity, and considerable complexity. Wish I had more than I do.
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Bad weekend (see previous wine, plus a skunked raspberry ale). From a fund-raiser bottle not from my cellar. "Interesting" cinnamon nose. Otherwise, a straightforward, Rioja nose and fruit that rapidly deteriorated. Tannins all gone, lost in lots of sediment.
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Classic Rioja. Dark fruit, earth, and tobacco. Still dark purple in color. Great tanninc structure with a pronounced acidity. Has 10+ year ahead of it. Decant for sediment.
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From memory. No decant. This was our third (Rioja) red wine of our lunch meal. We all thought this took us much more in the direction of Bdx, perhaps because of the more subtle and firmer style, less sweetness in the fruit and the clear hints of pencil shavings on the nose. It is absolutely drinkable now, but our guess is that it would benefit greatly from further cellaring. Would be fun to retaste this in say 5 and 10 years time, though it would probably improve beyond that. 92 - 94+p.
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Dark core with violet/magenta rim. Terrific nose with: blackberry, plum, anise, dark chocolate, oak, and clove. Same notes on the palate with some cola as well, supported by ample fine-grained tannins, mouth-watering acidity, and appropriate alcohol. Very long tart blackberry finish. 95-96.
I agree with RP with respect to the score, but have to say it seems he was mistaken about the drinking window (2013-2030). This bottle, and the previous two were still absolute babies. Purple and primary. I expect, properly cellared, it is five years away from being red and perhaps 12-15 yrs from being red/orange (which is when I want to drink my remaining two).
As young as it was, this bottle was mesmerizing. I can only imagine what it would have been in another 10-15yrs..........
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I can't believe people call this new world...Its Old school Rioja in the beginning of tis maturity stages, so its still on the younger side. There is very little fruit here, its all about complexity and depth. Its right in the drinking window and gains weight and complexity in the glass as it unfolds. Tamarind, cedar, sweet and sour, with lots of orange peel and graphite. No oak abuse, which make it nice for me...
This is a great wine, in the lines of Vina Ardasnza's 2005 vintage. The difference is the price. The Ardanza is 30 bucks and this is almost double. Good wine, not great QPR. Drink or hold
Previous bottle had bright fruit, but this was noticeably more dull and I just couldn't coax much out of it. Drying and chunky right through to the finish. Also stylistically pretty extracted for a Gran Reserva Rioja.
I'm not going into the the discussion of what it should be....new world/old world...this was fantastic. Vivid raspberry, cherry and leather on the nose with a gorgeous toast...really nicely integrated oak. Perfectly ripe tannin coupled with med-plus acidity just kept it going. It got better in the three hours open but I wouldn't say by much. Just lovely, nose matched the palate. This went perfectly with Icelandic lamb and candied sweet potato. i'll contradict my opening statement and say it leans in the 'new world' direction but it was just delicious. I would imagine another great 10 plus years. For the price this has always been a fantastic deal, a true Gran Reserva and I'm extremely excited for the 2010. 94+
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Very good wine, and on the "reserva rioja" style scale lies somewhere between the 05 Cune and the 05 904. That said it is still too dark fruited to carry that exciting juiciness that can make Rioja so thrilling. The best parts are on the nose which contains a lot of brighter floral elements which help to bring it back to earth.
The Muga Gran Reserva was fully consistent with when last tasted (8/19/2015) but perhaps slightly more rounded and mellow just 7 months on. I said last time I wasn't going to try another bottle for a year or two. But I just couldn't stop myself! There were generous aromas of dark fruits. And on the palate it is full-bodied and lightly acidic with smoothed tannins and a long satisfying finish of black cherry. This is outstanding Rioja at unbeatable value. It's enjoyable now but should hold well for 10+ years (if I can follow my own advice).
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Visited the winery in 2013 when this was just being released. Love muga. This was a great wine, low alcohol, no heat, Asian spice, mocha, dill, sweet cherry, and some lingering tannins. This was not as good as the 2004, but then this needs five years. I wouldn't age it forever, because the upfront fruit is so nice. For the price, you get a fine wine to treasure.
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Decanted. Still has some tannins in back end but stands up great with a hearty meal. Continued to evolve over 90 minutes. Should be interesting for years to come. QPR can't be beat.
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Dark red and clear with no sediment. Open and generous with blackberry, anise, vanilla, plum and menthol. Firm, but not too hard or rough. Outstanding in its youth, but probably a decade away from maturity.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind $40+: Very dark core with garnet rim; nutty, VA, black tea, olive, mineral, grainy, fresh berry, dark fruit, dense, cedary, brown sugar; good structure, a certain fleshiness, cedary tannin, juicy dark fruit, grippy grainy tannin, plum; needs more time, very different than previous bottles, lets hope the tannins settle.
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Dark ruby color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose is quite attractive - deep in aroma, sappy and amplified by a high octane level. Flavors of dark cherry, currants, cola, violets, incense, toasted cedar, dark chocolate, scorched earth and espresso are well-integrated in a full-bodied, polished, velvety palate that finishes long with gripping but refined tannin. What a difference time had made: in the bottle as well as providing some aeration; and what a blunder for me to have scored it 3 points lower just a few months ago! Drink now with a 1-hr decant until 2025.
Still pretty young.. tasted along side some more traditional producers, with more age on them and this came across as decidedly more modern and with more primary fruit showing. Still really nice by may benefit from more time in the bottle
Drunk in Restaurante Gorria in Barcelona with its natural partner - lamb from Navarra - this is absolutely what I think Rioja should be. Well rounded but with that edge of spice and just a hint of sweet vanilla from the oak. A good long finish with only the subtlest of tannins. A truly lovely wine
Très bon vin, beaucoup de matière. Arômes de chênes et de fruits, un peu de vanille et d'épice. Bouche très tanniques avec du chêne assez marqué. C'est très dense et d'une belle longueur. Un peu trop intense même? Sûrement qu'il sera meilleur avec encore un peu de temps? Déjà à son 10ème anniversaire, à regouter dans 5 ans? À boire entre 2015-2024 selon CT.. Donc prochaine bouteille autour de 2020. RQP ***1/2
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Wine is drinking great here. We decayed and consumed over two and a half hours. Flavor profile didn't change appreciably after the first thirty minutes. We took to our favorite Basque restaurant in Atlanta and the wine was humming with dishes like Duck ricollette on toast with cherry compote and blue cheese, roasted duck, piqueno peppers stuffed with braised boar. You get the idea. This is a better food wine than just sipping wine, and we found hues of cherries and lighter fruit among great tannic backbone and some wet earth (not stone per se, more like clay). Wonderful wine drinking well here with a little air.
I like the 2004 of this more, but this is still a very fine wine. Red fruits, some spice, sweet Oak, nice acidity. Finish is a tad shorter and the depth a little less than the 2004, but this wine could last longer than the 2004.
Comparative tasting with 2004 Muga Rioja Reserva and 2004 Muga "Torre Muga". Me and most tasters preferred the 2005 Prado Enea over the other 2 Mugas. Very pleasant, aromatic, dark fruit nose, repeating on the palate. Nice earth and mineral notes with balanced acidity and a nice touch of oak on the finish. Has the structure to improve further in the cellar and drink well for many more years. Try again 2016.
Dark chocolate, tobacco and nicely floral. Absolutely wonderful and reminds me why I love Rioja. One of my favorite bottles of wine that I've opened in the last 6 months.
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Deep ruby. Medium intensity, developing nose of dark cherry, ripe raspberry, coconut, banana, cola, (cherry coke!). Rich, concentrated palate mirrors nose. Medium+ acidity and tannin, long finish. Really loved this wine.
Dark ruby. A whiff of pine but very strong black cherry liqueur scents. Fuller bodied and more dense than I am used to with this cuvée. Delicious interplay between vanillin and the very deep fruit. Clear woody base but not overbearing. Lush and long with ripe tannins. A modern rendition of Prado Enea but completely winning due to its balance and stuffing. This should last and improve for several decades.
Intense aroma of a gentleman’s study, paneled in oak, full of leather volumes and soaked with decades of fine cigar smoke. On the palate, the exquisite tension between old oak and bright cherry fruit is absolutely delightful. One of the great examples in the world of how to properly integrate oak. Despite the musty oak paneled room flavors, this is positively exploding with freshness and acidity. Mouthwatering and fascinating. Finish is looong, with significant acidity and tannins. This was just as good freshly opened as it was after 3 hours of air. Elegant, even burgundian. A bona fide classic. Fantastic paired with chicken yucca pie, Puerto Rican style.
Darker color than many Gran Reservas though the nose brings you back with the strong oak influence, coconut, vanilla, cream and dark red cherry, a pureness to it, youthful and sappy right now this has nice texture and richness to improve over the next 10 years in a cool cellar in hope that the oak takes less of a leading role over that time and the fruit and secondary notes really shine.
Decanted 4 hrs. First of four bottles and what an impressive specimen we have here. Initially a bit monolithic on the nose, but a couple of hours of air really fanned out the aromatic qualities. Dark blackberry, shades of cedar, rich oak spice, but also a terrific nose of violets and grilled meats. The palate echoed the nose to a degree and while on paper one might conclude this was a new world inspired Rioja, quite the contrary, somehow it delivered in a steam lined almost elegant fashion. Sound acidity seems to be the conduit in which this occurs and tannins, while not obtrusive, lend a supporting hand. Pulls off a neat hat trick of being accessible and charming today, firmly rooted in its sense of place, and having a unique personality and storyline. All under $60.
Black fruit, plum and leather on the nose.......tasted slight hint of earth and mediums tannins. Great smooth finish and great balance in this wine. Really enjoyed this Rioja.
Allowed about 2 hours. Dark red with long and lasting legs in the glass. Beautiful, enticing aroma that continued to change. Unfortunately, I was unable to take detailed notes on the night to capture the spectrum that it went through. However, it was full bodied and rich in fruits with a hint of citrus on the front and black cherry on the back of the tongue. There is a lot of oak present in a nice way. It has a long finish. This is an outstanding Gran Reserva that has not yet reached its prime and still has a lot of years ahead of it. This is one for the cellar, and I won't try this again for another year or two (if I can restrain myself).
Fleshy strawberries, citrus, and balsamic vinegar with wafts of tobacco, amidst a backdrop of sneaky strong tannins. They seem soft at first but my mouth is thoroughly puckered.
The wine is not very complex. What impresses about this wine are the purity, strength, and simple deliciousness. And the fact that its identity is so clear.
Very earthy and mineral on the nose at open. Strawberry and raspberry and tart citrus on a medium long finish. 2hrs in this shows the same continuing notes, but with additional leather, mint and charcoal. What a fantastic medley! Dark in color but very light in the mouth. Looking to see how this will age. Will wait 5 years for next bottle.
Tempranillo at a very high level. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Good, but not overwhelming, tannins. Bold fruit. A to Z a winner. A fitting end to a wonderful 3+ hour lunch by the ocean!
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Very good, supple rioja. Deep purple, almost black, in color. Plenty of dark fruits such as plum and blackberry jam. A little hot on the back of the tongue. Tannins still evident but not overpowering. Great smooth mouth feel and nice long finish. I'm giving it a 92 based on how I think it's going to perform over the next several years versus where it is today. It's very good today but should be great in 3-5 years.
Double decanted about an hour before serving at a celebratory dinner for one of my doctoral students who completed her degree. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Muga Reserva's from 2006-2011, but this is a substantial step up. The nose was very pronounced when I double decanted, with cassis, blackberries, and wood. Not as fruit forward as some of the recent reservas, this wine has intense, complicated flavors in the initial taste and mid-range, and moderate, soft tannins in the lengthy finish. Very well balanced, this should last for 10+ years and continue to develop. My rating may seem high compared to others on this site, but is consistent with some other ratings and lower than the 95 given by Neil Martin in the Wine Advocate.
Tempranillo at a very high level. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Good, but not overwhelming, tannins. Bold fruit. A to Z a winner. We have some more that we will drink over the next decade.
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Had this at Gary Danko in San Fran. Very nice and starting to really come together. They decanted this and the bouquet was beautiful. Some plum, black licorice, and a touch of cigar smoke. Tannins have settled and you get this nice floral nose with a touch of a spice. Not like a zin but just right.
Popped and poured-- great nose of fruit with oak at near perfection....palate was black cherry, menthol, eucalyptus, vanilla oak, long acidic citrus orange finish-almost tart. After 15 min, long finish smoothed out with only fruit left with slight citrus feel. 30 min in, fruit oak, citrus in near perfect harmony. Will let my bottles sit another 2-3 yrs, as I think this can get even better.
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Tried this at the Bazaar restaurant in Beverly Hills. An amazing modern style Rioja. Still young but with a lot of potential. Some animal tones (leather, stable) and very complex. One of the best red Riojas I have tried.
Firstly, I'm not familiar with Spanish wines, but this one really surprised me. Served it at approximately 14° C (immediately out of the cellar)
Colour: Deep red, ruby colour. Nose: Bordeaux. If this was a blind tasting, I would have guessed this was a Bordeaux. This wine would have fooled me. Palate: fresh acids, with a quite some vanilla Finish: dry at first, but long and sweet in the end.
Deep red with violet hues and clear. Vibrant red fruit nose, with some anise, little earth and leather. On the palate, this was very bright and lively. Good mouth-feel, with firm tannins, ample acidity, and appropriate alcohol concentration. I agree entirely with others' notes, that this is a departure from most traditional Riojas. Interestingly, I didn't detect any oak, and the wine, to me, was very similar to the Tempranillos coming from Ribera Del Duero. In fact, if I were tasting blind, that would probably have been my guess.
Same bottle: Day2: Kept the wine in the bottle corked, overnight at room temperature. The wine appears the same. Similar notes on the nose, but now add in a wonderful cola note. Vibrant sour cherry on the palate, supported by ample acidity and moderate tannins. Tasting much more like Rioja today, but still modern.
Fantastic bottle! I'm glad I have more of this and will enjoy watching it change over the years. Hard part will be keeping my hands off it in the meantime....
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Dark ruby color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose is syrupy with dark, ripe fruit - somewhat modern in style for a Rioja Gran Reserva, with hints of tobacco and rich, scorched earth. The palate is dry, full-bodied with a velvety texture. Flavors of toasted oak, graphite, earth, and some ripe black currant, dark cherry, blackberry in the background. Quite intriguing for a Rioja. However, Bodegas Muga has been churning some very interesting wines lately - offering a modern twist to an otherwise traditional-styled region. Finishes long with hints of dried herb and lingering toasted oak. Drink now with 30 minutes decanting until 2025.
We decanted the wine for 90 minutes and followed its development for another two hours. It was dark ruby in colour and threw some sediment. On the nose the wine offered red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, cola, cocoa, lead pencil, cedar, leather, clove, anise and vanilla. On the medium- to full-bodied palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, cola, cocoa, cedar, wood smoke, Asian spices and vanilla, supplemented by underlying minerality, with medium-plus acidity, fine, medium to medium-plus tannin, a creamy mouthfeel, moderate heat from the alcohol and superb length. A great, balanced, vibrant Rioja! Still very young, oak and tannin still need time to integrate, but the wine is delicious and charming already, with great potential. Very good value! You may start drinking from 2016, but I would recommend holding off until 2020.
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Popped and poured. Deep ruby. Clearly some great material here but relatively monolithic on the nose and on the palate at this point. It is pretty seamless now with some lovely smoke, minerals and vanilla. I have loved this bottling with age and I think this needs a few years (or more time in the glass/decanter) to really express itself.
Spanish (Kevin's house): A small tasting pour. There was leather, gunpowder, tar and slightly funk earth. I liked this quite a bit, it drinks young, and I would imagine this to turn into something special in the years to come.
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Minneapolis Wine Club - Spain (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for around 90 minutes, followed 1 glass over 2 plus hours. The nose has plenty of ripe black fruits, blackberry, tar, spme damp earth. The palate is dense and layered, earth, blackberry liqueur, somewhat sharp and angular with heat on the finish. It did seem as if this was gradually improving later in the evening. This still seems youthful to me with nice potential in 5 years. 91(+)pts.
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Young and will develop. Perfume, oak, spices, currants and minerals. Not too tannic and showing some complexity on the finish. Medium to long finish and should evolve over the course of five to ten years. A good buy.
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This wine has always flown the flag for traditional Rioja and been consistently good over the years. There is plenty of fruit here, but it is simply too young I feel. So 89 now but no doubt more in at least 5 years time.
Regular dinner group (By PvD @ Savarin): In the bouquet ripe dark berry fruits, beautiful oak and smoke. Same on the palate. Red berry fruits as well, a firm amount of good acidity and tannin. Also a pleasant touch of sweetness. A beautiful wine. Early maturity now and a future until at least until 2020.
At home with Wendy and Joe, finishing the holidays with Paella from Despana. Lined up some great Spanish wines for the evening. Decanted this along with an 01 Muga Aro and 08 Flor de Pingus. This was a good first red to start with, given the bigger fruit profile. Decanted for 2+ hours. Air really benefits this wine, especially as its very young in its evol
Dark red/garnet color. Opulent nose of dark fruits, oak and violet notes. Palate with this bottle seemed richer - profile was similar, dark fruits, blackberry plums, leather and vanilla. Medium finish.
Great traditional Rioja style wine. Definitely still evolving, tastes and drinks young, feels like its just coming into its own now. Will pace myself through the balance of the case. Interesting that my guests ranked this behind the "modern" styled Spanish wines presented this evening - which was clearly some tough competition. Seems traditional Rioja is an acquired appreciation...
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Took this to dinner with our friends, because I knew they enjoyed Tempranillo. However, when I found out it was to be paired with empanadas, manchego cheese, pate de canard, and French bread, I thought I had the wrong bottle. I was pleasantly surprised that the wine blended perfectly with all.
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Acompañó la cena para despedir el 2014 por lo que no tomé notas. Maridó perfectamente con un asado de pavo relleno, acompañado por una compota de manzana y ciruelas. Nariz muy agradable de frutos rojos, tostados suaves, violetas. Se muestra poderoso en boca pero a la vez muy suave y elegante. El vino esta muy joven todavía, pero tiene un tremendo potencial, por lo que voy a esperar hasta 2017 para abrir la siguiente (si puedo resistirme…).
Didn´t take notes as I took the wine for New Year’s Eve dinner. It paired very well with a stuffed turkey accompanied by applesauce with plums. Nice nose of red berries, fine toasts and violets. Powerful but still elegant and smooth. Still very young, but with tremendous potential. Will wait until 2017 to open the next one (if I can resist…).
(Decanter Fine Wine Event): Developing some real rounded elegance and balance. Has lost some of the more rustic and grainy leather edges it had a year ago. Very good, and early in its drinking window.
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13.5% abv. Nose of black cherries, dark chocolate and coffee. On the verge of being rich and round, but tart acidity and lingering tannins provide some balance. Still young. Seemed more modern than traditional.
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Extensive Spanish tasting: Vanilla and even barnyard on the nose. Classic, of course leaner than Especial, but seemed quite closed at this point. (B/B+)
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(Tasted at Berry's Spain 2014): Since tasting a few times last year, this has shed some of the more rustic hide and clay notes. Appears more fruit forward and rounded, with undercurrents of secondary flavours developing. Bueno!
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Bought a bottle at Norwalk Total Wine to see what these are like...
Quite nice, lots of dark fruit, medium long finish with great structure. Thought the balance between the fruit and tannins was just about perfect. Really grew on me after about the 3rd or 4th sip. Might search out a few more...was actually a very nice wine.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to consuming the first glass.
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At home, first bottle of a recently purchased case. PnP on this bottle, would benefit from some air. Prior tasting was at the Muga winery in Haro, Rioja.
Consistent with prior notes. Red/garnet color. Nice nose right from the bottle - dark fruits, plums, earth and oak. Palate repeats with dried cherry, anise, leather, herbs, vanilla
Medium, elegant finish. Great traditional Rioja style wine. still evolving, it will be interesting to drink and see how it evolves in coming years.
Lashings of sweet American Oak, plush and polished, but with enough of a drying tannin backdrop to keep it in check. Very nice modern interpretation of Rioja; hits the middle of the road style button. 'Could be a good Aussie Shiraz' was an agreed view.
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The wine is clear and bright with a deep garnet colour and presence of legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium(+) intensity aromas of dark plums, red cherries, liquorice, anise, thym, leather, cedar and vanilla. The wine is dry in the mouth with a medium acidity. It has medium(+) slightly coarse tannins and a medium(+) slightly warm alcohol. It has a medium(+) body and medium intensity flavours of red cherries, liquorice, thym, leather and cedar. The finish is medium.
It is a very good quality wine. It shows a decent complexity in the nose provided by oak ageing and spicy notes, and it has a nice balance between alcohol and tannins. However the flavour concentration could be more pronounced and the finish longer. Can drink now, but it has enough tannic structure and some fruit concentration to develop a bit more of complexity in the next 5-8 years.
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I liked this wine when I first tasted it in 2012/13. It was a bit subdued this time around... either the result of it going thru and aerator (someone opened it and got residual cork in it... this was done when I wasn't present... or just that it has closed down a bit. (94 for points in an imperfect tasting). Just how good is this wine going to be in 5 years?
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Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dark core with garnet rim; vanilla, dill, red and dark berry, rich and ripe on the nose; smooth texture on the palate but showing some tannin in the back, red and dark berry, integrated vanilla, dried fruit, dill; good, young; this bottle was showing more like most Gran Reservas with the noticeable American oak.
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Great value. Finish is a little thin but the palate is dried cherries and nice acidity. A touch of sour. Tannins still quite present so it could last longer. A little smoke on the nose.
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This was a somewhat unique wine that seemed both a traditional Rioja and a new age wine at the same time. Still dark in color, but gaining translucency as it starts to show its age, it has an "old world" nose of oaky dark fruits with some bright acidity. On the palate it a bright but smooth texture that improves with additional air. It's got a decidedly dark fruit and leathery Tempranillo flavor profile that is leans slightly toward red fruits from the Grenache and other grapes in the blend. While it's great with a few hours of air, it certainly has the stuffing to improve with more cellar time.
Tasted at winery: Sweet strawberry-cherry with shrooms, sweet licorice, silky structure, good intensity, a touch of coconut-vanilla. In American oak. 80% Temp., 20% Gar.
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Holiday Spanish Wines 2014; 7/4/2014-7/21/2014: A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% a mix of Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, this straddled traditional and modern stylistically. The silky mouthfeel and glossy sheen to the fruit nodded towards the modern, but the leathery, animal nose - married with violets and plums- was defiantly old school. Relatively high acidity. Vary classy wine with a long future ahead. 13.5%.
One hour decant. Deep ruby color. Med/slow legs. Vegital, mineral dust, vanilla and savory nose. Black currant, licorice and plum palate. OK balance with a good amount of acidity. Leather texture. Medium long finish. 13.5% ABV.
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At the winery, great tasting hosted by Jesus from Muga. My first experience with Prado Enea (previously having only Torre Muga and Muga reserva). Made in a more traditional Rioja style, vs Muga as a more fruit forward version. Third red of the tasting. 2 years in cask, 3 in the bottle.
Deep red garnet color. Nose is dark fruits and oak. Palate of dark cherry, leather, baking spice, oak, herbs. Tannins still there but softening. Ready to drink now but will age very well....this is an elegant traditional Rioja, really nice.
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Just opened with that exciting combination of smoked meats, flowers, dark cherry fruit, cedar, cumin. Maybe leaning towards the more modern side with some French oak showing through? Has much flesh on the palate, and is very vibrant as well. Drinkable now certainly, but with years and years and years left. For Arthur's b-day.
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Some wines from a trip; 6/19/2014-7/2/2014: Here to we have a lovely nose of chorizo and salami. Not transparent, light body, but seems quite extracted, somehow remember that 2004 was lighter and more elegant. May be too young? Quite confused about the extraction. (B)
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Similar notes to previous. Doesn't smell or taste like classic Rioja - missing that 'old wood' note. Fairly extracted, phenolic, but without great depth. Tannins slightly drying. Needs 5-10 years, but still.
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Decanted 24 hrs. Deep dark brick red - nose of plums and tart. Very dry and hard tannins. Full bodied with dark fruits and green pepper. In my book yet way too tight and reductive and not enough complex to show the +90 p potential. Or maybe this is just not my style.
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Dark garner red, translucent color. Pretty scents of dried roses and violets, with traditional rioja and burgundian nuances. There is aslo a dusty note. Flavors of blackberry, roses, violets, tomato juice. Velvety in the mouth with some acidity and tannins linger on the palate. Enjoyed with steak but I can see it paired with lamb chops or pork.
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Phenomenal. This was WOTN at our Spanish night tasting dinner. The wine opened up fantastically over the couple of hours we tasted and had dinner. I'll try another in 2020 or so. Yeah, that's probably not going to happen.
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Fair amount of tannin on first open and smoky on the nose. Sat for 30 mins and the tannins had mellowed greatly. Balanced wine. Might have preferred a little more tannin but overall very enjoyable. Full flavour and I think it could be mistaken for a Bordeaux blend as the tempranillo wasn't in your face. Wonderful when paired with spicier, bold tapas.
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Dark fruit, earth, wood spice and a bit of leather on the nose and palate. Lighter, but with enough depth to hold up will against a big dish. Versatile. Medium finish. Nice balance.
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Rich, very well balanced, dark fruit flavors with earth, leather & spice. Good value in a classical, well made Rioja Gran Reserva. Drinking well now, but should hold up well for years.
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A blend of 80% Tempranillo and equal parts of Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo. Rich and plummy colour, well saturated, starting to show some maturity; heady aroma of plums, slightly balsamic note of the wood, spice and floral topnotes; rich and rounded palate, mature Tempranillo to the fore but does not belie its essentially elegant character, lovely weight and balance, well-structured, good tannic grip, rich flavours; excellent length. I like it now, but it will mellow over the next 2-3 years and last many more. At restaurant Serantes II in Bilbao, Spain.
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First half of the bottle consumed with frenched lamb rack. Despite 4 hours & splashy decanting, tasted like a tannic, tight wine. Second half of the bottle consumed next night with BBQ sausages, excellent wine with flavours of black fruit, liquorice, a little mocha and black olives. Supple and contemporary. Great value for money at around $50 ($USD 43.50). Suggest this wine needs at least 3 more years bottle age.
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First half of the bottle consumed with frenched lamb rack. Despite 4 hours & splashy decanting, a tannic, tight wine. Second half of the bottle consumed next night with BBQ sausages, excellent wine with flavours of black fruit, liquorice, a little mocha and black olives. Supple and contemporary. Great value for money at around $50 ($USD 43.50). Suggest this wine needs at least 3 more years bottle age.
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This is much harder to get at than the 2004 was last year; it's got a tough outer shell and even though the fruit feels nearly as rich and dense, it's much harder to get a read on it. More structure, more restrained fruit is the theme. I don't remember if that's in line with the general story of the two vintages or the exact opposite of it, but there you go. The leftovers were much more transparent the next day, still tannic but starting to show some development with some leathery flavors and an almost metallic mineral element.
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Dark ruby. Expressive and lovely nose of red and darker berries, sweet spices, minerality, red pepper, sweet oak and plum. Medium to full-bodied with firm structure and high acidity. Long aftertaste. Still quite youthful, especially on the palate. Would benefit from further aging, but already a very attractive wine.
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This is a great wine. The nose is seductive, hypnotic and endless. Opening with tart cherry that surprisingly morphs into crushed blueberry and blackberry with substantial minerality that just lingers and lingers, this is wonderful and has a long future ahead of it. There's a northern Rhone evocation that I find in certain Riojas that I really love. This is layered and nuanced, with grainy tannin and supple mouth feel. Not anything like Silver Oak to which a previous commentator compared it, aside from a healthy expression of American oak. It has a wonderful tarry, old cheese quality and a hint of brett that is beautiful and old world all the way. Still very young and almost green, though already intellectually and hedonistically satisfying. Stellar. Exceptional QPR and candidate for casehood.
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Bought this wine on a recommendation and we were not sorry when we drank it this past Sunday night. Wonderful notes of woodsmoke, vanilla, honey, and oak, but not in an overdone way. Definitely not a fruit forward wine like the ones we regularly drink on weeknights.
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Having late supper at Taberna Gaztelupe with Barolo buddies. Second bottle of the morning and a little disappointed. Surely to face a GR before its 15 aniversary is a fool work, an absurd. Dark colour for a unidimensional nose of cinnamon and black fruit. Palate was tasty but quite shortie for what it must be... Matching a grilled cod too much salty in our opinion.
De cena tardía en Gaztelupe con algunos colegas de Barolo. Segunda botella de la madrugada y un poco desilusionado. Seguramente enfrentarse a un GR antes de su 15 aniversario es un absurdo. De color oscuro, para una nariz monolítica a canela y frutillos negros. En boca se mostró sabrosa pero bastante cortita para lo que debe ser... Maridó un bacalao a la parrilla bien bien saladito.
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Nose: Very perfumed and balanced nose with dill, licorice, strawberries, red fruits, spices, dark red cherries, and a touch of graphite. There is a real savory quality to the nose with excellent depth as well.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity with silky tannins. The structure is on the sneakier side and it shows some real youth along with dill, licorice, dark red cherries, tobacco, graphite, red currants, and spice notes.
Overall: This is young and absolutely gorgeous. This still needs time, but it is showing extremely well right now.
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My first reaction was "this has the same rancid pickle juice characteristic that I get in Silver Oak Alex Valley". All that American oak (3+ years???) has turned this into a dill-infused mess. So hard to detect the fruit, which had a stewed quality anyway, so it's not like we were missing anything. Very disappointing as I've had Muga in the past that didn't taste like this.
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Slightly thin at first, but gained weight over a few hours of air. A balance between modern and traditional, but a bit more modern than the 2004 I felt. I prefer the 2004 by a little but this equally has structure and a touch of rustic charm.
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Garnet, full bodied Woody hints, some vanilla and dark fruit off the nose. Earthy. Dry, cedar, lots of old world characteristics. Rustic. Some tannins Classic Rioja.
A bit on the modern side for our tastes -- stewed fruit in addition to more traditional Rioja flavors. Decent wine but not our preferred style; expensive for the quality.
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Monthly Tasting Group LTB; Rioja: I know this wine from the past and the style has completely changed. From old school, this became new school. In the bouquet good oak, smoke, coffee and chocolate in a good concentration. On the palate a lot of dark as well as red fruits and firm juice, a lot of sweet spices, beautiful oak, good acidity and tannin which are still a bit harsh. The wine has good freshness. Personally I prefer this new style. Early maturity now and it can easily last until 2020+
Lots of oak and vanilla, after an hour or so the fruit starts coming through, dark cherry, tar? grippy tannin and good acid. 3hrs in the oak is moving to the background, ripe fruit and a little leather. A very modern wine, this need 4 or 5 years to calm down.
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Sweet high tones of sour cherries and old cedary wood, warm rich mid palate, lots of structure on the back end. Fairly grippy. And this is five days open too.
This is a Tempranillo dominated blend with the 20% that remains composed of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. The wine was aged for 36 months in oak as well as another 36 months (minimum) in bottle. Deep, inky ruby with maroon highlights. The nose is tight at the start revealing dark black fruit, chocolate and spice under a frame of tar. Deep and very focused on the palate with mouth-coating extract and creamy texture yet elegantly structured. Dark fruit with smokey accents in the long, graceful aftertaste.
Structured and ripe, perfumed, with a long finish. More modern than I was expecting, though this still has a foot in the old school...maybe just a few toes. Delicious, nevertheless, and a great wine.
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Nicely concentrated, smooth and shows its quality but this does nothing to break my aversion to Gran Reserva Riojas. Must be the American oak which again shows orange vanilla and coconut marmalade notes which I cannot stand. Not rated.
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Decanted. Initial vigorous shake in the decanter revealed vivid strawberry and leather nose. However, it is rather sour at first and not really approachable for another 2-3 hours. Mellows and opens up nicely after 3 hours with cherry and fig notes in addition. Bottom line: Agree with previous comments - this is a very promising wine that should be kept for a further 4-5 years. Drink from 2017. Indeed past experience with other vintages shows that the Prado Enea is best after >12 years.
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This is already extremely good but probably shouldn't be opened for another five- ten years and will live well beyond that. Expressive nose of violet, roses and even starting to develop some complex aged aromas. Classic young Rioja on the palate with the vanilla and dill notes a little too emphatic but everything you want is here. This just needs lots of time in a cool dark place to become really spectacular. Not generally a fan of Muga but Prado Enea is very traditional and up there with the other classics of the region.
Tasting Notes from trip to Rioja; 7/5/2013-7/12/2013: 80% tempranillo, 20% garnacha. Beautiful nose, violets, perfumed, a touch of cedar and vanilla. Medium bodied, elegant silky and delicate, with lingering vanilla. This is very elegant classic rioja.
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Outstanding wine. Best Rioja I have had in recent memory. Full of flavor and finishes very well. If there is a better one available, someone please tell me.
Full body, dark ruby to garnet red, aromatic, fresh red berries, paper, species and oaky aroma, blackberry, tobacco, light wood on the palate, vanilla and dark chocolate on very long finish, very juicy, deep, rich, satiated, well balanced, soft tannins, nice acidity. Still young now but very enjoyable. Drink now through decade or more.
Aerated to decanter 1 hr, served non-blind. From the very moment the cork was pulled, this was ready to go, but I decided to let it sit in the decanter given some of the tn's of late. What we've got here is a totally modern, open-knit, short-skirted, low-cut blouse of a wine, and I only expected it become even more sultry as the night wore on. But, very unexpectedly, the last glass showed this withdrawing back into a more structured (and respectable) version of its promiscuous self, with the nose losing some of its gratuitous perfume, and the tannins firming up a bit. Either way, this is pretty solid for under $50, more so if you're firmly in the modernly-styled camp. Worked famously with 12-hr smoked, pulled pork. 13,5% abv, thru 2019
This wine has it all. Concentrated fruit expression, teritary aromas, drive through the palate and energy, an incredibly lingering finish. Great wine. Cheap for what it is.
smells of new French oak dark colour very spicy rich nose good acidity, dense, modern, dark fruit, coffee, Will develop well I'm sure but I prfer the older pretty style of Prado Enea. This is very modern
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Big plump nose of juicy blackberry and vanilla. So very different to the 76 alongside it. Shows what can happen in nearly 30 years of development. Dense, ripe and spicy with very youthful grippy tannins. Good acidity and a long spicy, almost minty finish. There for the long haul and there's no rush to drink these unless you want to.
Purple red color. This bottle had been open for about 48 hours. Drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. I like the nose, very pretty with violets, earth, graphite, blackberry liqueur, sweet blackberry preserves. The palate does not seem integrated yet to me, despite being open for 2 days. While this is approachable now, I think this needs a couple of years yet to resolve. There is noticeable alcohol, although this does have a liqueur-like style (or cordial-like as Richard Jennings noted). Very spicy, oaky, dark red fruits, kirsch , blackberry liqueur, full body, high acid, somewhat grippy tannins. There is definitely potential here. 89-90(+)pts. Update on day 3, this was considerably better, the alcohol has integrated along with the oak and spice. Tannins have softened nicely. Easily improved to 91+pts. Day 4 was almost as good as well.
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Great value wine! Wonderful nose of earth, pencil lead and some red fruits. Acid and tannins are balanced and prominent along with dark chocolate, tar and some saltiness of soya. Few more years in the cellar and this wine will be easily 2-3 more points.
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Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Medium-plus expressiveness, dark fruit, charcoal, balsamic, dark chocolate, and dark florals - very dynamic nose. Palate: Full bodied, dark red fruit attack - black raspberry, and black licorice, hints of Worcestershire and a little spiciness appear mid-palate, but then everything seems to fade suddenly in the back-end, leaving a rather short and muted finish. Difficult wine to score as the first half of the drinking experience is truly exceptional but the back half weakness baffles me.
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Nose is dominated by ripe soy reduction, graphite and a bit of tar, but red berry, cacao, and some floral elements can be coaxed out. Smooth and highlighted by savory elements and lightly sour acidity. Ends with a light but distinct saline earthiness - more or less similar to the aftertaste of very dark chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. A classy rioja, and ideally paired with Mediterranean fare; difficult to consider it a value, however.
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Drank at a Spanish wine tasting which included the 2001 Clos Erasmus, the 2001 Artadi El Pison, and the 2001 Lopez de Heredia Reserva Tondonia. The Muga was clearly the best wine of the night. Great wine and a great value. Rich, delicious dark cherry fruit with blueberry, floral, cassis, and tarry flavors, excellent structure, long finish.
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4/13/2024 - prasm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consumed at wine dinner with friends, note from memory. Appearance: Clear, medium garnet with edge bricking. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with developed aromas of dark fruit - blackberry and black cherry, leather, tobacco, and spice. Palate: Dry, medium acid, medium tannin is soft and resolved, medium+ body, medium+ intensity, 14.0% abv with developed flavors dried black cherry, tobacco, and spice with a medium+ finish. This was likely at peak, drinking wonderfully - can drink now or over next 2-3 years.
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3/29/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Frey's Cat Ranch (Somewhere in the Northern Burbs, MN): Very dark red color. Slow O for a couple of hours. Drank a glass over an hour plus. This still feels rather youthful, full bodied, cassis, lacquer, oaky, moderte tannins, not a lot of finesse.
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1/21/2024 - BillBell73 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Seems to be a modernist/traditionalist hybrid Rioja. The oak has integrated and is a fantastic counterpoint to the funkiness that has crept in with time. This is the product of masterful winemaking and one of the best Spanish reds I’ve tasted in a while.
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1/15/2024 - cweiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last bottle, and fine to the last drop.
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1/12/2024 - cweiner wrote: 94 Points
OMG, worth every penny.
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12/18/2023 - Jonnhy99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Here I am on a rainy Monday with a fantastic tasting lineup, first up an 18-year-old Rioja.
Medium minus aromas of Fall forest floor, black fruits, oak, and cherry.
Medium Flavours of dried strawberry, dusty raspberry, rocket candy, something my palate gets with Rioja wines and a finish of sweet tobacco.
A very comforting long finish with some medium minus dusty tannins.
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10/19/2023 - Ian_Rhie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very well aged Rioja. PNP Leather, pepper, so good
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10/11/2023 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 2 Hrs. Starts off a bit Bordeaux-ish aromatically; cedar, dark cassis, earth some mature French oak aromas. More classically Rioja once the drinking gets going with the telltale of dark berries, pronounced acidity, a bit of shoe polish / leather and the aforementioned of well-integrated French Oak. In a great spot and likely to easily hold another decade if not longer.
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8/21/2023 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
Been a few years since last bottle. Steaks and roasted potatoes at home with Val and Charlotte. Decanted for 30 minutes.
from prior notes (2020):" Deep ruby color. Nose showing dark red fruits, cedar, violets, smoke. Palate of dark raspberry, cherry, plum, leather, floral pastille. Classically styled Rioja, oak (American) is present. Medium/full body, long finish."
Still great, perfect pairing with grilled steaks. Picked up balsamic notes, leather and aged oak on this tasting. Should go for a while - but worth opening now...
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5/28/2023 - Paul D wrote: 89 Points
2/3, vg cork. Decanted then served.
Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, smoke, vanilla oak. Youthful. Medium/full bodied, blackcurrant, vanilla, some red fruit, spice, soft tannins, vibrant acids, very good length finish. Still very youthful/oaky, needs time to integrate. Next bottle 5 + years.
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4/10/2023 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark fruit, Mediterranean spice, peat moss and dried mushrooms. This wine has the “X” factor that I seek. Great depth and texture. After a needed two hour decant, this wine expressed it self beautifully. There are ten years of great drinking in this wines future. Great juice.
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4/2/2023 - Irish_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet. The nose shows lovely depth and concentration with wafts of lovey, fresh fruit - black cherry, black plum together with fine spices, dried violet, sage, and prune. Elegant and powerful on the palate which brings licorice and black chocolate. Still structured for its age, it should continue to mature beautifully.
WSET notes:
Deep garnet.
Pronounced on the nose with black cherry, black plum, dried violet, sage, cinnamon, smoke, cloves, prune, earth, dark chocolate, mushroom and forest floor. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate. Medium plus body, high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging.
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3/26/2023 - Thief Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red fruits, balsamic, cedar aromas. A little unyielding at first and then after 30 min this blossomed with much richer fruit aromas and a plethora of baking spices. Moderately long finish.
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3/18/2023 - Sarastro Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a perfect moment to open this bottle.
Opened 1+ gour in advance and opened the neck.
Poured in Zalto burgundy stems.
Dense dark red
It starts with complex balsamic notes, eucaliptus, liquorice, peppermint leaving space to a mix of sage, corainder blended together with evolved dark small fruits with black cherry and blackberries. During the evening it evolved in more earthy notes dancing with leather and liqorice tree.
In the mouth it has a strong impact even though wrapped in velvet. acidity well present and a drying and cleaning finish thanks to elegant tannins that for sure will stay there for many years.
Medium long finish.
Last bottle wish I had more even though I would drink almost all them now simply because I like it so much right now even though it will evolve form many years gaining more of those tertiary notes we love so much in old Rioja.
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1/25/2023 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pnp with steak. This is really in a great place now. 13.5%
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1/15/2023 - Casa HeRo wrote: 92 Points
Bjørnebær, mørke plommer, lær, kjeller, pepper. Kjøttfull frukt med myk syrestruktur og avslipte taniner.
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11/27/2022 - StefanVB wrote:
80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Vinification. The grapes used for making Prado Enea, along with those for Torre Muga, are always the last ones to be brought into the winery. This late picking ensures ideal ripening. The grapes are th Parker: The 2005 Prado Enea Gran Reserva spends 36-months in oak, nine months in new oak after which it is racked into American oak that is _semi-new_ (i.e. a new barrel that is _broken in_ with a wine beforehand).
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10/29/2022 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 93 Points
Muga delivers, love the Prado Enea: plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, fig, dried cherry, soft earthy note, tobacco, medium plus body, love the long aftertaste. Ed and family over for diner.
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9/15/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Still deep ruby. Pine resin aromas from start to finish. Lean blackberry fruit and a lot of soil. The wood which was so prominent 2 years ago has loosened its grip, but I still had a hard time warming to this wine.
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9/11/2022 - CWilliam wrote:
Notes from PNP. Dark red color. On nose, black cherry, tobacco, sweet cherry and dill. On palate, medium+ body, integrated tannins, medium+ acidity (especially noticeable on the very long finish). Enjoyed this - didn't write down a formal rating. Will do so if I can tonight as I left a glass in the bottle.
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8/26/2022 - dannyg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good structure, complexity, tannins that have smoothen out and great long 15-sec finish that lingers on!
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7/17/2022 - Kevin Mak Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep Ruby
Medium (+) Acidity
Medium (+) Tannin
Medium Alcohol
Medium (+) Bodied
Medium (+) Finish
Medium Intensity
- Blackberry, Black Cherry, Dried Salty Plum, Vanilla, Liqourice, Smoke, Tobacco, Tea Leaves, Soy Sauce
Lots of tertiary notes, still got quite a bit of tannin and acidity, not particularly fruity though, might have reached its peak IMO, drink now.
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6/21/2022 - Kevnzworld wrote: 95 Points
:30 decant at Hermanos
Concentrated, ripe berries with a nice touch of secondary.
It’s still maintains acidity and tannin to balance with a long finish
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3/16/2022 - vlzat Likes this wine: 95 Points
80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo
Excellent developed for past nine years. Medium to full body, beautiful, deep ruby color. Impressive red and blue fruits aroma complemented by pepper and spices box. Still fresh palate, in spite so solid age, of blackberry, blueberry, currants and sweet spices background following by lingering finish of juicy acidity and polished, completely resolved tannins. Rich, concentrated and complex but very elegant, perfectly balanced and harmonious wine. Food friendly, well pairing to grilled poultry. Open one hour ahead. Serve 18ºC - 20ºC. Drink now to end of the decade, perhaps longer.
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2/12/2022 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pnp tableside at restaurant. Min sediment. Red/orange with noteable bricking. Dark red fruit n earth on nose. Rustic palate of dark fruit, earth and spice. Good food wine. Wonder what more time would do for this?
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1/7/2022 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 95 Points
So great to come back to this epic gran reserva. This vintage was made from composition of 80% Tempranillo, 7% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 6% Graciano. Deep garnet red colour. Quite shy subtle aroma of plums, smoke, earth, dried cranberries and plums. Medium body, rewarding and harmonious palate, so smooth, silky and elegant with velvety tannins, well integrated acidity, complex flavour profile of dried black fruits, spices, chocolate hints and long smoky finish.
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1/1/2022 - Andice wrote: 92 Points
Creamy rich vanilla flavours from American oak. Rounded warm and caressing. Just begin to enter into its prime. On the more modern, darker side for a Rioja. Good quality
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12/27/2021 - acheng wrote:
Still too young? Can’t say it lived up to the promise. Red fruit with primary oak. Hold .
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12/24/2021 - cweiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Should have bought a second case.
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12/21/2021 - AndrewR wrote: 92 Points
A few years past its prime but right in the window. Perfect use of oak, high quality fruit. Drink up.
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12/20/2021 - cweiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Soft cork but the wine was amazing. Well worth the wait.
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12/17/2021 - brianakrin wrote: 93 Points
Agree with nywine68 notes. Drinking well now
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12/1/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
In a beautiful place today. Earthy and complex but with plenty of freshness and verve. Black olives, wild mushrooms and herbs. Superfine tannins, a structured full body and a long finish. Delicious!
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11/21/2021 - Harrie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Again a stellar performance alter three Hours in the decanter. Cork perfect. Seductive in the nose. Solid on the palate. No signs of age at all. A great candidate for my personal top five. Too late to order more but look forward to the 2010 vintage to carry the tradition.
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11/12/2021 - BuzzzzOff wrote: 93 Points
WOTN on International Tempranillo Day extravaganza with 2009s CVNE Imperial, Remirez de Ganuza and Ygay as well as 2001 Tondonia (2nd place). Taberna Jamon Jamon in Bangkok rocked the house.
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11/12/2021 - Thief Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with prior notes. Drink soon.
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10/13/2021 - honest bob wrote: 93 Points
From 75cl, perfect cork, decanted 1 hour, improved until final drop 2 hours later. Serious dark colour. Gorgeous, brooding, rich, dark berry fruit, oak and vanilla scent; mercurial layered palate, layer upon layer of huge, muscular, dreamy ripe—but tingling with acidity—damson fruit, creamy-textured glycerine (not as unctuous as a comparably fine Ribera del Duero, but luxuriant for a Rioja Alta) and sea salt(!); long, resonant finish. Superb now, and surely for at least a decade to come. Tonight, this seems an ideal compromise between the brash tannic excesses of over-extracted new wave Rioja and the sometimes mousy-mouldy-fungal over-American-oaked traditional style of Lopez de Heredia. 93P
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9/9/2021 - cweiner Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely Rioja at its peak. This cork was partially degraded midway down, bu the wine fine.
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5/29/2021 - mp44 wrote: 92 Points
same score as year ago - lovely, quite dark, not overrun by green secondary notes yet -
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4/5/2021 - Too much practice. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Reunion Easter lunch in the sun with racks of lamb. Dry, deep, still full and drew lots of praise. This is fine wine. Heavenly.
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3/28/2021 - lolo66 wrote:
1st time trying since purchased on release 8 years ago. needs some air to wake up and reveal itself. magenta red color. American oak showing but not invasive. showing some secondary notes of tobacco, and loam.
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3/1/2021 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
A totally intellectual wine, but with the ability to wrap around the soul of every wine enthusiast. Dark fruit is accented by tilled soil, Mediterranean spice and damp earth. There is magic in the aroma. Wonderful depth and texture. This wine may still have some up, but its “X” factor is on full display today. Great juice.
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12/20/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Given 5 hours of air in the bottle. Dark, deep center. At first, quite strong pine needle scent, but with more air, ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit. Medium to full bodied, quite dense-this surely does not have the airy feel of Rioja from days gone by. Ground coffee note from the oak base, excellent, lively sweet blackberry and boysenberry fruit, roundly tannic finish. Many years to go. Being accustomed to a more classic rendition of this cuvée, it is shocking to see how much Prado Enea had shifted to a more extracted, overtly oaky, fruit driven style by 2005. What is there is very, very good though, so your opinion will be shaped by what you expect going in. Personally, I still vote for the leaner, drier wines of yesteryear.
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12/14/2020 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine has evolved nicely since my last tasting in 2017. Dark red fruit is holding hands with earthy notes, tobacco and Mediterranean spice. Layers upon layers of complexity. There is so much going on in the glass aromatically and on the palate. This wine is just entering a good drinking window after a three hour decant and promises to provide pleasure over the next ten years at least. Great juice.
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11/28/2020 - K&J Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous wine! Parker (Gutiérrez) says its drink window is until 2030. I disagree. Based on my bottle, I think it is on the tail end of its prime. I recommend drinking it now instead of waiting.
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11/26/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep garnet to mahogany rim.
Gentle bouquet of ripe red fruits, graphite, and ripe banana skins with secondary aromas from the oak of coconut, balsa wood, milk chocolate and a lick of vanilla. As the wine opens, there is some crushed flowers, boysenberry or perhaps tayberry. Very complex and draws you back in - fantastic aroma!
A polished entry with plenty of mocha, cocoa powder, and chocolate drops alongside ripe banana, raspberry and dried cherry that are wonderfully balanced by a vibrant acidity. There is a silky sheen to the texture that gives you a feel of liquid chocolate. Fuller than expected, with some firmness and minerality rising towards the super long finish. Fabulous drive and concentration of flavours done elegantly.
A cracking example of complex, mature Rioja.
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11/8/2020 - Bosbevok Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep burgundy colour with cherry rim. Lots of red fruit here with an underlying vanilla. Medium length finish but very good. First of 3 bottles. Very enjoyable. Evolution will bring more results.
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11/8/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Decanted for 4 hours. Primary deep ruby to the rim. Resiny pine and fennel aromas. Medium weight, unusual volume of fruit atop a woody, mineral base. Tart cherry, blackberry, and herb. Lush but not at all overripe, reined in by its excellent acidity. Very strong material but hardly ethereal, subtle Rioja of days of yore. This may well still improve, but I don't sense that it is heading toward greatness.
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9/25/2020 - eatdrinkrepeat Likes this wine: 90 Points
Red fruits with some earthiness. Got more plum and prune after a couple of hours. Integrated tannin which turned a little firm on the finish. An easy-going wine overall. Went well with lamb chops tonight. Not a big fan of this wine but this bottle was drinking better than the others I had.
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9/12/2020 - walkerjfw wrote:
Dinner hosted by Ashley and Bill...playing the part of somm for the evening, wine from my cellar (Chez Schofiled - Princeton, NJ): Two 750s, drank after an 05 Torre Muga. Decanted for about 2 hours prior to drinking.
Deep ruby color. Nose showing dark red fruits, cedar, violets, smoke. Palate of dark raspberry, cherry, plum, leather, floral pastille. Classically styled Rioja, oak (American) is present. Medium/full body, long finish.
Interesting comparison with the Muga - if doing again I would serve this one first to show the "old" Rioja style. True to form, this wine is evolving slowly, drinking well now but with a considerable window still ahead of it. I paid ~$45 for this at release, incredible QPR
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9/12/2020 - Casa HeRo wrote: 90 Points
Flott til lammeribbe med filet, matvin som må siles og dekanteres.
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9/11/2020 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
Catch Up @ Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong!: This needs to some air. Overall, good with food.
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9/9/2020 - iamandyc wrote: 88 Points
Meh.
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9/5/2020 - Thief Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cedar and red fruits, very soft tannins at this stage. Earthy fruits and long finish.
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9/3/2020 - MrTunaDavis wrote: 91 Points
Hour decanted (3 hours over the whole meal)
Nose: Rich fruit, tobacco, chocolate, spices.
Color: Opaque garnet, hints of brown.
Medium acid, medium body, tannin's still firm but not too overpowering.
- Fruit forward with a hint of smoke and spice. Chocolate, oak/wood finish. Still has some life in it, good to age another couple years.
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7/30/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Fragrant and smokey. Nice acidity. This is showing nice notes of secondary development. Barnyard, chocolate, black tea leaves and spices. Very smooth fine tannins. Medium finish.
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7/2/2020 - vr.bart Likes this wine: 95 Points
Intens red cherry on the nose, minerals, smoke and tobacco. Concentrated ripe red berries, still fresh and vibrant, fine grained dusty tannins. Excellent now, but not at the end of its life either.
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6/20/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
1st Reopening Wine Dinner Celebration @ CHL!: Nice drinking but overshadowed by the powerhouses tonight. Notes to come
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5/30/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 91 Points
So I have been using a coravin to drink a glass every night while cooking but last night while cleaning up decided to pop the cork and finish the last glass. Very dark red in color, dark fruit on the nose, cedar, oak, plum and dark berries on the palate, a hint of tobacco on the finish. This was a major improvement over the bottle I had in January.
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5/29/2020 - Paul D wrote:
1/3, excellent cork, decanted 1/2 hr. Bottle # 46393.
Deep ruby core, very narrow pale ruby rim. Nose shows dark fruit, touch of chocolate, leather, spice. Rich, a touch spirity. Medium/full bodied, touch hot and porty - something not right here. NR
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5/10/2020 - CHarder wrote: 90 Points
This is actually really nice with 1hr decant. Proper rioja.
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4/28/2020 - DrZett wrote: 94 Points
Wow this is absolutely beautiful in the moment. Still lots of fresh red berries and a lot of other red fruits left here. Some soft chocolate notes too. Very elegant and round body with nicely integrated tannins. Amazing price quality ratio!
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4/12/2020 - mp44 wrote: 92 Points
no change to rating since last bottle - v solid, enjoyable rioja - earth forward, little in way of tertiary notes so far - this has lots of road ahead of it...
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4/12/2020 - Casa HeRo wrote: 90 Points
God frukt og fylde, tanniner nok til å matche lammestek og fløtepoteter. Matvin som må siles og dekanteres.
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3/14/2020 - brianakrin wrote: 92 Points
Young Rich D /H but I would hold a bit
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3/13/2020 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby color. Elegant nose of spiced red fruit compote and cream. Medium to full bodied and juicy on the palate.
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1/19/2020 - djarcara wrote: 90 Points
Deep purple color. Still fairly primary and tannic. Dark fruit and a bit of earth and tobacco. Almost a little closed down. Needs more time. 5+ years?? Has another 10 years after that. Decant for aeration and sediment.
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1/15/2020 - markcic wrote: 86 Points
It has been over 6 years since i last tried a bottle. I bought a half case in 2013 and drank three bottles that year rating them at the 90 mark. I reviewd my notes from them after tasting this bottle and it sounded like a different wine. This wine had a nose of dark fruit which was nice. The palate on the other hand was like drinking roasted root vegetables and was not pleasant. The finish was moderate in length but reminded me of roasted parsnips. It just wasnt a pleasant drinking experrience. It wasn't bad just not pleasant. For my wife and I along with our Wednesday night dinner partners to leave a third of the bottle on the table really sums it up.
I have two bottles left and I will keep them downstairs for a while.
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12/2/2019 - W2WineGuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
give it a "wow" score. In a great spot, pretty much pop and pour, and well integrated, smooth, ready to go. Enjoy if you have
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11/17/2019 - MJMorris55 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initial nose was funky but it didn’t last long. Deep purple color. Once the wine got some air the nose was full with leather, cedarbox, hints of floral violets and forest floor. The flavors included blackberry, blueberries, black fruits with just a tad prune and sweet vanilla. Fully integrated tannins. Beautiful wine.
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11/17/2019 - Snowryeder Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful! drinking so well, the favorite of the night. red fruits, black currant and soft earthiness. Tannins fully resolved.
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11/10/2019 - Harrie wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Coen’s. In its prime. Absolutely gorgeous, even after only 30 minutes of air. Will not get better.
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10/15/2019 - nschmidt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at gathering of friends and family at home. Beautifully balanced, smooth drinking and just delicious.
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10/13/2019 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bo & Sarah over for lunch: cedar, black currant, graphite, blackberries, plum, espresso, medium to full body, long strong finish, in a great spot, yet years of life ahead.
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10/8/2019 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 94 Points
Integrated flavors. Wood under control.
Fruity, with earthyness.
Very well balanced.
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7/29/2019 - prasm Likes this wine: 92 Points
My 2nd of 3 bottles, first consumed in March of 2013, pop and pour - consumed over 2 hours. Nose: Medium-plus expressiveness, rust, bright red fruit - cherry - with dark fruit undertones, leather and tobacco notes - very Barolo like on the nose. Palate: Medium-full bodied, ripe red and dark fruit attack, spice driven mid-palate lift, soft (not Barolo like) but gritty tannins with earthy notes in the back-end. Finish: Medium-plus length dominated by ripe dark red fruit and earthiness. This has evolved wonderfully in the 6 years since I last tasted with the palate rounding out very nicely. Drink now or within the next 2-3 years.
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7/25/2019 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great Rioja, cedar, dried red fruit, espresso, oak is present yet not too dominant, leather, tannins have resolved, medium to full body, years of live ahead, black currant, excellent long finish.
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7/10/2019 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice Rioja with depth, fine tannins and ample acidity -- a good food wine. Very dry and a touch edgy on the finish. Maybe never had time to fully open up as served at a party and was gone quickly.
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6/20/2019 - kickdog wrote: 93 Points
Great wine once it opened up after an hour decant. Lots of sediment. Used a coffee filter. Wish I had more.
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6/6/2019 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Served blind at our tasting group, this was the highlight of the evening for me. The host opened, but did not decant, about three hours before serving. Coming off a prior wine in the lineup that had shown quite rich and jammy, this was a model of restraint. Modest red fruit, spice, firm tannins and freshening acidity put this squarely in the “classic” camp. The balance of fruit and tannin was tilted a bit towards structure, but overall it drank quite well. Certainly some cellar time could soften up the tannins a bit. Check in periodically to make sure the structure does not outlast the fruit.
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5/26/2019 - Herschel Krustofski Likes this wine: 94 Points
This keeps getting better. I must have opened the previous two bottles too early.
Tasted several samples from Coravin with consistent results.
Not decanted in a decanter, but rather allowed to breath in the glass for an hour (after filtering sediment with a coffee filter, which does increase aeration compared to just pouring straight to the glass - in this case - this is an advantage).
It has everything I'm looking for in a Rioja Gran Reserva.
I can add this to a growing list of delicious 2005s that feel quite polished, balanced and easy going (given enough bottle age and aeration).
I was tempted to score it higher but although everything is in place, it feels just a little too polished and/or perhaps a little more predictable (or perhaps uniform) than other vintages. Having said this, we have quite a few bottles of this favourite and perhaps we just need to diversify.
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5/13/2019 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #330; Spain; Priorat, Rioja or Ribeira del Duero (@ JdB): In the bouquet sweet spices like cinnamon and vanilla, herbs and dark berries as well. On the palate chocolate, red and dark berries, a firm amount of good and fresh acidity, vanilla forest floor and tannin which shows some pleasant evolution. Beautiful wine in its (young) maturity stage now.
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5/4/2019 - BrunelloBob wrote: 89 Points
Drank over two nights. Fruit came forward more on the second. A bit one dimensional, oaky.
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4/20/2019 - ChateauDutremble Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nez ouvert et complexe de prune broyé, de cuir, boîte à cigare, de note viandé et d'anis... et de cassonade par la suite ! Tannins encore présents : corsé, charpenté, gras...superbe texture. Longue finale épicée/poivrée... magnifique !
Could hold the next bottle for 2-3 years but don't think I will be able to wait!! 95+
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4/20/2019 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with previous notes.
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4/11/2019 - Derrik wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful Rioja with perfectly matured aroma, complex bouquet of cherries, leather, coconut and a little menthol.
On the palate in perfect weight distribution, great length and aciditiy structure. Some Mugas are heavy and not my style. This is a little more elegant in spite of Power, deep and more traditional. Great Rioja.
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4/10/2019 - ChristP Likes this wine: 95 Points
In the two years since last tasted, this wine hasn't really aged. The color in the glass was dark, almost purple. Fruit aromas were immediately apparent on opening. After an hour and a half in the decanter, it was silky smooth and mellow with gorgeous dark fruits to match the nose. The body was full and, as when tasted before, lightly acidic with silky tannins and a long black cherry finish. This remains outstanding Rioja that's now in its prime. In fact, there is nothing else that I could want in a Rioja. My expectation is that this Gran Reserva will remain outstandingly good over another 8-10 years.
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4/3/2019 - stevenc.rees@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still youthful but the tannins are rounding out nicely. Drinkable now and very tasty, but I'd hold it another 5-10 years to get the most out of it. Of course, I like old Riojas, so take that advice cautiously. Firm in the mid palate and long in the finish. Good character; excellent example of what a Rioja can be.
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3/31/2019 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
These wines are still so young, they need hours of decanting. First day, it’s pretty but comes off as lightweight. A day later and all the depth comes out, rich black fruits, tobacco, and leather, and burly tannins. This could last another 20 years.
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3/30/2019 - Casa HeRo wrote: 90 Points
Fortsatt en matvin som må dekanteres, utvikler god fylde og avrunding med åra. Ble servert til pannestekt biff.
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1/20/2019 - philmtl Likes this wine:
Très bon. J'aurais pu lui laisser encore du temps pour qu'il soit exactement là où je le veux. Le nez est complexe: fruits noirs, cuir, tabac blond, épices, bois brûlé et un petit peu de fauve. En bouche, les arômes se poursuivent. Encore une belle acidité et des tanins présents. Belle longueur. Bref, très agréable. Ce vin peut encore se bonifier. L'acidité et les tanins peuvent s'assouplir et le bois peut continuer à s'amoindrir. J'aurais une autre bouteille, j'aurais attendu 3 ans.
2 heures de carafe avant de se l'envoyer derrière la cravate.
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12/16/2018 - elevwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely wine. Needs decanting. Much better after 1 hour decant.
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11/14/2018 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 91 Points
delicious but did not budge on night one or night 2
so another bottle needing a long decant or more sleep time
will be a reward if you can keep your hands off this for awhile
looked back at a note from 2017 where there was some age on the nose, so there is some bottle variation
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9/30/2018 - JackLynch00@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Very pretty. Dark purple; black cherry and violets on the palate. Classic and well-made Rioja, with sweet fruit and well-integrated oak.
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9/21/2018 - paul canet wrote: 94 Points
Stunning!!! absolument délicieux. au nez, en bouche, long, complexe, fruits rouges, belle balance. Tres bon en ce moment. va assurément évoluer pour le mieux dans les prochaines années
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8/26/2018 - Slaz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent gran reserva rioja. A notable improvement relative to my last tasting few years ago. Full of energy and much vigor and terrific acidity. Was highly promising upon opening and got only better over several hours of decanting. Earthy notes with plenty of dark fruit on the palate. Delightful nose. Too bad this was my last bottle from the 2005 vintage; will have to pace myself with my 2006 batch.
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8/24/2018 - mattstolz11 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose started a little funky with some greek yogurty nose but that blew off after a few minutes in the glass to a beautiful earthy, leather, cherry notes, with the palate echoing the nose. Plenty of dusty tannin remain, this is not a bottle that you need to be in a hurry to open, but its in a wonderful place right now.
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8/16/2018 - nschmidt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with friends at home accompanying a mediterranean dinner. Beautifully balanced medium bodied and in a good drinking window.
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8/12/2018 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Continues to perform at a high level, dark cassis fruits with more elevated acidity than say a left bank Bordeaux, complexity in spades, a little of the classic gloss one gets from the Prado Enea, and I’m happy.
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7/24/2018 - bemeyer Likes this wine:
Great Color and flavor s. Wine should be decanted for an hour. Can drink now or hold for several years
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7/15/2018 - mattscellar1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful with Carnitas and pans yellow salad
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6/24/2018 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow....what a bouquet!....leaps from the bottle and more so in the glass.. nose has a pronounced leather spice tobacco floral note...
Color was just beginning to show the slightest of bricking, mostly
Vibrant dusty red still.... on the palate it’s delicious, with the fruit nicely integrated with the aroma components noted above...
Really enjoyed this wine... I think this is in its prime window now..
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6/2/2018 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super smooth. Tannins have rounded out, just a little on the back end after some oak mid palate. Acidic. Solidly old world that leans more towards graphite, dust and tobacco flavors than fruit.
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4/15/2018 - lucvary Likes this wine: 91 Points
Très bon nez, tannin assoupli. Meilleur après 1h de carafe. Il a besoin d’air
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4/14/2018 - soyhead wrote:
chainthroers note below pretty well sums it up. made in a modern style.
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4/12/2018 - Chainthroer wrote: 92 Points
Similar to my notes of 6/8/2017 "Dark garnet; opaque. Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, hints of chocolate, spice. Tannin is soft and integrated into the wine. Nice structure and acid. Rich and intense fruit. A longish finish.
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4/6/2018 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
Still youngish, give it air, at least an hour.
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3/30/2018 - Harrie Likes this wine: 94 Points
A prima donna, even after thirteen years. Less than an hour of air is punished by acidity that keeps joy in check. But then... the spirits Muga’s wine wizards put in the bottle of the bottle escape to produce a wine that effortlessly combines endless fragrances with deep flavors. Gorgeous at this point in its life. Will it get much better? Not sure.
Yet the 2013 Terra de Zambujeiro opened after two Prado‘s, by itself with a respectable 93 Parker endorsement, paled in comparison.
Got hold of six 2010 Prado Enea‘s in the meanwhile and look forward to future highlights as tonight.
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3/28/2018 - mwneil Likes this wine: 94 Points
Balanced, complex with good structure, medium bodied but light on its feet, good fruit, drank easily, drank with steak, would drink again.
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3/2/2018 - pjbeans Likes this wine:
Brought and drank at Entente in Chicago. Decanter for 60 minutes. Dark purple, little signs of aging. Classic Rioja with a slightly modern flavor profile. Dark fruit, little oak influence, no citrus/ orange peel yet. Still a baby with years of life left but delicious now.
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2/22/2018 - AudunG wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at Pergola wine bar. Aromas of cherry, liquorice, vanilla and foxy oak. Sweet, juicy and tart in the mouth. Not very complex at the moment. Probably needs some years to put itself together.
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1/20/2018 - Herschel Krustofski Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coravin sample: begins to open up after 30-45 min in the glass. Great after 2 - 3.5 hours in the glass.
I'd give it a 1 hour decant and follow its development the rest of the evening.
Classic flavour profile. Like other 2005s I find this relatively more approachable than other vintages at this stage (in particular the 2004).
Just ready but ideally keep at least another 2 years (if you can't wait another 8-10).
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1/19/2018 - Swaggering Beaunie Likes this wine:
We had this with our dinner this evening at the Holly Hill Inn, and it was delightful, showing fragrant black cherry, and a firm, but deft and light-footed, Spanish rectitude.....a dancer. It is a fine old-school Rioja. Highly recommended.
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12/7/2017 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is such great Rioja. One of those wines that they only make in good enough vintages...you have to appreciate that. The nose shows vanilla bean, cherry licorice, leather, and spice. medium to full bodied with well integrated oak, dark fruits,and rhubarb pie Chewy but silky tannins and a long finish. Feels young for a 12 year old.
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11/2/2017 - bugdoced wrote: 92 Points
some age on the nose, but youthful exhuberance on the palate
years of life left
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10/14/2017 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 93 Points
Très belle Rioja, disque un peu orangé trahissant son âge. Belle texture soyeuse avec des arômes profonds de fruits. Absolument delicieux. A encore bénéficier de la carafe.
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8/14/2017 - Bryan004 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same as previous note but turned a little austere toward the 3 hour mark. No rush to drink.
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7/10/2017 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tobacco, black cherry and minerality dance together nicely here. Decanted for an hour. Great texture and amazing concentration. Layers of complexity. The wine started to show its personality by the third glass. I would give this wine another 5 years to evolve. Magical juice.
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7/8/2017 - Escher Cellars wrote: 94 Points
What a beauty! Dark chocolate, balanced spices, wonderful lingering aftertaste, delicious wine overall. Enjoy, cheers.
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6/8/2017 - Chainthroer wrote: 92 Points
Dark garnet; opaque. Blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, hints of chocolate, spice. Tannin is soft and integrated into the wine. Nice structure and acid. Rich and intense fruit. A longish finish. Paired well with roasted chicken. Score 92+.
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5/29/2017 - JS199 wrote: 94 Points
Pretty integrated, and very tasty.
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4/14/2017 - Ken332 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted about 5 hours before serving at dinner with work colleagues and friends. Served with grilled steak and 3 other wines, including 2004 Haut Bailly, 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou, and 2002 Lafite. The Muga Prado Enea, while still young, certainly held its own among this flight of excellent Bordeaux. Nice nose of plums, blackberries and oak with moderate, soft tannins in the initial flavors and mid-range and very good length. This wine is approaching its drinkable period but will improve for several years and hold for 10-15 years. I think the 2005 Prado Enea is more advanced for current drinking than the 2006, but both are excellent wines and hold their own with Excellent Bordeaux.
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3/23/2017 - John O' Likes this wine:
My God, that was good.
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3/14/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
This was great and a terrific example of why I should drink more Rioja than I do - dark pruney/figgy fruit, cedar, fur, spices. Beautifully balanced with a long finish. I'd love to see this again in 10 years.
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3/11/2017 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
The wine was dark ruby in colour, leaning towards garnet, and threw some fine sediment. It offered red fruit, cherry, chocolate, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, anise, clove and some tobacco as well as some smoke on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, clove, some anise and some tobacco as well as wood smoke and balsamic notes, complemented by underlying mineral notes, with good, lively acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin and incredible length. The alcohol was noticeable, but the medium- to full-bodied wine was well balanced, with good structure and concentration and very good complexity. The vibrant wine was still young, but it seemed to be starting to lose its baby fat. It benefited from a two-hour decant and showed great potential for future development. You may pop the cork now, but I would recommend holding off for at least another three years.
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2/25/2017 - up4wine wrote: 90 Points
Smokey and straight ahead. It is a very good wine, but I had hoped for more for a wine from this vintage and at this price point. Fruit was a bit hidden by the heavy hand of oak. Balance front to back was excellent, but not a lot of nuance or twists and turns.
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12/17/2016 - winepaw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still youthful. Full bodied, ripe dark fruit with layers of mineral and spice adding to its complexity. Bold flavors, but with nice balance. Should continue to drink well for many more years.
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11/20/2016 - deekmon wrote: 92 Points
80% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Garnacha, 5% Graciano
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11/17/2016 - Ken332 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted several hours before serving and notes are from the second night of tasting. Initial nose and flavors of plums, touch of wood, cassis, spices, and touch of caramel. Soft round tannins in the mid-range and long finish. This is an excellent Rioja that takes to time to open up and requires decanting and breathing but has excellent balance, good acidity, and considerable complexity. Wish I had more than I do.
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11/12/2016 - Zoomin Z wrote: flawed
Bad weekend (see previous wine, plus a skunked raspberry ale). From a fund-raiser bottle not from my cellar. "Interesting" cinnamon nose. Otherwise, a straightforward, Rioja nose and fruit that rapidly deteriorated. Tannins all gone, lost in lots of sediment.
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11/2/2016 - djarcara Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Rioja. Dark fruit, earth, and tobacco. Still dark purple in color. Great tanninc structure with a pronounced acidity. Has 10+ year ahead of it. Decant for sediment.
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10/29/2016 - BSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
From memory. No decant. This was our third (Rioja) red wine of our lunch meal. We all thought this took us much more in the direction of Bdx, perhaps because of the more subtle and firmer style, less sweetness in the fruit and the clear hints of pencil shavings on the nose. It is absolutely drinkable now, but our guess is that it would benefit greatly from further cellaring. Would be fun to retaste this in say 5 and 10 years time, though it would probably improve beyond that. 92 - 94+p.
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10/26/2016 - texanoblues Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to previous two bottles.
Dark core with violet/magenta rim. Terrific nose with: blackberry, plum, anise, dark chocolate, oak, and clove. Same notes on the palate with some cola as well, supported by ample fine-grained tannins, mouth-watering acidity, and appropriate alcohol. Very long tart blackberry finish. 95-96.
I agree with RP with respect to the score, but have to say it seems he was mistaken about the drinking window (2013-2030). This bottle, and the previous two were still absolute babies. Purple and primary. I expect, properly cellared, it is five years away from being red and perhaps 12-15 yrs from being red/orange (which is when I want to drink my remaining two).
As young as it was, this bottle was mesmerizing. I can only imagine what it would have been in another 10-15yrs..........
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10/15/2016 - AV2012 wrote: 92 Points
Soft barnyardy, ready to drink, lovely.
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9/11/2016 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
I can't believe people call this new world...Its Old school Rioja in the beginning of tis maturity stages, so its still on the younger side. There is very little fruit here, its all about complexity and depth. Its right in the drinking window and gains weight and complexity in the glass as it unfolds. Tamarind, cedar, sweet and sour, with lots of orange peel and graphite. No oak abuse, which make it nice for me...
This is a great wine, in the lines of Vina Ardasnza's 2005 vintage. The difference is the price. The Ardanza is 30 bucks and this is almost double.
Good wine, not great QPR. Drink or hold
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8/3/2016 - adipovino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fruit forward Rioja. Solid but lacks the balance and harmony of the '06.
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7/26/2016 - James Bornn wrote: 84 Points
Previous bottle had bright fruit, but this was noticeably more dull and I just couldn't coax much out of it. Drying and chunky right through to the finish. Also stylistically pretty extracted for a Gran Reserva Rioja.
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6/18/2016 - Bryan004 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I'm not going into the the discussion of what it should be....new world/old world...this was fantastic. Vivid raspberry, cherry and leather on the nose with a gorgeous toast...really nicely integrated oak. Perfectly ripe tannin coupled with med-plus acidity just kept it going. It got better in the three hours open but I wouldn't say by much. Just lovely, nose matched the palate. This went perfectly with Icelandic lamb and candied sweet potato. i'll contradict my opening statement and say it leans in the 'new world' direction but it was just delicious. I would imagine another great 10 plus years. For the price this has always been a fantastic deal, a true Gran Reserva and I'm extremely excited for the 2010. 94+
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5/20/2016 - James Bornn wrote:
Very good wine, and on the "reserva rioja" style scale lies somewhere between the 05 Cune and the 05 904. That said it is still too dark fruited to carry that exciting juiciness that can make Rioja so thrilling. The best parts are on the nose which contains a lot of brighter floral elements which help to bring it back to earth.
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4/23/2016 - Casa HeRo wrote: 90 Points
Meget god til lammeknoke med potetpuré, kålrabistappe og rødvinssaus. Dette er en matvin som tåler mange år til i kjelleren.
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4/14/2016 - ChristP Likes this wine: 95 Points
The Muga Gran Reserva was fully consistent with when last tasted (8/19/2015) but perhaps slightly more rounded and mellow just 7 months on. I said last time I wasn't going to try another bottle for a year or two. But I just couldn't stop myself! There were generous aromas of dark fruits. And on the palate it is full-bodied and lightly acidic with smoothed tannins and a long satisfying finish of black cherry. This is outstanding Rioja at unbeatable value. It's enjoyable now but should hold well for 10+ years (if I can follow my own advice).
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3/28/2016 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 91 Points
Visited the winery in 2013 when this was just being released. Love muga. This was a great wine, low alcohol, no heat, Asian spice, mocha, dill, sweet cherry, and some lingering tannins. This was not as good as the 2004, but then this needs five years. I wouldn't age it forever, because the upfront fruit is so nice. For the price, you get a fine wine to treasure.
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3/25/2016 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well integrated with Asian spice, mocha, blue and black fruit. Wonderful floral aromas.
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2/13/2016 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted. Still has some tannins in back end but stands up great with a hearty meal. Continued to evolve over 90 minutes. Should be interesting for years to come. QPR can't be beat.
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1/29/2016 - texanoblues Likes this wine:
Similar to bottle on 4/7/15
Dark red and clear with no sediment. Open and generous with blackberry, anise, vanilla, plum and menthol. Firm, but not too hard or rough. Outstanding in its youth, but probably a decade away from maturity.
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1/16/2016 - adipovino wrote: 90 Points
Fruit forward. Oak very prominent. Hopefully will integrate better with time. Inferior to the outstanding 2006.
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1/12/2016 - Rezy13 wrote:
Tuesday Night Double Blind $40+: Very dark core with garnet rim; nutty, VA, black tea, olive, mineral, grainy, fresh berry, dark fruit, dense, cedary, brown sugar; good structure, a certain fleshiness, cedary tannin, juicy dark fruit, grippy grainy tannin, plum; needs more time, very different than previous bottles, lets hope the tannins settle.
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1/9/2016 - iamthera wrote: 85 Points
Not impressed at all
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1/8/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a very solid and good Rioja but was sandwiched between 2 2008 Armand Rousseau charmes chambertin
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12/24/2015 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 95 Points
Dark ruby color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose is quite attractive - deep in aroma, sappy and amplified by a high octane level. Flavors of dark cherry, currants, cola, violets, incense, toasted cedar, dark chocolate, scorched earth and espresso are well-integrated in a full-bodied, polished, velvety palate that finishes long with gripping but refined tannin. What a difference time had made: in the bottle as well as providing some aeration; and what a blunder for me to have scored it 3 points lower just a few months ago! Drink now with a 1-hr decant until 2025.
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12/16/2015 - Grape_ape Likes this wine:
Still pretty young.. tasted along side some more traditional producers, with more age on them and this came across as decidedly more modern and with more primary fruit showing. Still really nice by may benefit from more time in the bottle
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11/30/2015 - belfast taxman wrote: 93 Points
Drunk in Restaurante Gorria in Barcelona with its natural partner - lamb from Navarra - this is absolutely what I think Rioja should be. Well rounded but with that edge of spice and just a hint of sweet vanilla from the oak. A good long finish with only the subtlest of tannins. A truly lovely wine
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11/23/2015 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 91 Points
Très bon vin, beaucoup de matière.
Arômes de chênes et de fruits, un peu de vanille et d'épice.
Bouche très tanniques avec du chêne assez marqué. C'est très dense et d'une belle longueur.
Un peu trop intense même? Sûrement qu'il sera meilleur avec encore un peu de temps? Déjà à son 10ème anniversaire, à regouter dans 5 ans?
À boire entre 2015-2024 selon CT.. Donc prochaine bouteille autour de 2020.
RQP ***1/2
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11/15/2015 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine:
Wine is drinking great here. We decayed and consumed over two and a half hours. Flavor profile didn't change appreciably after the first thirty minutes. We took to our favorite Basque restaurant in Atlanta and the wine was humming with dishes like Duck ricollette on toast with cherry compote and blue cheese, roasted duck, piqueno peppers stuffed with braised boar. You get the idea. This is a better food wine than just sipping wine, and we found hues of cherries and lighter fruit among great tannic backbone and some wet earth (not stone per se, more like clay). Wonderful wine drinking well here with a little air.
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11/13/2015 - millerarner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yum. Will be better in a couple years.
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11/11/2015 - km5 wrote:
Book mark for friday
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11/10/2015 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
I like the 2004 of this more, but this is still a very fine wine. Red fruits, some spice, sweet Oak, nice acidity. Finish is a tad shorter and the depth a little less than the 2004, but this wine could last longer than the 2004.
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11/1/2015 - winepaw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Comparative tasting with 2004 Muga Rioja Reserva and 2004 Muga "Torre Muga". Me and most tasters preferred the 2005 Prado Enea over the other 2 Mugas. Very pleasant, aromatic, dark fruit nose, repeating on the palate. Nice earth and mineral notes with balanced acidity and a nice touch of oak on the finish. Has the structure to improve further in the cellar and drink well for many more years. Try again 2016.
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10/14/2015 - tgang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark chocolate, tobacco and nicely floral. Absolutely wonderful and reminds me why I love Rioja. One of my favorite bottles of wine that I've opened in the last 6 months.
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10/11/2015 - JWSOMMERFELD Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep ruby. Medium intensity, developing nose of dark cherry, ripe raspberry, coconut, banana, cola, (cherry coke!). Rich, concentrated palate mirrors nose. Medium+ acidity and tannin, long finish. Really loved this wine.
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10/8/2015 - rpontual Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drinking nicely, good acidity balance.
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10/3/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Dark ruby. A whiff of pine but very strong black cherry liqueur scents. Fuller bodied and more dense than I am used to with this cuvée. Delicious interplay between vanillin and the very deep fruit. Clear woody base but not overbearing. Lush and long with ripe tannins. A modern rendition of Prado Enea but completely winning due to its balance and stuffing. This should last and improve for several decades.
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9/23/2015 - Yale79 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Awesome
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9/18/2015 - CondorKhan wrote: 93 Points
Intense aroma of a gentleman’s study, paneled in oak, full of leather volumes and soaked with decades of fine cigar smoke.
On the palate, the exquisite tension between old oak and bright cherry fruit is absolutely delightful. One of the great examples in the world of how to properly integrate oak. Despite the musty oak paneled room flavors, this is positively exploding with freshness and acidity. Mouthwatering and fascinating. Finish is looong, with significant acidity and tannins. This was just as good freshly opened as it was after 3 hours of air. Elegant, even burgundian. A bona fide classic. Fantastic paired with chicken yucca pie, Puerto Rican style.
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9/9/2015 - absolut wrote: 91 Points
sehr konzentriert und hitzig; Extraktsüße und hellere Früchte, wenig Säure, harmonisch und PGV ok
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9/9/2015 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Darker color than many Gran Reservas though the nose brings you back with the strong oak influence, coconut, vanilla, cream and dark red cherry, a pureness to it, youthful and sappy right now this has nice texture and richness to improve over the next 10 years in a cool cellar in hope that the oak takes less of a leading role over that time and the fruit and secondary notes really shine.
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9/6/2015 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hrs. First of four bottles and what an impressive specimen we have here. Initially a bit monolithic on the nose, but a couple of hours of air really fanned out the aromatic qualities. Dark blackberry, shades of cedar, rich oak spice, but also a terrific nose of violets and grilled meats. The palate echoed the nose to a degree and while on paper one might conclude this was a new world inspired Rioja, quite the contrary, somehow it delivered in a steam lined almost elegant fashion. Sound acidity seems to be the conduit in which this occurs and tannins, while not obtrusive, lend a supporting hand. Pulls off a neat hat trick of being accessible and charming today, firmly rooted in its sense of place, and having a unique personality and storyline. All under $60.
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8/31/2015 - JS199 wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous notes.
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8/21/2015 - PBR Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black fruit, plum and leather on the nose.......tasted slight hint of earth and mediums tannins. Great smooth finish and great balance in this wine. Really enjoyed this Rioja.
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8/19/2015 - ChristP Likes this wine: 95 Points
Allowed about 2 hours. Dark red with long and lasting legs in the glass. Beautiful, enticing aroma that continued to change. Unfortunately, I was unable to take detailed notes on the night to capture the spectrum that it went through. However, it was full bodied and rich in fruits with a hint of citrus on the front and black cherry on the back of the tongue. There is a lot of oak present in a nice way. It has a long finish. This is an outstanding Gran Reserva that has not yet reached its prime and still has a lot of years ahead of it. This is one for the cellar, and I won't try this again for another year or two (if I can restrain myself).
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8/18/2015 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Distinctively Rioja.
Fleshy strawberries, citrus, and balsamic vinegar with wafts of tobacco, amidst a backdrop of sneaky strong tannins. They seem soft at first but my mouth is thoroughly puckered.
The wine is not very complex. What impresses about this wine are the purity, strength, and simple deliciousness. And the fact that its identity is so clear.
For $55 on KLWines, this was a great value.
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8/8/2015 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very earthy and mineral on the nose at open. Strawberry and raspberry and tart citrus on a medium long finish. 2hrs in this shows the same continuing notes, but with additional leather, mint and charcoal. What a fantastic medley! Dark in color but very light in the mouth. Looking to see how this will age. Will wait 5 years for next bottle.
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7/12/2015 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tempranillo at a very high level. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Good, but not overwhelming, tannins. Bold fruit. A to Z a winner. A fitting end to a wonderful 3+ hour lunch by the ocean!
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7/12/2015 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good, supple rioja. Deep purple, almost black, in color. Plenty of dark fruits such as plum and blackberry jam. A little hot on the back of the tongue. Tannins still evident but not overpowering. Great smooth mouth feel and nice long finish.
I'm giving it a 92 based on how I think it's going to perform over the next several years versus where it is today. It's very good today but should be great in 3-5 years.
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6/19/2015 - Ken332 wrote: 94 Points
Double decanted about an hour before serving at a celebratory dinner for one of my doctoral students who completed her degree. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Muga Reserva's from 2006-2011, but this is a substantial step up. The nose was very pronounced when I double decanted, with cassis, blackberries, and wood. Not as fruit forward as some of the recent reservas, this wine has intense, complicated flavors in the initial taste and mid-range, and moderate, soft tannins in the lengthy finish. Very well balanced, this should last for 10+ years and continue to develop. My rating may seem high compared to others on this site, but is consistent with some other ratings and lower than the 95 given by Neil Martin in the Wine Advocate.
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6/12/2015 - David J Cooper wrote: 85 Points
Dark red/black. Very tight nose. What is there is roasted dark fruit. Big and hot. Was shocked to find out it was the Prado Enea.
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6/7/2015 - farinas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very bold and supple Rioja, cut more in the modern style yet with hints of the former process.
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5/30/2015 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tempranillo at a very high level. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Good, but not overwhelming, tannins. Bold fruit. A to Z a winner. We have some more that we will drink over the next decade.
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5/23/2015 - happy712 Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Blind tasted this against 10 other wines. 4 sommeliers agreed this did not taste like a classic Rioja Gran Reserva. Too tannic.
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5/23/2015 - JDV.DDSPHD wrote: 91 Points
Had this at Gary Danko in San Fran. Very nice and starting to really come together. They decanted this and the bouquet was beautiful. Some plum, black licorice, and a touch of cigar smoke. Tannins have settled and you get this nice floral nose with a touch of a spice. Not like a zin but just right.
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5/4/2015 - JS199 wrote: 93 Points
A deep powerful wine that comes across with lots of finesse. Sour and spicy, like hot and sour soup. 93/94
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4/24/2015 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured-- great nose of fruit with oak at near perfection....palate was black cherry, menthol, eucalyptus, vanilla oak, long acidic citrus orange finish-almost tart. After 15 min, long finish smoothed out with only fruit left with slight citrus feel. 30 min in, fruit oak, citrus in near perfect harmony. Will let my bottles sit another 2-3 yrs, as I think this can get even better.
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4/19/2015 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tried this at the Bazaar restaurant in Beverly Hills. An amazing modern style Rioja. Still young but with a lot of potential. Some animal tones (leather, stable) and very complex. One of the best red Riojas I have tried.
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4/19/2015 - rpontual Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drinking nicely now
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4/11/2015 - Mr Coone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Firstly, I'm not familiar with Spanish wines, but this one really surprised me. Served it at approximately 14° C (immediately out of the cellar)
Colour: Deep red, ruby colour.
Nose: Bordeaux. If this was a blind tasting, I would have guessed this was a Bordeaux. This wine would have fooled me.
Palate: fresh acids, with a quite some vanilla
Finish: dry at first, but long and sweet in the end.
I really like this one!
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4/7/2015 - texanoblues Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red with violet hues and clear. Vibrant red fruit nose, with some anise, little earth and leather. On the palate, this was very bright and lively. Good mouth-feel, with firm tannins, ample acidity, and appropriate alcohol concentration. I agree entirely with others' notes, that this is a departure from most traditional Riojas. Interestingly, I didn't detect any oak, and the wine, to me, was very similar to the Tempranillos coming from Ribera Del Duero. In fact, if I were tasting blind, that would probably have been my guess.
Same bottle: Day2: Kept the wine in the bottle corked, overnight at room temperature. The wine appears the same. Similar notes on the nose, but now add in a wonderful cola note. Vibrant sour cherry on the palate, supported by ample acidity and moderate tannins. Tasting much more like Rioja today, but still modern.
Fantastic bottle! I'm glad I have more of this and will enjoy watching it change over the years. Hard part will be keeping my hands off it in the meantime....
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4/5/2015 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose is syrupy with dark, ripe fruit - somewhat modern in style for a Rioja Gran Reserva, with hints of tobacco and rich, scorched earth. The palate is dry, full-bodied with a velvety texture. Flavors of toasted oak, graphite, earth, and some ripe black currant, dark cherry, blackberry in the background. Quite intriguing for a Rioja. However, Bodegas Muga has been churning some very interesting wines lately - offering a modern twist to an otherwise traditional-styled region. Finishes long with hints of dried herb and lingering toasted oak. Drink now with 30 minutes decanting until 2025.
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4/5/2015 - vintman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed on Easter with BBQ. Complimented very well. This will get even better over time.
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3/20/2015 - En3rgizer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent wine with notes of berries, chocolate, vanilla and oak. Taste very well balance. I think you should drink sooner than later.
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2/26/2015 - saltan72 wrote: 94 Points
Drinking well, beautiful bouquet upon first nose. Blackberry and chocolate. Drank first day back from Cabo 2015 trip
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2/15/2015 - WLH Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still needs a few more years.
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2/8/2015 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
We decanted the wine for 90 minutes and followed its development for another two hours. It was dark ruby in colour and threw some sediment. On the nose the wine offered red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, cola, cocoa, lead pencil, cedar, leather, clove, anise and vanilla. On the medium- to full-bodied palate the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, coffee, cola, cocoa, cedar, wood smoke, Asian spices and vanilla, supplemented by underlying minerality, with medium-plus acidity, fine, medium to medium-plus tannin, a creamy mouthfeel, moderate heat from the alcohol and superb length. A great, balanced, vibrant Rioja! Still very young, oak and tannin still need time to integrate, but the wine is delicious and charming already, with great potential. Very good value! You may start drinking from 2016, but I would recommend holding off until 2020.
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1/30/2015 - short and confused wrote:
Popped and poured. Deep ruby. Clearly some great material here but relatively monolithic on the nose and on the palate at this point. It is pretty seamless now with some lovely smoke, minerals and vanilla. I have loved this bottling with age and I think this needs a few years (or more time in the glass/decanter) to really express itself.
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1/25/2015 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Spanish (Kevin's house): A small tasting pour. There was leather, gunpowder, tar and slightly funk earth. I liked this quite a bit, it drinks young, and I would imagine this to turn into something special in the years to come.
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1/24/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club - Spain (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for around 90 minutes, followed 1 glass over 2 plus hours. The nose has plenty of ripe black fruits, blackberry, tar, spme damp earth. The palate is dense and layered, earth, blackberry liqueur, somewhat sharp and angular with heat on the finish. It did seem as if this was gradually improving later in the evening. This still seems youthful to me with nice potential in 5 years. 91(+)pts.
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1/24/2015 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Young and will develop. Perfume, oak, spices, currants and minerals. Not too tannic and showing some complexity on the finish. Medium to long finish and should evolve over the course of five to ten years. A good buy.
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1/16/2015 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 89 Points
This wine has always flown the flag for traditional Rioja and been consistently good over the years. There is plenty of fruit here, but it is simply too young I feel. So 89 now but no doubt more in at least 5 years time.
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1/3/2015 - Zweder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Regular dinner group (By PvD @ Savarin): In the bouquet ripe dark berry fruits, beautiful oak and smoke. Same on the palate. Red berry fruits as well, a firm amount of good acidity and tannin. Also a pleasant touch of sweetness. A beautiful wine. Early maturity now and a future until at least until 2020.
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1/3/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At home with Wendy and Joe, finishing the holidays with Paella from Despana. Lined up some great Spanish wines for the evening. Decanted this along with an 01 Muga Aro and 08 Flor de Pingus. This was a good first red to start with, given the bigger fruit profile. Decanted for 2+ hours. Air really benefits this wine, especially as its very young in its evol
Dark red/garnet color. Opulent nose of dark fruits, oak and violet notes. Palate with this bottle seemed richer - profile was similar, dark fruits, blackberry plums, leather and vanilla. Medium finish.
Great traditional Rioja style wine. Definitely still evolving, tastes and drinks young, feels like its just coming into its own now. Will pace myself through the balance of the case. Interesting that my guests ranked this behind the "modern" styled Spanish wines presented this evening - which was clearly some tough competition. Seems traditional Rioja is an acquired appreciation...
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1/2/2015 - M. Anthony Lee Likes this wine: 91 Points
Took this to dinner with our friends, because I knew they enjoyed Tempranillo. However, when I found out it was to be paired with empanadas, manchego cheese, pate de canard, and French bread, I thought I had the wrong bottle. I was pleasantly surprised that the wine blended perfectly with all.
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1/1/2015 - Sergio Casado wrote: 93 Points
Acompañó la cena para despedir el 2014 por lo que no tomé notas. Maridó perfectamente con un asado de pavo relleno, acompañado por una compota de manzana y ciruelas. Nariz muy agradable de frutos rojos, tostados suaves, violetas. Se muestra poderoso en boca pero a la vez muy suave y elegante. El vino esta muy joven todavía, pero tiene un tremendo potencial, por lo que voy a esperar hasta 2017 para abrir la siguiente (si puedo resistirme…).
Didn´t take notes as I took the wine for New Year’s Eve dinner. It paired very well with a stuffed turkey accompanied by applesauce with plums. Nice nose of red berries, fine toasts and violets. Powerful but still elegant and smooth. Still very young, but with tremendous potential. Will wait until 2017 to open the next one (if I can resist…).
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11/16/2014 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
(Decanter Fine Wine Event): Developing some real rounded elegance and balance. Has lost some of the more rustic and grainy leather edges it had a year ago. Very good, and early in its drinking window.
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11/7/2014 - DrakkarNoir Likes this wine:
13.5% abv. Nose of black cherries, dark chocolate and coffee. On the verge of being rich and round, but tart acidity and lingering tannins provide some balance. Still young. Seemed more modern than traditional.
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11/2/2014 - awolosewicz Likes this wine:
Liked
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11/2/2014 - SimonN wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, and drinking well I thought. Fairly hefty sediment so worth decanting / filtering
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10/29/2014 - AV2012 wrote: 87 Points
Extensive Spanish tasting: Vanilla and even barnyard on the nose. Classic, of course leaner than Especial, but seemed quite closed at this point. (B/B+)
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10/18/2014 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
(Tasted at Berry's Spain 2014): Since tasting a few times last year, this has shed some of the more rustic hide and clay notes. Appears more fruit forward and rounded, with undercurrents of secondary flavours developing. Bueno!
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10/9/2014 - mike l. wrote: 88 Points
at corazon y miel.
definitely on the tight stubborn side. wish id decanted for half a day.
not sure this will get much better, was fairly simple and fruit forward. food helped.
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10/8/2014 - Joegish Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bought a bottle at Norwalk Total Wine to see what these are like...
Quite nice, lots of dark fruit, medium long finish with great structure. Thought the balance between the fruit and tannins was just about perfect. Really grew on me after about the 3rd or 4th sip. Might search out a few more...was actually a very nice wine.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to consuming the first glass.
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10/3/2014 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At home, first bottle of a recently purchased case. PnP on this bottle, would benefit from some air. Prior tasting was at the Muga winery in Haro, Rioja.
Consistent with prior notes. Red/garnet color. Nice nose right from the bottle - dark fruits, plums, earth and oak. Palate repeats with dried cherry, anise, leather, herbs, vanilla
Medium, elegant finish. Great traditional Rioja style wine. still evolving, it will be interesting to drink and see how it evolves in coming years.
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10/3/2014 - Shanta wrote:
Lashings of sweet American Oak, plush and polished, but with enough of a drying tannin backdrop to keep it in check. Very nice modern interpretation of Rioja; hits the middle of the road style button. 'Could be a good Aussie Shiraz' was an agreed view.
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9/28/2014 - Man in Black wrote:
The wine is clear and bright with a deep garnet colour and presence of legs. The nose is clean and developing, showing medium(+) intensity aromas of dark plums, red cherries, liquorice, anise, thym, leather, cedar and vanilla. The wine is dry in the mouth with a medium acidity. It has medium(+) slightly coarse tannins and a medium(+) slightly warm alcohol. It has a medium(+) body and medium intensity flavours of red cherries, liquorice, thym, leather and cedar. The finish is medium.
It is a very good quality wine. It shows a decent complexity in the nose provided by oak ageing and spicy notes, and it has a nice balance between alcohol and tannins. However the flavour concentration could be more pronounced and the finish longer. Can drink now, but it has enough tannic structure and some fruit concentration to develop a bit more of complexity in the next 5-8 years.
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9/6/2014 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
I liked this wine when I first tasted it in 2012/13. It was a bit subdued this time around... either the result of it going thru and aerator (someone opened it and got residual cork in it... this was done when I wasn't present... or just that it has closed down a bit. (94 for points in an imperfect tasting). Just how good is this wine going to be in 5 years?
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9/5/2014 - scayouette Likes this wine: 89 Points
Très bon
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8/31/2014 - JS199 wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, similar to previous note.
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8/29/2014 - Rezy13 wrote:
Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Dark core with garnet rim; vanilla, dill, red and dark berry, rich and ripe on the nose; smooth texture on the palate but showing some tannin in the back, red and dark berry, integrated vanilla, dried fruit, dill; good, young; this bottle was showing more like most Gran Reservas with the noticeable American oak.
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8/21/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Undulating hills and valleys of maturing fruit and dill-driven structure. Two bottles; two restaurants 94+.
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8/14/2014 - Wfjohn wrote: 91 Points
Great value. Finish is a little thin but the palate is dried cherries and nice acidity. A touch of sour. Tannins still quite present so it could last longer. A little smoke on the nose.
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8/1/2014 - ewsds wrote: 91 Points
This was a somewhat unique wine that seemed both a traditional Rioja and a new age wine at the same time. Still dark in color, but gaining translucency as it starts to show its age, it has an "old world" nose of oaky dark fruits with some bright acidity. On the palate it a bright but smooth texture that improves with additional air. It's got a decidedly dark fruit and leathery Tempranillo flavor profile that is leans slightly toward red fruits from the Grenache and other grapes in the blend. While it's great with a few hours of air, it certainly has the stuffing to improve with more cellar time.
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8/1/2014 - Sturff wrote: 88 Points
Toasty oak, bright acid, plums, dark cherry,
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7/26/2014 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at winery: Sweet strawberry-cherry with shrooms, sweet licorice, silky structure, good intensity, a touch of coconut-vanilla. In American oak. 80% Temp., 20% Gar.
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7/19/2014 - wineamateur wrote: 91 Points
Holiday Spanish Wines 2014; 7/4/2014-7/21/2014: A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% a mix of Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, this straddled traditional and modern stylistically. The silky mouthfeel and glossy sheen to the fruit nodded towards the modern, but the leathery, animal nose - married with violets and plums- was defiantly old school. Relatively high acidity. Vary classy wine with a long future ahead. 13.5%.
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7/14/2014 - sabrage wrote: 87 Points
One hour decant. Deep ruby color. Med/slow legs. Vegital, mineral dust, vanilla and savory nose. Black currant, licorice and plum palate. OK balance with a good amount of acidity. Leather texture. Medium long finish. 13.5% ABV.
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7/8/2014 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At the winery, great tasting hosted by Jesus from Muga. My first experience with Prado Enea (previously having only Torre Muga and Muga reserva). Made in a more traditional Rioja style, vs Muga as a more fruit forward version. Third red of the tasting. 2 years in cask, 3 in the bottle.
Deep red garnet color. Nose is dark fruits and oak. Palate of dark cherry, leather, baking spice, oak, herbs. Tannins still there but softening. Ready to drink now but will age very well....this is an elegant traditional Rioja, really nice.
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6/29/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Just opened with that exciting combination of smoked meats, flowers, dark cherry fruit, cedar, cumin. Maybe leaning towards the more modern side with some French oak showing through? Has much flesh on the palate, and is very vibrant as well. Drinkable now certainly, but with years and years and years left. For Arthur's b-day.
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6/21/2014 - AV2012 wrote: 87 Points
Some wines from a trip; 6/19/2014-7/2/2014: Here to we have a lovely nose of chorizo and salami. Not transparent, light body, but seems quite extracted, somehow remember that 2004 was lighter and more elegant. May be too young? Quite confused about the extraction. (B)
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5/11/2014 - ccn wrote: 87 Points
Similar notes to previous. Doesn't smell or taste like classic Rioja - missing that 'old wood' note. Fairly extracted, phenolic, but without great depth. Tannins slightly drying. Needs 5-10 years, but still.
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5/6/2014 - JMLoree Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spectacular wine for the money.
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5/3/2014 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Liked it, but wasn't floored. Like modern Muga better.
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4/26/2014 - Curton Likes this wine:
Decanted 24 hrs. Deep dark brick red - nose of plums and tart. Very dry and hard tannins. Full bodied with dark fruits and green pepper. In my book yet way too tight and reductive and not enough complex to show the +90 p potential. Or maybe this is just not my style.
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4/21/2014 - VinoKim wrote:
Dark garner red, translucent color. Pretty scents of dried roses and violets, with traditional rioja and burgundian nuances. There is aslo a dusty note. Flavors of blackberry, roses, violets, tomato juice. Velvety in the mouth with some acidity and tannins linger on the palate. Enjoyed with steak but I can see it paired with lamb chops or pork.
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4/19/2014 - jrglm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Phenomenal. This was WOTN at our Spanish night tasting dinner. The wine opened up fantastically over the couple of hours we tasted and had dinner. I'll try another in 2020 or so. Yeah, that's probably not going to happen.
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4/12/2014 - Wfjohn Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fair amount of tannin on first open and smoky on the nose. Sat for 30 mins and the tannins had mellowed greatly. Balanced wine. Might have preferred a little more tannin but overall very enjoyable. Full flavour and I think it could be mistaken for a Bordeaux blend as the tempranillo wasn't in your face. Wonderful when paired with spicier, bold tapas.
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4/7/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Dark fruit, earth, wood spice and a bit of leather on the nose and palate. Lighter, but with enough depth to hold up will against a big dish. Versatile. Medium finish. Nice balance.
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4/6/2014 - JS199 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Ultra suave with lots of intensity. Really impressive. It never let up over three hours. Lots of time left here.
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4/5/2014 - winepaw Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich, very well balanced, dark fruit flavors with earth, leather & spice. Good value in a classical, well made Rioja Gran Reserva. Drinking well now, but should hold up well for years.
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3/31/2014 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A blend of 80% Tempranillo and equal parts of Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo. Rich and plummy colour, well saturated, starting to show some maturity; heady aroma of plums, slightly balsamic note of the wood, spice and floral topnotes; rich and rounded palate, mature Tempranillo to the fore but does not belie its essentially elegant character, lovely weight and balance, well-structured, good tannic grip, rich flavours; excellent length. I like it now, but it will mellow over the next 2-3 years and last many more. At restaurant Serantes II in Bilbao, Spain.
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3/31/2014 - Morty Likes this wine: 94 Points
First half of the bottle consumed with frenched lamb rack. Despite 4 hours & splashy decanting, tasted like a tannic, tight wine. Second half of the bottle consumed next night with BBQ sausages, excellent wine with flavours of black fruit, liquorice, a little mocha and black olives. Supple and contemporary. Great value for money at around $50 ($USD 43.50). Suggest this wine needs at least 3 more years bottle age.
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3/31/2014 - Morty Likes this wine: 94 Points
First half of the bottle consumed with frenched lamb rack. Despite 4 hours & splashy decanting, a tannic, tight wine. Second half of the bottle consumed next night with BBQ sausages, excellent wine with flavours of black fruit, liquorice, a little mocha and black olives. Supple and contemporary. Great value for money at around $50 ($USD 43.50). Suggest this wine needs at least 3 more years bottle age.
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3/25/2014 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
This is much harder to get at than the 2004 was last year; it's got a tough outer shell and even though the fruit feels nearly as rich and dense, it's much harder to get a read on it. More structure, more restrained fruit is the theme. I don't remember if that's in line with the general story of the two vintages or the exact opposite of it, but there you go. The leftovers were much more transparent the next day, still tannic but starting to show some development with some leathery flavors and an almost metallic mineral element.
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3/22/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark ruby. Expressive and lovely nose of red and darker berries, sweet spices, minerality, red pepper, sweet oak and plum. Medium to full-bodied with firm structure and high acidity. Long aftertaste. Still quite youthful, especially on the palate. Would benefit from further aging, but already a very attractive wine.
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3/17/2014 - Decanting fool wrote: 95 Points
This is a great wine. The nose is seductive, hypnotic and endless. Opening with tart cherry that surprisingly morphs into crushed blueberry and blackberry with substantial minerality that just lingers and lingers, this is wonderful and has a long future ahead of it. There's a northern Rhone evocation that I find in certain Riojas that I really love. This is layered and nuanced, with grainy tannin and supple mouth feel. Not anything like Silver Oak to which a previous commentator compared it, aside from a healthy expression of American oak. It has a wonderful tarry, old cheese quality and a hint of brett that is beautiful and old world all the way. Still very young and almost green, though already intellectually and hedonistically satisfying. Stellar. Exceptional QPR and candidate for casehood.
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3/16/2014 - brown57 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bought this wine on a recommendation and we were not sorry when we drank it this past Sunday night. Wonderful notes of woodsmoke, vanilla, honey, and oak, but not in an overdone way. Definitely not a fruit forward wine like the ones we regularly drink on weeknights.
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3/3/2014 - Harley1199 wrote:
Having late supper at Taberna Gaztelupe with Barolo buddies.
Second bottle of the morning and a little disappointed.
Surely to face a GR before its 15 aniversary is a fool work, an absurd.
Dark colour for a unidimensional nose of cinnamon and black fruit.
Palate was tasty but quite shortie for what it must be...
Matching a grilled cod too much salty in our opinion.
De cena tardía en Gaztelupe con algunos colegas de Barolo.
Segunda botella de la madrugada y un poco desilusionado.
Seguramente enfrentarse a un GR antes de su 15 aniversario es un absurdo.
De color oscuro, para una nariz monolítica a canela y frutillos negros.
En boca se mostró sabrosa pero bastante cortita para lo que debe ser...
Maridó un bacalao a la parrilla bien bien saladito.
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3/3/2014 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Nose: Very perfumed and balanced nose with dill, licorice, strawberries, red fruits, spices, dark red cherries, and a touch of graphite. There is a real savory quality to the nose with excellent depth as well.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium/high acidity with silky tannins. The structure is on the sneakier side and it shows some real youth along with dill, licorice, dark red cherries, tobacco, graphite, red currants, and spice notes.
Overall: This is young and absolutely gorgeous. This still needs time, but it is showing extremely well right now.
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3/2/2014 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Much like the last bottle, young and powerful but very enjoyable.
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2/22/2014 - rstark wrote: 85 Points
My first reaction was "this has the same rancid pickle juice characteristic that I get in Silver Oak Alex Valley". All that American oak (3+ years???) has turned this into a dill-infused mess. So hard to detect the fruit, which had a stewed quality anyway, so it's not like we were missing anything. Very disappointing as I've had Muga in the past that didn't taste like this.
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2/21/2014 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Slightly thin at first, but gained weight over a few hours of air. A balance between modern and traditional, but a bit more modern than the 2004 I felt. I prefer the 2004 by a little but this equally has structure and a touch of rustic charm.
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2/3/2014 - JMLoree Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic full bodied Gran Riserva. Ready to consume now. Excellent value.
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2/3/2014 - lettykatie wrote: flawed
My second bottle of this wine is off. Too tanic and lacks any semblance to the first bottle previously rated.
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1/21/2014 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Garnet, full bodied
Woody hints, some vanilla and dark fruit off the nose. Earthy.
Dry, cedar, lots of old world characteristics. Rustic. Some tannins
Classic Rioja.
Bottle is pricey (-1 pt)
Visions of an old stone farmhouse; dry!
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1/20/2014 - ccn wrote: 88 Points
A bit on the modern side for our tastes -- stewed fruit in addition to more traditional Rioja flavors. Decent wine but not our preferred style; expensive for the quality.
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12/31/2013 - thass Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very young, and too Young.
The score should do better in future, my next bottle is due to 2018
Purple in color, and seems very closed.
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12/8/2013 - Brett and Megan Likes this wine: 96 Points
aroma - sweet cherry candy, boysenberry; taste - pepper on end, cherry, dark red, cured meat, some acidity
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12/2/2013 - markcic wrote: 90 Points
dark red in color, dark fruit on the nose, cedar, oak, plum and dark berries on the palate, a hint of tobacco on the finish
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11/28/2013 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group LTB; Rioja: I know this wine from the past and the style has completely changed. From old school, this became new school. In the bouquet good oak, smoke, coffee and chocolate in a good concentration. On the palate a lot of dark as well as red fruits and firm juice, a lot of sweet spices, beautiful oak, good acidity and tannin which are still a bit harsh. The wine has good freshness. Personally I prefer this new style. Early maturity now and it can easily last until 2020+
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11/16/2013 - scott w wrote: 87 Points
Lots of oak and vanilla, after an hour or so the fruit starts coming through, dark cherry, tar? grippy tannin and good acid. 3hrs in the oak is moving to the background, ripe fruit and a little leather. A very modern wine, this need 4 or 5 years to calm down.
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11/7/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Sweet high tones of sour cherries and old cedary wood, warm rich mid palate, lots of structure on the back end. Fairly grippy. And this is five days open too.
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10/23/2013 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 93 Points
This is a Tempranillo dominated blend with the 20% that remains composed of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. The wine was aged for 36 months in oak as well as another 36 months (minimum) in bottle.
Deep, inky ruby with maroon highlights. The nose is tight at the start revealing dark black fruit, chocolate and spice under a frame of tar. Deep and very focused on the palate with mouth-coating extract and creamy texture yet elegantly structured. Dark fruit with smokey accents in the long, graceful aftertaste.
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10/23/2013 - yofog wrote: 93 Points
Structured and ripe, perfumed, with a long finish. More modern than I was expecting, though this still has a foot in the old school...maybe just a few toes. Delicious, nevertheless, and a great wine.
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10/23/2013 - Dj6544 wrote:
Nicely concentrated, smooth and shows its quality but this does nothing to break my aversion to Gran Reserva Riojas. Must be the American oak which again shows orange vanilla and coconut marmalade notes which I cannot stand. Not rated.
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9/9/2013 - Rezy13 wrote:
Good balance, strawberry and darker fruit; needs time.
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8/31/2013 - Herschel Krustofski Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted. Initial vigorous shake in the decanter revealed vivid strawberry and leather nose. However, it is rather sour at first and not really approachable for another 2-3 hours. Mellows and opens up nicely after 3 hours with cherry and fig notes in addition.
Bottom line: Agree with previous comments - this is a very promising wine that should be kept for a further 4-5 years. Drink from 2017. Indeed past experience with other vintages shows that the Prado Enea is best after >12 years.
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7/23/2013 - BillBell73 wrote: 93 Points
This is already extremely good but probably shouldn't be opened for another five- ten years and will live well beyond that.
Expressive nose of violet, roses and even starting to develop some complex aged aromas. Classic young Rioja on the palate with the vanilla and dill notes a little too emphatic but everything you want is here. This just needs lots of time in a cool dark place to become really spectacular. Not generally a fan of Muga but Prado Enea is very traditional and up there with the other classics of the region.
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7/9/2013 - Merengue wrote: 91 Points
Tasting Notes from trip to Rioja; 7/5/2013-7/12/2013: 80% tempranillo, 20% garnacha. Beautiful nose, violets, perfumed, a touch of cedar and vanilla. Medium bodied, elegant silky and delicate, with lingering vanilla. This is very elegant classic rioja.
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7/9/2013 - Tequilahal wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding wine. Best Rioja I have had in recent memory. Full of flavor and finishes very well. If there is a better one available, someone please tell me.
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6/18/2013 - vlzat wrote: 96 Points
Full body, dark ruby to garnet red, aromatic, fresh red berries, paper, species and oaky aroma, blackberry, tobacco, light wood on the palate, vanilla and dark chocolate on very long finish, very juicy, deep, rich, satiated, well balanced, soft tannins, nice acidity. Still young now but very enjoyable. Drink now through decade or more.
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6/12/2013 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Aerated to decanter 1 hr, served non-blind. From the very moment the cork was pulled, this was ready to go, but I decided to let it sit in the decanter given some of the tn's of late. What we've got here is a totally modern, open-knit, short-skirted, low-cut blouse of a wine, and I only expected it become even more sultry as the night wore on. But, very unexpectedly, the last glass showed this withdrawing back into a more structured (and respectable) version of its promiscuous self, with the nose losing some of its gratuitous perfume, and the tannins firming up a bit. Either way, this is pretty solid for under $50, more so if you're firmly in the modernly-styled camp. Worked famously with 12-hr smoked, pulled pork. 13,5% abv, thru 2019
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5/3/2013 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
This will age for over a decade. Minerals, damp earth, red fruits and very nice acidity. Cellar for now. 92-94.
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5/3/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This wine has it all. Concentrated fruit expression, teritary aromas, drive through the palate and energy, an incredibly lingering finish. Great wine. Cheap for what it is.
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4/30/2013 - henrygjeffreys wrote:
smells of new French oak
dark colour
very spicy rich nose
good acidity, dense, modern, dark fruit, coffee,
Will develop well I'm sure but I prfer the older pretty style of Prado Enea. This is very modern
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4/27/2013 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Big plump nose of juicy blackberry and vanilla. So very different to the 76 alongside it. Shows what can happen in nearly 30 years of development. Dense, ripe and spicy with very youthful grippy tannins. Good acidity and a long spicy, almost minty finish. There for the long haul and there's no rush to drink these unless you want to.
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4/26/2013 - Santamonicawine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful
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4/25/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Purple red color. This bottle had been open for about 48 hours. Drank 1 glass over 30 minutes. I like the nose, very pretty with violets, earth, graphite, blackberry liqueur, sweet blackberry preserves. The palate does not seem integrated yet to me, despite being open for 2 days. While this is approachable now, I think this needs a couple of years yet to resolve. There is noticeable alcohol, although this does have a liqueur-like style (or cordial-like as Richard Jennings noted). Very spicy, oaky, dark red fruits, kirsch , blackberry liqueur, full body, high acid, somewhat grippy tannins. There is definitely potential here. 89-90(+)pts. Update on day 3, this was considerably better, the alcohol has integrated along with the oak and spice. Tannins have softened nicely. Easily improved to 91+pts. Day 4 was almost as good as well.
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4/14/2013 - grafighter Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great value wine! Wonderful nose of earth, pencil lead and some red fruits. Acid and tannins are balanced and prominent along with dark chocolate, tar and some saltiness of soya. Few more years in the cellar and this wine will be easily 2-3 more points.
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3/29/2013 - prasm wrote: 90 Points
Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: Medium-plus expressiveness, dark fruit, charcoal, balsamic, dark chocolate, and dark florals - very dynamic nose. Palate: Full bodied, dark red fruit attack - black raspberry, and black licorice, hints of Worcestershire and a little spiciness appear mid-palate, but then everything seems to fade suddenly in the back-end, leaving a rather short and muted finish. Difficult wine to score as the first half of the drinking experience is truly exceptional but the back half weakness baffles me.
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3/21/2013 - 560 B&W wrote: 91 Points
Still young. Yummy but lacks some expected grace.
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3/12/2013 - dekay Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose is dominated by ripe soy reduction, graphite and a bit of tar, but red berry, cacao, and some floral elements can be coaxed out. Smooth and highlighted by savory elements and lightly sour acidity. Ends with a light but distinct saline earthiness - more or less similar to the aftertaste of very dark chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. A classy rioja, and ideally paired with Mediterranean fare; difficult to consider it a value, however.
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2/8/2013 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Drank at a Spanish wine tasting which included the 2001 Clos Erasmus, the 2001 Artadi El Pison, and the 2001 Lopez de Heredia Reserva Tondonia. The Muga was clearly the best wine of the night. Great wine and a great value. Rich, delicious dark cherry fruit with blueberry, floral, cassis, and tarry flavors, excellent structure, long finish.
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10/4/2012 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine:
Heady nose, great fruit with some secondary flavours too.
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