-- cork pulled a few hours before initial taste -- -- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 1 hour -- -- 100% Tempranillo --
Nose: moderately oaky; minty; a bit stony; some tertiary aromas clearly creeping-in now (finally).
BODY: medium bodied; dark color.
TASTE: still a bit tannic; black cherry; oak seems to be French oak rather than American oak (research indicates it's actually 50% new French, 50% American); alcohol pokes through a bit; coming along nicely, and I still see room for further improvement. I do think this is going to have a very narrow Prime Window, as it's a bit lacking in acidity, and the alcohol is noticeable. That said, there's lots of fruit here, and it is starting to develop some of that aged character that I find enjoyable. Drink now and over the next few years; I'll probably tee-up my last remaining bottle for 2023. Gut impression score: 90 - 91.
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opaque purple color, deep perfume of spices, oak, blackberries, hints of roasted meat otn. lovely, luscious deep fruit otp, rich, still has minerally grip which balances the fruit. could definitely have used more time, but a real pleasure now.
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Nose of dill (both Grafstrb and I picked up on this - how could you not?!?!) Ton of dill to go along with plum, cherries and some Vanilla. Lush wine, though not over the top. The oak seemed to overshadow everything in the beginning though it started to calm down after a while. Good acitiy, drying tannins, nice balance. If the oak subsides, this will be wonderful a few years down the road. I think the oak will actually integrate beautifully based on the fact that I had a glass left over for the next night and wow, what a difference. Oak, still there, but nowhere near as prevalent. Very little dill and vanilla, more bright red cherries and red fruits, same for the palate. While oak was still there, it seemed to have calm down enough to really show what this might be like in a little while. Thank you, Grafstrb
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– decanted immediately before tasting – – tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
NOSE: initially: dill – and lots of it, followed by chalky spearmint, black and cherry licorice, and a hint of smoky rubber — that was all right after opening. An hour or so later, the oak was still present, but started to step into the background, allowing the fruit to come forward.
BODY: lots of particulate matter present; blood red color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: initially: lots of oak; full palate; fine tannins are a bit drying; cherry licorice; juicy acidity lying beneath the oak; long finish. After allowing to sit in decanter for an hour or so, the oak subsided some, and the bright cherry shone through. The fruit is still very primary, and this drinks like a youngster (which it really is, at a mere 8 years old). Thankfully, this seems to have the requisite structure for aging — and it needs some age (for the oak to integrate). Beneath the oak, there seems to be an excellent wine waiting in the wings. Hold for 10 more years. If this ages as I anticipate that it will, my score could easily see a 2 - 4 point uptick.
B: 50, 5, 11, 17, 8 = 91
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dark dark purple.. cigar box and dark berries on the nose. I too smelled a slight bit of funk.. decanted for 2 hours and the funk seemed to be mostly gone but still lightly noticeable. long finish, and well balanced. delish, and will definitely get more.
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-- decanted for a few hours before tasting -- -- tasted non-blind on Day 1 and again on Day 3--
NOSE: DAY 1: big-time cigarbox aroma is supported by concentrated plum, moderate oak, and hints of funk, smoke, and squash; the bouquet is dark and brooding, and pleasantly earthy, if not a bit dusty; for each glass poured the oak became more prevalent as the wine sat in the glass ... notes of brown sugar emerged with time; both "A" and I thought the bouquet was rather tight right now, but it's obviously quite complex and spellbinding; a slight citrus (underripe fruit?) note emerged four hours after 1st taste -- so about 7-8 hours after initially decanting. DAY 3: fruitier than Day 1, and the strong cigarbox aroma has eased-up a bit; a balsamic note has entered the picture as well.
BODY: this wine simply looks "big": lots of fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine ... a bit of fine sediment was left in the bottle; black cherry color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: DAY 1: wonderful front-palate acidity balances the impeccably interwoven fine-grained tannins; cigarbox is repeated on the palate and is complemented by flavors of dusty blackberries, plum, and moderate oak; this wine does not taste funky, despite the hint of funk appearing in the bouquet; the palate is full & seamless; slightly hot on the finish; the oak still needs some time to integrate more fully, but this is hardly an "oak bomb"; the finish is ridiculously long (1.5 - 2 minutes)!!! Even after swishing a sip of water around my mouth, I could still taste the wine ... and I don't mean "I could tell I had a sip of wine a couple minutes ago" ... I mean, I could still *taste* all the flavors of the wine -- absolutely remarkable. DAY 3: Pretty much the same as DAY 1, but more minerals today, and less oak ... very smooth, and no longer hot on the finish ... very nice. This wine will get better with time, and has the structure and stuffing to safely sleep under years of cellar dust ... this wine is an absolute blockbuster! If you have one in your cellar, wait 5 or 10 years ... if you have more than one, open one now to taste what I'm talking about. I will be buying more, and giving them extended aging ... I think this can easily ride for 20+ years.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = 95 A: 50, 5, 11, 17, 8 = 91
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Love this wine! Great depth and layers -- touch of medicinal, great minerality, cedar, spice, ripe berries, mushroom, ... Wonderfully amazing. Firm tannina. Nice acidity. It is the complete Spanish wine for me. Make me happy wine. 14.5% alco (PS, J Ordonez)
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Old Style Rioja x Modern Style Rioja (abs): Modern style Rioja. Inky purple, stains the glass. Floral, sweet nose with lot´s of coconut, vanila and red fruit. A lot like argentine malbecs! Potent and hot on the mouth, but with soft tannins and a lingering finish.
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5/17/2020 - sortcode Likes this wine: 91 Points
16.5.2020:+ Kirschmarmelade, rosa Pfefer, Säure vorhanden aber nicht vordergründig, dunkle Zartbitterschokolade, samtig / stoffig, Leder, leicht animalisch, Zigarre, harmonische Süße, sehr schön, jetzt trinken!
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6/8/2019 - grafstrb wrote:
-- cork pulled a few hours before initial taste --
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 1 hour --
-- 100% Tempranillo --
Nose: moderately oaky; minty; a bit stony; some tertiary aromas clearly creeping-in now (finally).
BODY: medium bodied; dark color.
TASTE: still a bit tannic; black cherry; oak seems to be French oak rather than American oak (research indicates it's actually 50% new French, 50% American); alcohol pokes through a bit; coming along nicely, and I still see room for further improvement. I do think this is going to have a very narrow Prime Window, as it's a bit lacking in acidity, and the alcohol is noticeable. That said, there's lots of fruit here, and it is starting to develop some of that aged character that I find enjoyable. Drink now and over the next few years; I'll probably tee-up my last remaining bottle for 2023. Gut impression score: 90 - 91.
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5/1/2011 - blancdeblancs wrote:
opaque purple color, deep perfume of spices, oak, blackberries, hints of roasted meat otn. lovely, luscious deep fruit otp, rich, still has minerally grip which balances the fruit. could definitely have used more time, but a real pleasure now.
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3/16/2011 - yonster24 wrote:
Nose of dill (both Grafstrb and I picked up on this - how could you not?!?!) Ton of dill to go along with plum, cherries and some Vanilla. Lush wine, though not over the top. The oak seemed to overshadow everything in the beginning though it started to calm down after a while. Good acitiy, drying tannins, nice balance. If the oak subsides, this will be wonderful a few years down the road. I think the oak will actually integrate beautifully based on the fact that I had a glass left over for the next night and wow, what a difference. Oak, still there, but nowhere near as prevalent. Very little dill and vanilla, more bright red cherries and red fruits, same for the palate. While oak was still there, it seemed to have calm down enough to really show what this might be like in a little while. Thank you, Grafstrb
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3/16/2011 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
– decanted immediately before tasting –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
NOSE: initially: dill – and lots of it, followed by chalky spearmint, black and cherry licorice, and a hint of smoky rubber — that was all right after opening. An hour or so later, the oak was still present, but started to step into the background, allowing the fruit to come forward.
BODY: lots of particulate matter present; blood red color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: initially: lots of oak; full palate; fine tannins are a bit drying; cherry licorice; juicy acidity lying beneath the oak; long finish. After allowing to sit in decanter for an hour or so, the oak subsided some, and the bright cherry shone through. The fruit is still very primary, and this drinks like a youngster (which it really is, at a mere 8 years old). Thankfully, this seems to have the requisite structure for aging — and it needs some age (for the oak to integrate). Beneath the oak, there seems to be an excellent wine waiting in the wings. Hold for 10 more years. If this ages as I anticipate that it will, my score could easily see a 2 - 4 point uptick.
B: 50, 5, 11, 17, 8 = 91
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1/24/2009 - mye wrote: 90 Points
dark dark purple.. cigar box and dark berries on the nose. I too smelled a slight bit of funk.. decanted for 2 hours and the funk seemed to be mostly gone but still lightly noticeable.
long finish, and well balanced. delish, and will definitely get more.
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12/15/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 95 Points
-- decanted for a few hours before tasting --
-- tasted non-blind on Day 1 and again on Day 3--
NOSE: DAY 1: big-time cigarbox aroma is supported by concentrated plum, moderate oak, and hints of funk, smoke, and squash; the bouquet is dark and brooding, and pleasantly earthy, if not a bit dusty; for each glass poured the oak became more prevalent as the wine sat in the glass ... notes of brown sugar emerged with time; both "A" and I thought the bouquet was rather tight right now, but it's obviously quite complex and spellbinding; a slight citrus (underripe fruit?) note emerged four hours after 1st taste -- so about 7-8 hours after initially decanting. DAY 3: fruitier than Day 1, and the strong cigarbox aroma has eased-up a bit; a balsamic note has entered the picture as well.
BODY: this wine simply looks "big": lots of fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine ... a bit of fine sediment was left in the bottle; black cherry color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: DAY 1: wonderful front-palate acidity balances the impeccably interwoven fine-grained tannins; cigarbox is repeated on the palate and is complemented by flavors of dusty blackberries, plum, and moderate oak; this wine does not taste funky, despite the hint of funk appearing in the bouquet; the palate is full & seamless; slightly hot on the finish; the oak still needs some time to integrate more fully, but this is hardly an "oak bomb"; the finish is ridiculously long (1.5 - 2 minutes)!!! Even after swishing a sip of water around my mouth, I could still taste the wine ... and I don't mean "I could tell I had a sip of wine a couple minutes ago" ... I mean, I could still *taste* all the flavors of the wine -- absolutely remarkable. DAY 3: Pretty much the same as DAY 1, but more minerals today, and less oak ... very smooth, and no longer hot on the finish ... very nice. This wine will get better with time, and has the structure and stuffing to safely sleep under years of cellar dust ... this wine is an absolute blockbuster! If you have one in your cellar, wait 5 or 10 years ... if you have more than one, open one now to taste what I'm talking about. I will be buying more, and giving them extended aging ... I think this can easily ride for 20+ years.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = 95
A: 50, 5, 11, 17, 8 = 91
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10/5/2008 - nubbin wrote: 93 Points
Love this wine! Great depth and layers -- touch of medicinal, great minerality, cedar, spice, ripe berries, mushroom, ... Wonderfully amazing. Firm tannina. Nice acidity. It is the complete Spanish wine for me. Make me happy wine. 14.5% alco (PS, J Ordonez)
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7/12/2007 - tendring Likes this wine: 89 Points
Gerrard Steel Inaugural London Winetasting of Hidden Gems (The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple): More than pleasant!
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3/16/2006 - cousteau wrote: 91 Points
Old Style Rioja x Modern Style Rioja (abs): Modern style Rioja. Inky purple, stains the glass. Floral, sweet nose with lot´s of coconut, vanila and red fruit. A lot like argentine malbecs! Potent and hot on the mouth, but with soft tannins and a lingering finish.
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