Popped, poured, consumed over next 60 minutes. This has evolved very positively since my last tasting 7 years ago. The wood has been absorbed and has integrated and become part of a tapestry. Lovely balance, elegance, and subtle complexity.
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I've had 2 bottles of this over the past week; once with traditional paella and next with lamb shoulder chops - went beautifully with both. Fully mature with probably 5-10 more years for consumption. Rich and forward with moderate complexity.
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Drank with Mark. This wine was magnificent. Medium red. Fresh. Lifted. Red fruit and cracked pepper spice. Far fresher and cleaner than anticipated. Palate is rich, red, long and fine. Extremely youthful. Wonderful parlance.
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Medium ruby-purple. Expressive aromas of dark florals and spice recede to give way to cassis, cedar and hint of earth. Medium-bodied and focused palate shows sweet-tart cassis, good acidity, no tannins, fully absorbed oak and a long, linear and intensely mineral finish.
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Wow for a nineteen year old bottle still going strong. Muted red fruit present but not a fruit bomb. Essence of cigar box and cedar with moderate tannins and still slight acidity. Long finish of approximately 30 seconds. Very enjoyable
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Cork not soaked but very difficult to remove (not uncommon for Spanish wines from this era). Great development after several hours of slow ox. Somewhat cool climate, very untypical for a Rioja and definitely a modern expression of Tempranillo but a great one! No hurry to drink.
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After a thirty minute decant this is very lively and pretty. Red garnet with limited bricking. The nose is very pretty with red cherries, raspberries and flowers. The palate is medium bodied, a little rounded, fully mature but bursting with primary and secondary notes of red cherries, raspberries, brambles and a touch of wood. I debated in my mind whether this is already in an optimal drinking window or it’s going to age further. On balance I think I would drink it in the next three years because it’s in such a good spot now and it clear has begun down the maturation curve.
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Thank god this was my last blttle of modern Rioja. This is a nice and somewhat complex wine. Mature and a bit dusty, but with good mouthfeel and excellent length. It could have been produced anywhere by a modern winemaker...
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PnP, still feels very young but has nicely evolved since last tasted 1y ago, opens up quickly in the glass, no sweetness but great depth, years of life ahead, lots of sediment!
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Young but just entering it's drinking phase. Decanted for a hour or so before drinking. Lovely rich berry and roasted meats on the palate, soft tannins, long and harmonious. Gutted was only bottle ! No hurry either will drink for another 10 years i am sure.
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still tannic and does not feel fully ready after 16years. Should be decanted for min 2hrs but then opens up nicely and keeps on evolving in the glass. Not typical Rioja but very interesting and complex.
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decanted one hour, tasted from reidel somm bdx glasses..wonderful nose, dark fruit, some pencil shavings, on the palate, lots of fruit, silky tannins ( my wife tasted out of a reidel somm hermitage) much more bite ..the finish was long smooth yum..this has happened so many damn times we had four bottles,,kept tasting, finally just terrific, BUT this is our last bottle *** good news, bought it from PC in 2005, and actually received it 2010
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Still in good shape, cherry notes are dominating, some vanilla and in his his way mono-dimensional, good concentration with ripe Tannins, alcohol well integrated but missing the complexity in the finish to make it a "real" tremendous wine (50+5+14+16+8), enjoyable over the next 10 years but I think it won't get much better
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ELEGANT WINE WITH DEEP FRUIT IN THE MOSE AND FLAVOR, LICORICE, SPICE, BLACKBERRIES, PLUMS AND WOOD. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH. FIRST TASTED 8/13/06
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Dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL): Given the reputation of this wine as a modern Rioja, I admit I approached this with more than a little bit of trepidation. But lo and behold, all that anxiety was unnecessary. Somehow, there's something still quite Riojan (is that the adjective?) about this wine. Despite the slick polish, you can still find a bit of that earthiness here. Sure, there's plenty of sweet black fruit, but it's very neatly counterbalanced by sufficient acidity and dustiness. I won't be running out to put these in my cellar, but this is certainly not the boogeyman I thought it would be.
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Similar to previous. Enjoyable now, curious to see where this goes. Lots of fruit and structure left, but the amount of Oak still to be absorbed and what feels like wood tannin in the finish has me concerned.
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Popped, poured, let breathe in glass for 60 minutes, consumed over next 90. Dark fruit, medium + bodied, French Oak, 100% New for 18 months, is beginning to integrate, but after 15 years, there is still much more that needs to integrate. If this wine can evolve positively, these Oak derived flavors could prove very interesting. Having said that, this wine is definitely modern and not classical Rioja and there is some roughness at the end of the finish that feels like wood tannin rather than grape tannin. I will be curious to see if this evolves positively from here.
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Dark color, looks young. Not much on the nose. Some light black cherry notes. Nice dark fruits and some cedar on the palate. Drinking fine. Lighter than I remember.
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Solid Rioja - agree it's in the modern style; had to down-rate it slightly due to it's lack of classicism. Just as a solid wine for enjoyment, however, it's damn good.
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If you like new-world Rioja, this is about the best I've had from that style. No hurry. It should hold in good shape for 4-5 more years without difficulty.
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Deep ruby. Showing very little sign of ageing. Nose is driven by red fruit, hints of forrest floor, cedar, and a bit of vanilla. Palate is medium-full bodied, dominated by red fruit and forrest floor with fairly high levels of acidity and tannins, which are clear, but soft and integrating well. It has a good freshness and medium length. Drinks very well and I suspect will last at least 3 years. 3 = very good.
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SiJie Sichuan Private Kitchen Hong Kong (Causeway Bay): Lovely. Had just the right amount of dust / smokiness to reflect a beguiling complexity, giving way to tart, sharp fruit with a pleasing hint of citrus, lavender and leather. Very impressive structure and mouthfeel. Would definitely want to get more of this outstanding wine.
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Well I am glad I waited because this is just a beauty. At its optimum of fruit expression right now. If you like fruit, don't wait. But certainly the acidity is there so its got a long life ahead.
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Deep red with purple tint. Restrained aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather and some dust become more expressive with air. A medium bodied palate shows slightly tart dark cherry liquer, plum skin, touch of earth and asian spices, with good acidity and still discernible but sweet tannins on finish.
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Vínsmakk #3 vor 2014 (Marbakkabraut 12): Frekar ljóst á litinn. Þungur og höfugur ilmur jafnvel smá vottur af lími. Greina mátti dökk ber í munni. Eik mjög nett. Vín í gríðargóðu jafnvægi.
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Clean fresh blue berries with meaty notes. Amazing layers on the palate thick tannins and very fine with great finish. Beautiful wine but rather pricey.
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Lots of sweet, almost Grenache like notes on the nose. Soft and very supple on the palate, bright cherry, lots of vibrancy, oops! I just swallowed it. Still has some grip too. I know Parker reviews it as "old" at this point but I think that has got some legs to run on still.
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The wine looks purple colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), red currant, blueberry, blackberry, fig, cherry, mineral, dust, coffee, espresso, phenolic, vanilla, oak, cinnamon and black olive. The body is medium. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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This seems to finally have come around. It has a huge nose of tar, spanish ink, almost sweet grenach notes and some leather. Still a bit tannic but excellent balance of fruit and acidity. I assume it will continue to mellow its tannins and become more complex over the next 5-10 years.
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PnP (drank over 3 nights). Still inky violet. Nose features almost brooding tarry dark fruit, with licorice and smoky meat. Palate feels more balanced than the bottle in May with plush fruit, but a mineral driven acidity (graphite and ash) and firm tannins add a great balance, which becomes more evident on nights 2 and 3. Decent length, some complexity of texture and flavor. Definitely should be decanted (my bad) and has a decade or more ahead. I can see the points raised by markjanes as the Rioja-ness is not evident, but I was swayed by the balance and nature of the mineral acidity (not New Worldy).
Deep purple. Hugh wine, big tannin, oak, fruit and spice. Got better with a little air time and really needed food to tame it. Not a bad wine, just not my personal style. Too much extraction and oak for me. Not worth the price. Drinking well now, I do not think aging further would be of any benefit. Enjoy it while it still has nice fruit.
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Decanted 90 minutes (benefited in terms of opening up and it throws a lot of sediment). Nose features cherry and dark berry notes along with tobacco, vanilla, leather, earth and spice (very pleasing). Palate start off with medium-weighted fruit with noticeable acidity and firm tannins appearing by midpalate. Texturally uninteresting, but more than serviceable with food. Low complexity on palate with medium persistence. Slightly out of balance with structure poking out and fruit a bit dark and unidimensional. On day two the tannins resolved a bit, but the fruit 'got darker' and more New World like. Day one this was a Rioja on the nose and early palate, but it seemed to lose its charm by Day 2. I'm confused about its future, but would lean towards early consumption.
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Don't touch this bottle at the moment! Nowhere near its price nor the 97 parker pts!
Quite interesting when opened, but the wine declined in quality over the night. A classic mix of old school vs. modern rioja. Reminded a lot of the 2001 Murrieta reserva - smell of prunes, cherries and oak. And a very well-balanced taste with huge tannins and structure to last for many years. Confident that it will open up again and deserve it's price tag.
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My past experience with this wine was that it would simply never come around. However, about two weeks ago I brought out a bottle and it was smokin'. Powerful fruit, big new oak certainly, but integrated and of one piece. Sure, its massive and modern but it does have good acidity as well. Right in its prime, drink away.
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Both the Artadi and the Vega showed well but too young for my palate. Nose needed encouragement and time to show a mix of dark red fruit, very bright, clean notes. The palate is intense with sour cherry flavours, charcoal, ripe and fine tannins, almost silky. Very long finish.
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Artadi tasting. The son of the producer came over to join us. (@ WB): Garnet rim. Mature bouquet with elegant spiciness, a touch of leather and red fruits. On the palate juicy red fruits, some licorice, vanilla and menthol. Less impressive than previous bottle; see TN of 3/30/2011. Ready now although no great hurry.
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hmmm... I will be providing the dissenting opinion on this wine it seems... decanted for a couple of hours with no evolution, very dark in color, aromatically quite muted with a mix of dark and red fruits, noticeable new barrique spices, some savory elements. On the palate the wine has medium high acidity, a coarse kind of flesh in the midpalate, firm, rather unevolved tannins that are at least moderately ripe... Wine has good balance, ok length, good intensity, and low complexity. The wine doesn't seem to offer much finesse (in fact it has a lack of detail, a non-descript sort of clumsiness, about it), has a slightly coarse texture, and its biggest weakness, IMO, is its lack of somewhereness... if you could place this blind in Rioja I would be impressed. I say hold the wine for a few years and see what happens... it has structural elements to improve with age though I suspect it is what it is... just another new world intense, dull, monolithic red wine that is too expensive...
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Spectacular effusive nose has bright red fruits, tobacco leaf and a hint of toast. Palate is silky smooth and precisely balanced. Medium rich fruit, plush tannin and juicy acidity. Great lift and persistence on the palate. Good complexity of flavor into the long finish.
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Bright dark red. Still very young but already very enjoyable. Nose of dark red fruit, spices, cocoa, tobacco, very complex. Palate is very elegant, refined; tannins are ripe and very fine, almost silky. Finish si long. Reminds me of a Margaux appellation wine.
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This bottle exceeded my expectations. The definite tobacco and dark fruit and granite on the nose led some to think Bordeaux. This is a very well-balanced, even elegant, wine. While there is some detectable oak, it is well-integrated. Silky texture, good precise depth of flavors, again with tobacco, spice, dark berries. Very clean, moderately long finish.
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The Purchase Group 2011-01 (@ PZ): Beautiful and elegant mature bouquet with ripe dark fruits, tobacco and also some butterscotch and licorice. On the palate red as well as black berry fruits, cream, butterscotch again and some pepper. There is some pleasant sweetness and in beautiful harmony with the acidity. A little pleasant bitterness as well. Great wine.
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The nose is quite pretty. It is very perfumed raspberry spice cookie. In the mouth the wine is rather ho-hum. It is a little to tart, but otherwise quite drinkable.
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Oaky, tobacco, vanilla, spice, and red fruits dominate the aromatics. Medium to full bodied with a finish that shows too much oak along with the strawberry and cherry flavors. Perhaps this wine will come together with more time, who knows? It's not a bad wine, but at this point, the oak stands out.
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(Slow ox'ed some hours before tasting.) Colour is still fresh. On the quite subdued nose tobacco, spices and red and black fruit. Tobacco, tar, kirsch, spices and mainly red fruit on the quite balanced palate; refreshing acidity, quite high for a Spanish wine. Rather short aftertaste. Reminds me more of a good Bordeaux than a Rioja, but I like it more than a few years ago. I probably need to keep my single remaining bottle a few years more. Qpr is not so good on this one though, but it certainly is a good (not great), even interesting wine.
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Really nice right now. One of the more modern wines of Artadi I have had, but still lovely. Nice spicy oak in the background with lovely fresh somewhat sweet fruity profile. good balance. Tasty wine for sure! Can hold, but based on other vintages of Pagos Viejos I have had, they seem to glow at a younger age.
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Equally boring as last bottle. Too acid and no real fruit. This will not become better with ageing. Tremendous variance between vintages on this estate!!
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Dense and dark. Sweet dark fruit, sweet herbs, cocoa, spice and roasted earth on the nose. Vanilla too but not out of balance. On the palate a touch of vanilla sweetness and a good shake of drying oak tannin obscure what is otherwise a quite nice if dark / modern styled Rioja. I think this has the stuffing to continue integrating its oak and continue improving. Can't say for how long and I'm not sure it will ever reach any sublime level of balance but I'm confident waiting 5 years or so on my other bottle to see, as the other components are well balanced and this is a good, sleek wine that has good acidity and lacks surmaturite or overextractive bitterness / grittiness. I think Roda makes a much better take on a modernist Rioja, and I don't think this is a good value, but I think it's a pretty good wine that just got overoaked.
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The journey into Spain continues. Decanted it for like 45 minutes and we should have done more as it continued to improve in the glass. Big body and finish, great on the nose , perfumy (to quote Gildine) even floral. Does have a bit of a hint of over sweetness. Great !
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Very nice complex nose, with flowers, blue berries, a bit of tar and smoked salmon. Not very sweet, and the mid palate is too acid. Astringent finish. Either this one will be outstanding with age, or it is too late. The fruit is not very fruity, if you get my drift :-)
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Expressive and complex somewhat sweet bouquet. Same in the mouth. Black ripe fruits like cherries and cassis. Soft tannin and a good balance between sweetness and acidity. All together a decent wine, but not with the complexity as one should expect of a wine with this price. Ready now, but no hurry.
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Dark purple, ruby edge. Need some time to open up, but once it does it presents a very good nose of strong pencil lead, dark fruit, cedar... in short, very Bordeaux like for a Tempranillo. On the palate, dark fruit, some earth, a bit better than what the other tasting notes imply. Decent finish though with a bit of bitterness. As others mention, dry on the end, but I still get a lot of fruit. In all, I think it is a good spot, may still have a bit of integration ahead...if the fruit stays a bit longer while the tannins close down some, this could improve...but that is a risk, I would drink within a couple years. Score reflects an outstanding nose (95 nose, 88 palate).
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Sour cherries and crusted wood, w only a hint of what once was probably a decent fruity and complex rioja. Afraid the best days for this are behind it. A real shame.
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This was MUCH better two years ago. It appears to be well on its' way to drying out. Not shutting down, just drying out - not fruit, but lots of oak and tannin. Drink up, preferably with a steak.
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We had this with a grilled NY Strip steak on 5/11/09. It had a fabulous bouquet of cassis, blackberry, pencil shavings, french roasted coffee, burnt toast and spice aromas. The palate followed with blackberry, black currant, burnt toast, espresso and spice flavors. It was very full bodied with round, well integrated tannins. It had a long and very dusty, dry finish and was very good.
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Very smooth and rich, with dark, silky tannins. Very dark and lush fruits accross the palate with a nice, smooth finish. I think that this is in its prime drinking window and should be there/here for several years.
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Decent wine and I would score it around the 91 given by Tanzer. Plenty of acid and fruit, but not necessarily nuanced at one extreme or exuberant on the other. I would not rebuy at this price.
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Very dark purple. Fresh nose with mint and other herbs, elegantly sweet fruit. Medium+ body, quite spicy and tannic, good acidity, minerality, red berries, chocolate, clove. Very young, but complex and interesting.
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Some decent dark fruits on the nose with a lot of cherry flavors and massive oak toward the end. The palate initially was fairly good, but as it opened up it was pure oak and that's all. This was just bad and almost undrinkable overall.
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Ver dark purple, opaque. Big attractive nose with concentrated red fruit and oak. Full bodied, huge, rich semi dry red fruit, dry finish somewhat astringent. Big new world styled fruit. Should last a long time.
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Spanish dinner at Think Cafe (Chicago, IL): Inky ruby in color. Hugely aromatic, rich and complex nose shows layers of dark fruit, chocolate, spice, herbs and cigar ash. Outstanding palate has rich, conentrated and precise fruits. Suave tannins are well cloaked. Very impressive.
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Better than the previous bottle, which was probably closed down. Medium purple. Nose is very floral and intense: ripe strawberries, jasmine, tar. On the palate, lively with cleanly delineated lines, fruit tending to strawberry or sour cherries, good acidity, soft tannins. Can drink now but should hold for a long time...
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Brought to "Dry Riesling and Rioja" dinner at Ibiza. Still very young, great balance and structure, complex, long. Very modern-styled, but well-made. I like this wine, and it should get even better with age. I thought it was slightly more complex and balanced than the '01 Torre Muga that it was paired with, although that was a nice wine as well.
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Medium ruby, almost pink around the rim. Strawberries on the nose, with tobacco, spice. Fairly tight right now, tending towards a light, acidic style. Still has tannins to shed; give it another 3 or 4 years.
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Drank without decanting with a rich meal of prime rib and potatoes au gratin. Even during the meal it seemed to open up so, is clearly young and a bit tannin dominated. Dark and thick in the glass with a somewhat muted nose of flowers mixed with tar. Held up well to the beef and delivered a satisfying finish as well as some rich round fruit up front. Host was also pouring 2000 Conn Creek Limited Release, which was all fruit, no substance compared to the staunch tempranillo and its tannins. Thought is was an excellent food pairing, but as the meal was quite rich, did not have good oportunity to savor the subtleties. 5+12+17+9=93
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I don't know what all the hype is about around this wine. This was just ok. Parker's rating is ridiculously inflated. I guess he drank too much wine that day!!
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While a solid wine in the modern style, this shows no sense of place and is a dissapointment considering its price. Might improve, but it will probably never be more than a modernist fruit and tannins bomb.
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Outstanding. I brought a bottle to a local restaurant. It opened slowly, tannic at first, fruit was overwhelmed. About an hour later, the fruit took over revealing a rich, full bodied powerhouse. Layers of coffee, blackberries, blueberries.
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Excellent balance of fruit and tanin, classic wine particurlarly for the price. Could benefit from more aging and would certianly improve with decanting. Comsumed with classic Mexican fare and was the perfect match. Nose of licorice and leather but not overpowering.
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Young, fairly tannic, but very enjoyable with some air. Very good fruit. The ingredients are all there but needs a few years to integrate and settle down. Still quite nice if you like big young wines.
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75-year old Tempranillo vines. Deep, dark purple. Nose started off slighly muted but with air the cherries popped. Light fruit, soft elegant (campared to its company) Slightly drying on the finish. Very well balanced with a near perfect finish that went on and on. A real winner and my WOTN.
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12/26/2023 - rsbeck wrote: 93 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over next 60 minutes. This has evolved very positively since my last tasting 7 years ago. The wood has been absorbed and has integrated and become part of a tapestry. Lovely balance, elegance, and subtle complexity.
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6/2/2023 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice - Perfectly mature.
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12/19/2022 - Maphill01 wrote:
Very nice, in the international style, but well made and enough Tempranillo character to keep me interested. Best with air.
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11/18/2022 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I've had 2 bottles of this over the past week; once with traditional paella and next with lamb shoulder chops - went beautifully with both. Fully mature with probably 5-10 more years for consumption. Rich and forward with moderate complexity.
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9/19/2022 - wardamnwine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding!
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2/18/2022 - iMustWine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich powerful yet silky and soft. Gorgeous version of how lovely Tempranillo can be done very well
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9/5/2021 - Fat1Wombat wrote: 94 Points
Drank with Mark. This wine was magnificent.
Medium red.
Fresh. Lifted. Red fruit and cracked pepper spice. Far fresher and cleaner than anticipated.
Palate is rich, red, long and fine.
Extremely youthful. Wonderful parlance.
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2/21/2021 - devraj Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium ruby-purple. Expressive aromas of dark florals and spice recede to give way to cassis, cedar and hint of earth. Medium-bodied and focused palate shows sweet-tart cassis, good acidity, no tannins, fully absorbed oak and a long, linear and intensely mineral finish.
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8/22/2020 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow for a nineteen year old bottle still going strong. Muted red fruit present but not a fruit bomb. Essence of cigar box and cedar with moderate tannins and still slight acidity. Long finish of approximately 30 seconds. Very enjoyable
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7/9/2020 - up4wine wrote: 90 Points
I would conclude that this is a very good wine, just not a great Rioja for the money.
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4/11/2020 - champ12oh Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. Drank over 3 hours. Agree with previous notes about sediment and difficult cork.
Walnuts, high tone red berries, bramble. For me it maintained European styling. Enjoyable alone, probably better with food.
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12/3/2019 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork not soaked but very difficult to remove (not uncommon for Spanish wines from this era). Great development after several hours of slow ox. Somewhat cool climate, very untypical for a Rioja and definitely a modern expression of Tempranillo but a great one! No hurry to drink.
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3/25/2019 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
After a thirty minute decant this is very lively and pretty. Red garnet with limited bricking. The nose is very pretty with red cherries, raspberries and flowers. The palate is medium bodied, a little rounded, fully mature but bursting with primary and secondary notes of red cherries, raspberries, brambles and a touch of wood. I debated in my mind whether this is already in an optimal drinking window or it’s going to age further. On balance I think I would drink it in the next three years because it’s in such a good spot now and it clear has begun down the maturation curve.
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2/17/2019 - UTPK wrote:
Thank god this was my last blttle of modern Rioja. This is a nice and somewhat complex wine. Mature and a bit dusty, but with good mouthfeel and excellent length. It could have been produced anywhere by a modern winemaker...
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10/2/2018 - Stefan75 wrote: 92 Points
PnP, still feels very young but has nicely evolved since last tasted 1y ago, opens up quickly in the glass, no sweetness but great depth, years of life ahead, lots of sediment!
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9/24/2018 - Noel Likes this wine: 95 Points
Young but just entering it's drinking phase. Decanted for a hour or so before drinking. Lovely rich berry and roasted meats on the palate, soft tannins, long and harmonious. Gutted was only bottle ! No hurry either will drink for another 10 years i am sure.
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8/5/2018 - winemaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted ~3 hours in advance. Really good. Even better 3 hours later. Intense red fruits. I like the french oak influence here. Harmonious and long.
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1/3/2018 - Jozefs wrote: 92 Points
Nose wide open, palate still not completely ready. No need to hurry.
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12/26/2017 - BradE wrote:
A lone soldier in the cellar, that was a hit with the crowd.
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5/11/2017 - Stefan75 wrote: 91 Points
still tannic and does not feel fully ready after 16years. Should be decanted for min 2hrs but then opens up nicely and keeps on evolving in the glass. Not typical Rioja but very interesting and complex.
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2/4/2017 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at 67
Very fresh with lots of brooding dark fruit, spice and tar. Lovely.
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10/28/2016 - michaelgor wrote: 95 Points
decanted one hour, tasted from reidel somm bdx glasses..wonderful nose, dark fruit,
some pencil shavings, on the palate, lots of fruit, silky tannins ( my wife tasted out of a reidel somm hermitage) much more bite ..the finish was long smooth yum..this has happened so many damn times we had four bottles,,kept tasting, finally just terrific, BUT this is our last bottle *** good news, bought it from PC in 2005, and actually received it 2010
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10/26/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still in good shape, cherry notes are dominating, some vanilla and in his his way mono-dimensional, good concentration with ripe Tannins, alcohol well integrated but missing the complexity in the finish to make it a "real" tremendous wine (50+5+14+16+8), enjoyable over the next 10 years but I think it won't get much better
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9/2/2016 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
ELEGANT WINE WITH DEEP FRUIT IN THE MOSE AND FLAVOR, LICORICE, SPICE, BLACKBERRIES, PLUMS AND WOOD. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH. FIRST TASTED 8/13/06
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8/24/2016 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Osteria Langhe (Chicago, IL): Given the reputation of this wine as a modern Rioja, I admit I approached this with more than a little bit of trepidation. But lo and behold, all that anxiety was unnecessary. Somehow, there's something still quite Riojan (is that the adjective?) about this wine. Despite the slick polish, you can still find a bit of that earthiness here. Sure, there's plenty of sweet black fruit, but it's very neatly counterbalanced by sufficient acidity and dustiness. I won't be running out to put these in my cellar, but this is certainly not the boogeyman I thought it would be.
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7/3/2016 - rsbeck wrote: 90 Points
Similar to previous. Enjoyable now, curious to see where this goes. Lots of fruit and structure left, but the amount of Oak still to be absorbed and what feels like wood tannin in the finish has me concerned.
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7/3/2016 - rsbeck wrote: 90 Points
Popped, poured, let breathe in glass for 60 minutes, consumed over next 90. Dark fruit, medium + bodied, French Oak, 100% New for 18 months, is beginning to integrate, but after 15 years, there is still much more that needs to integrate. If this wine can evolve positively, these Oak derived flavors could prove very interesting. Having said that, this wine is definitely modern and not classical Rioja and there is some roughness at the end of the finish that feels like wood tannin rather than grape tannin. I will be curious to see if this evolves positively from here.
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2/20/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark color, looks young. Not much on the nose. Some light black cherry notes. Nice dark fruits and some cedar on the palate. Drinking fine. Lighter than I remember.
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2/9/2016 - ehodin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid Rioja - agree it's in the modern style; had to down-rate it slightly due to it's lack of classicism. Just as a solid wine for enjoyment, however, it's damn good.
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12/23/2015 - alamoave wrote: 93 Points
If you like new-world Rioja, this is about the best I've had from that style. No hurry. It should hold in good shape for 4-5 more years without difficulty.
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12/15/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose, though a bit muted at first. Smooth and very well-balanced on the palate. Excellent dark fruit and Cedar notes. Medium finished.
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11/22/2015 - John McCabe wrote: 90 Points
Felt a bit muted and thin; nothing like the '05 which I love.
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8/21/2015 - mgstull Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dark garnet. Cherry, tobacco, saddle leather, citrus, and tart acidity. Surprisingly youthful and somewhat tannic.
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5/14/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells darn amazing. Herbs roses sweet fruit spice box sweet cedar deep candied red fruit. I am kinda blown away.
Palate is soft and elegant light on could hope for more length.
Based on the length I would say now is definately the time.
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4/26/2015 - Old Claret wrote: 90 Points
Pleasant but nothing special. Perhaps it needs more time to develop?
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3/12/2015 - Sjontoft wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby. Showing very little sign of ageing.
Nose is driven by red fruit, hints of forrest floor, cedar, and a bit of vanilla.
Palate is medium-full bodied, dominated by red fruit and forrest floor with fairly high levels of acidity and tannins, which are clear, but soft and integrating well.
It has a good freshness and medium length.
Drinks very well and I suspect will last at least 3 years.
3 = very good.
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12/1/2014 - bengti Likes this wine: 95 Points
SiJie Sichuan Private Kitchen Hong Kong (Causeway Bay): Lovely. Had just the right amount of dust / smokiness to reflect a beguiling complexity, giving way to tart, sharp fruit with a pleasing hint of citrus, lavender and leather. Very impressive structure and mouthfeel. Would definitely want to get more of this outstanding wine.
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8/24/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Well I am glad I waited because this is just a beauty. At its optimum of fruit expression right now. If you like fruit, don't wait. But certainly the acidity is there so its got a long life ahead.
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8/22/2014 - devraj Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red with purple tint. Restrained aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, leather and some dust become more expressive with air. A medium bodied palate shows slightly tart dark cherry liquer, plum skin, touch of earth and asian spices, with good acidity and still discernible but sweet tannins on finish.
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4/16/2014 - bitdrerik wrote: 92 Points
Vínsmakk #3 vor 2014 (Marbakkabraut 12): Frekar ljóst á litinn. Þungur og höfugur ilmur jafnvel smá vottur af lími. Greina mátti dökk ber í munni. Eik mjög nett. Vín í gríðargóðu jafnvægi.
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3/5/2014 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Mature Tempranillo tasting (The Traklin Wine-Bistro): Rich fresh tertiary aromas.
Med-Full bodied, soft-trim tannins, tasty cherry, well balanced, good finish.
Seems to be now at its optimal drinking period.
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2/26/2014 - astroman Likes this wine:
Clean fresh blue berries with meaty notes. Amazing layers on the palate thick tannins and very fine with great finish. Beautiful wine but rather pricey.
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2/26/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lots of sweet, almost Grenache like notes on the nose. Soft and very supple on the palate, bright cherry, lots of vibrancy, oops! I just swallowed it. Still has some grip too. I know Parker reviews it as "old" at this point but I think that has got some legs to run on still.
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2/6/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
The wine looks purple colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), red currant, blueberry, blackberry, fig, cherry, mineral, dust, coffee, espresso, phenolic, vanilla, oak, cinnamon and black olive. The body is medium. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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10/3/2013 - Le Nez Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not sure why this wine is not getting the kudos it deserves.
It is an incredibly polished wine with superfine velvety tannins and pure fruit that are characteristic of a very high-end product.
If you can find it on sale, then by all means purchase some.
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6/6/2013 - Silent Knight wrote: 90 Points
1 hour decant and it wasn't very good. Very aggressive to the palette. But 3 hours later, it came to being.
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5/10/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 84 Points
fairly decent wine with some tart fruitiness, a bit of tar and leather; medium body and length.
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4/13/2013 - UTPK wrote:
This seems to finally have come around. It has a huge nose of tar, spanish ink, almost sweet grenach notes and some leather. Still a bit tannic but excellent balance of fruit and acidity. I assume it will continue to mellow its tannins and become more complex over the next 5-10 years.
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1/30/2013 - Rani Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Tasted blind. This had very high acidity and felt unbalanced.
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12/12/2012 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
PnP (drank over 3 nights). Still inky violet. Nose features almost brooding tarry dark fruit, with licorice and smoky meat. Palate feels more balanced than the bottle in May with plush fruit, but a mineral driven acidity (graphite and ash) and firm tannins add a great balance, which becomes more evident on nights 2 and 3. Decent length, some complexity of texture and flavor. Definitely should be decanted (my bad) and has a decade or more ahead. I can see the points raised by markjanes as the Rioja-ness is not evident, but I was swayed by the balance and nature of the mineral acidity (not New Worldy).
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7/27/2012 - BobJohnson1 wrote:
Deep purple. Hugh wine, big tannin, oak, fruit and spice. Got better with a little air time and really needed food to tame it. Not a bad wine, just not my personal style. Too much extraction and oak for me. Not worth the price. Drinking well now, I do not think aging further would be of any benefit. Enjoy it while it still has nice fruit.
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7/3/2012 - danielk168 wrote: 91 Points
Need about 1+ hour in the decanter, still young and powerful, slightly out of balance now but perhaps more time will help it integrate better.
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5/1/2012 - thomaskeil wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 90 minutes (benefited in terms of opening up and it throws a lot of sediment). Nose features cherry and dark berry notes along with tobacco, vanilla, leather, earth and spice (very pleasing). Palate start off with medium-weighted fruit with noticeable acidity and firm tannins appearing by midpalate. Texturally uninteresting, but more than serviceable with food. Low complexity on palate with medium persistence. Slightly out of balance with structure poking out and fruit a bit dark and unidimensional. On day two the tannins resolved a bit, but the fruit 'got darker' and more New World like. Day one this was a Rioja on the nose and early palate, but it seemed to lose its charm by Day 2. I'm confused about its future, but would lean towards early consumption.
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1/22/2012 - klino wrote: 89 Points
Don't touch this bottle at the moment! Nowhere near its price nor the 97 parker pts!
Quite interesting when opened, but the wine declined in quality over the night. A classic mix of old school vs. modern rioja. Reminded a lot of the 2001 Murrieta reserva - smell of prunes, cherries and oak. And a very well-balanced taste with huge tannins and structure to last for many years. Confident that it will open up again and deserve it's price tag.
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1/11/2012 - The Wine Bum wrote:
Good but not great, bit underwhelming....
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11/26/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
My past experience with this wine was that it would simply never come around. However, about two weeks ago I brought out a bottle and it was smokin'. Powerful fruit, big new oak certainly, but integrated and of one piece. Sure, its massive and modern but it does have good acidity as well. Right in its prime, drink away.
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11/12/2011 - Milos wrote: 94 Points
Both the Artadi and the Vega showed well but too young for my palate. Nose needed encouragement and time to show a mix of dark red fruit, very bright, clean notes. The palate is intense with sour cherry flavours, charcoal, ripe and fine tannins, almost silky. Very long finish.
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10/23/2011 - samwe wrote: 93 Points
very nice, liked it better now than the first bottle - still room for improvement..........
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10/14/2011 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Artadi tasting. The son of the producer came over to join us. (@ WB): Garnet rim. Mature bouquet with elegant spiciness, a touch of leather and red fruits. On the palate juicy red fruits, some licorice, vanilla and menthol. Less impressive than previous bottle; see TN of 3/30/2011. Ready now although no great hurry.
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5/16/2011 - markjanes wrote: 86 Points
hmmm... I will be providing the dissenting opinion on this wine it seems... decanted for a couple of hours with no evolution, very dark in color, aromatically quite muted with a mix of dark and red fruits, noticeable new barrique spices, some savory elements. On the palate the wine has medium high acidity, a coarse kind of flesh in the midpalate, firm, rather unevolved tannins that are at least moderately ripe... Wine has good balance, ok length, good intensity, and low complexity. The wine doesn't seem to offer much finesse (in fact it has a lack of detail, a non-descript sort of clumsiness, about it), has a slightly coarse texture, and its biggest weakness, IMO, is its lack of somewhereness... if you could place this blind in Rioja I would be impressed. I say hold the wine for a few years and see what happens... it has structural elements to improve with age though I suspect it is what it is... just another new world intense, dull, monolithic red wine that is too expensive...
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5/13/2011 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Spectacular effusive nose has bright red fruits, tobacco leaf and a hint of toast. Palate is silky smooth and precisely balanced. Medium rich fruit, plush tannin and juicy acidity. Great lift and persistence on the palate. Good complexity of flavor into the long finish.
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4/14/2011 - Milos wrote: 94 Points
Bright dark red. Still very young but already very enjoyable. Nose of dark red fruit, spices, cocoa, tobacco, very complex. Palate is very elegant, refined; tannins are ripe and very fine, almost silky. Finish si long. Reminds me of a Margaux appellation wine.
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3/17/2011 - cdunn wrote: 93 Points
This bottle exceeded my expectations. The definite tobacco and dark fruit and granite on the nose led some to think Bordeaux. This is a very well-balanced, even elegant, wine. While there is some detectable oak, it is well-integrated. Silky texture, good precise depth of flavors, again with tobacco, spice, dark berries. Very clean, moderately long finish.
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2/4/2011 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
The Purchase Group 2011-01 (@ PZ): Beautiful and elegant mature bouquet with ripe dark fruits, tobacco and also some butterscotch and licorice. On the palate red as well as black berry fruits, cream, butterscotch again and some pepper. There is some pleasant sweetness and in beautiful harmony with the acidity. A little pleasant bitterness as well. Great wine.
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11/26/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Fresh and meaty. Not showing its age at all. Very nice
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8/26/2010 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 90 Points
The nose is quite pretty. It is very perfumed raspberry spice cookie. In the mouth the wine is rather ho-hum. It is a little to tart, but otherwise quite drinkable.
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8/21/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Oaky, tobacco, vanilla, spice, and red fruits dominate the aromatics. Medium to full bodied with a finish that shows too much oak along with the strawberry and cherry flavors. Perhaps this wine will come together with more time, who knows? It's not a bad wine, but at this point, the oak stands out.
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4/1/2010 - Jozefs wrote: 91 Points
(Slow ox'ed some hours before tasting.) Colour is still fresh. On the quite subdued nose tobacco, spices and red and black fruit. Tobacco, tar, kirsch, spices and mainly red fruit on the quite balanced palate; refreshing acidity, quite high for a Spanish wine. Rather short aftertaste. Reminds me more of a good Bordeaux than a Rioja, but I like it more than a few years ago. I probably need to keep my single remaining bottle a few years more. Qpr is not so good on this one though, but it certainly is a good (not great), even interesting wine.
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3/9/2010 - Lorien wrote: 90 Points
Really nice right now. One of the more modern wines of Artadi I have had, but still lovely. Nice spicy oak in the background with lovely fresh somewhat sweet fruity profile. good balance. Tasty wine for sure! Can hold, but based on other vintages of Pagos Viejos I have had, they seem to glow at a younger age.
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1/24/2010 - samwe wrote: 91 Points
very nice , rounded, full flavored, and enough acicity to get a little better I think but drinking well
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12/9/2009 - UTPK wrote:
Equally boring as last bottle. Too acid and no real fruit. This will not become better with ageing. Tremendous variance between vintages on this estate!!
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10/4/2009 - pbjosh wrote: 88 Points
Dense and dark. Sweet dark fruit, sweet herbs, cocoa, spice and roasted earth on the nose. Vanilla too but not out of balance. On the palate a touch of vanilla sweetness and a good shake of drying oak tannin obscure what is otherwise a quite nice if dark / modern styled Rioja. I think this has the stuffing to continue integrating its oak and continue improving. Can't say for how long and I'm not sure it will ever reach any sublime level of balance but I'm confident waiting 5 years or so on my other bottle to see, as the other components are well balanced and this is a good, sleek wine that has good acidity and lacks surmaturite or overextractive bitterness / grittiness. I think Roda makes a much better take on a modernist Rioja, and I don't think this is a good value, but I think it's a pretty good wine that just got overoaked.
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9/28/2009 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
The journey into Spain continues. Decanted it for like 45 minutes and we should have done more as it continued to improve in the glass. Big body and finish, great on the nose , perfumy (to quote Gildine) even floral. Does have a bit of a hint of over sweetness. Great !
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9/21/2009 - UTPK wrote:
Very nice complex nose, with flowers, blue berries, a bit of tar and smoked salmon. Not very sweet, and the mid palate is too acid. Astringent finish. Either this one will be outstanding with age, or it is too late. The fruit is not very fruity, if you get my drift :-)
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9/12/2009 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Expressive and complex somewhat sweet bouquet. Same in the mouth. Black ripe fruits like cherries and cassis. Soft tannin and a good balance between sweetness and acidity. All together a decent wine, but not with the complexity as one should expect of a wine with this price. Ready now, but no hurry.
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6/18/2009 - cadamson wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple, ruby edge. Need some time to open up, but once it does it presents a very good nose of strong pencil lead, dark fruit, cedar... in short, very Bordeaux like for a Tempranillo. On the palate, dark fruit, some earth, a bit better than what the other tasting notes imply. Decent finish though with a bit of bitterness. As others mention, dry on the end, but I still get a lot of fruit. In all, I think it is a good spot, may still have a bit of integration ahead...if the fruit stays a bit longer while the tannins close down some, this could improve...but that is a risk, I would drink within a couple years. Score reflects an outstanding nose (95 nose, 88 palate).
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6/10/2009 - prufrocksabogado wrote: 86 Points
Sour cherries and crusted wood, w only a hint of what once was probably a decent fruity and complex rioja. Afraid the best days for this are behind it. A real shame.
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6/2/2009 - grog wrote: 85 Points
This was MUCH better two years ago. It appears to be well on its' way to drying out. Not shutting down, just drying out - not fruit, but lots of oak and tannin. Drink up, preferably with a steak.
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5/11/2009 - garambler wrote: 92 Points
We had this with a grilled NY Strip steak on 5/11/09. It had a fabulous bouquet of cassis, blackberry, pencil shavings, french roasted coffee, burnt toast and spice aromas. The palate followed with blackberry, black currant, burnt toast, espresso and spice flavors. It was very full bodied with round, well integrated tannins. It had a long and very dusty, dry finish and was very good.
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5/11/2009 - Dale451 wrote: 93 Points
Very smooth and rich, with dark, silky tannins. Very dark and lush fruits accross the palate with a nice, smooth finish. I think that this is in its prime drinking window and should be there/here for several years.
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4/26/2009 - Mr T wrote:
Decent wine and I would score it around the 91 given by Tanzer. Plenty of acid and fruit, but not necessarily nuanced at one extreme or exuberant on the other. I would not rebuy at this price.
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12/28/2008 - JJA wrote: 88 Points
Consistent experience as last bottle. Good but not great, as one of the other reviews mentioned.
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11/24/2008 - igaf wrote:
Very dark purple. Fresh nose with mint and other herbs, elegantly sweet fruit. Medium+ body, quite spicy and tannic, good acidity, minerality, red berries, chocolate, clove. Very young, but complex and interesting.
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7/24/2008 - Surfer714 wrote:
purple, concentrated,nice wine ,,,,maybe needs some time?
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3/20/2008 - gr8r84u wrote: 90 Points
Huge massive juicy cherry and other red fruits. Lacked balance. Good... not great.
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3/6/2008 - pakabear wrote: 80 Points
Some decent dark fruits on the nose with a lot of cherry flavors and massive oak toward the end. The palate initially was fairly good, but as it opened up it was pure oak and that's all. This was just bad and almost undrinkable overall.
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8/20/2007 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote:
Ver dark purple, opaque. Big attractive nose with concentrated red fruit and oak. Full bodied, huge, rich semi dry red fruit, dry finish somewhat astringent. Big new world styled fruit. Should last a long time.
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8/2/2007 - Nanda wrote: 96 Points
Spanish dinner at Think Cafe (Chicago, IL): Inky ruby in color. Hugely aromatic, rich and complex nose shows layers of dark fruit, chocolate, spice, herbs and cigar ash. Outstanding palate has rich, conentrated and precise fruits. Suave tannins are well cloaked. Very impressive.
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6/26/2007 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Better than the previous bottle, which was probably closed down. Medium purple. Nose is very floral and intense: ripe strawberries, jasmine, tar. On the palate, lively with cleanly delineated lines, fruit tending to strawberry or sour cherries, good acidity, soft tannins. Can drink now but should hold for a long time...
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3/8/2007 - Spencer wrote: 93 Points
Brought to "Dry Riesling and Rioja" dinner at Ibiza. Still very young, great balance and structure, complex, long. Very modern-styled, but well-made. I like this wine, and it should get even better with age. I thought it was slightly more complex and balanced than the '01 Torre Muga that it was paired with, although that was a nice wine as well.
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2/22/2007 - KPB wrote: 88 Points
Medium ruby, almost pink around the rim. Strawberries on the nose, with tobacco, spice. Fairly tight right now, tending towards a light, acidic style. Still has tannins to shed; give it another 3 or 4 years.
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12/31/2006 - ths wrote: 93 Points
Drank without decanting with a rich meal of prime rib and potatoes au gratin. Even during the meal it seemed to open up so, is clearly young and a bit tannin dominated. Dark and thick in the glass with a somewhat muted nose of flowers mixed with tar. Held up well to the beef and delivered a satisfying finish as well as some rich round fruit up front. Host was also pouring 2000 Conn Creek Limited Release, which was all fruit, no substance compared to the staunch tempranillo and its tannins. Thought is was an excellent food pairing, but as the meal was quite rich, did not have good oportunity to savor the subtleties. 5+12+17+9=93
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11/5/2006 - JJA wrote: 88 Points
I don't know what all the hype is about around this wine. This was just ok. Parker's rating is ridiculously inflated. I guess he drank too much wine that day!!
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7/29/2006 - Jozefs wrote: 92 Points
While a solid wine in the modern style, this shows no sense of place and is a dissapointment considering its price. Might improve, but it will probably never be more than a modernist fruit and tannins bomb.
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5/8/2006 - JScott wrote: 87 Points
A significant disapointment
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3/10/2006 - DRL01 wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. I brought a bottle to a local restaurant. It opened slowly, tannic at first, fruit was overwhelmed. About an hour later, the fruit took over revealing a rich, full bodied powerhouse. Layers of coffee, blackberries, blueberries.
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1/8/2006 - allick wrote: 85 Points
Excellent balance of fruit and tanin, classic wine particurlarly for the price. Could benefit from more aging and would certianly improve with decanting. Comsumed with classic Mexican fare and was the perfect match. Nose of licorice and leather but not overpowering.
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9/28/2005 - LoireFan wrote:
Not ready to drink yet, unfortunately. (Brought by a guest.) Has a promising future.
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5/27/2005 - EBoyer wrote: 95 Points
Young, fairly tannic, but very enjoyable with some air. Very good fruit. The ingredients are all there but needs a few years to integrate and settle down. Still quite nice if you like big young wines.
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8/18/2004 - jamiekutch wrote: 95 Points
75-year old Tempranillo vines. Deep, dark purple. Nose started off slighly muted but with air the cherries popped. Light fruit, soft elegant (campared to its company) Slightly drying on the finish. Very well balanced with a near perfect finish that went on and on. A real winner and my WOTN.
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