Red berry fruit of cherry, fine aging notes of foliage and wet earth, sweet elements of liquorish. Combines a soft texture with a firm structure and a touch of sweetness on the palate. Still slightly mouthcoating tannins, but soft in nature. This is probably very close to prime drinking window, but with easily 10-20 years of life left.
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Clear medium ruby with a tawny tinge in the glass. Intoxicating nose of red cherries, raspberries, vanilla, rosemary and thyme. Ripe and some sweetness the wine settles after at least an hour after opening and decanted. The taste profile is one of ripe fruit, vibrant but soft tannins. Tasting fresh and plenty of lovely fruit on the front, the middle palate has some syrupy sweetness that I noticed but finishes long with tertiary notes of tobacco and leather. Exciting wine and just when I was getting into it on a wife and kid free night the decanter was empty...
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of camphor, black pepper and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries, black currants and black berries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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91 pts, 100% Tempranillo, Dark ruby color, nose of blackberry & dried fruit, silky texture, elegant, soften tannic, mid to long aftertaste. 4 hour bottle breathed, decant while drinking for 2.5h, still young, 5-10 years ahead.
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My third bottle of Pagos Viejos, corked in the same, subtle way (previous bottles were 2005, purchased at different occasions). Not much, and doesn't increase in the way that "normal" cork does, but enough to ruin the experience. Or is it not cork, and instead some weird style thing that just doesn't work with me (and my significant other)? Either way, not feeling inclined to buy more.
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The highlight came after hours in the glass when the slutty oaky but sexy wine turned into something delicate, soft and round. The wine developed into a beautiful, fine creature with subtle sweet red fruit and much less weight. This is clearly one or the other step away from the best (precision, length) and showed hints of alcohol (mainly at the beginning) but overall very pleasing. Given the ageing potential (and the modest prices) of the best examples, Rioja should not be neglected (...but I have hardly any in my cellar). First phase 91/92 points, last phase 94/95 points.
TN: At first completley dominated by dark fruits, blueberries, licorice, espresso, dark chocolate, vanilla, cedar and herbs. Some alcohol here and there shining through (but no nasty heat). Good intensity, medium+ precision and length. Very good freshness to keep all these slutty aromas in balance, fine but velvety tannins. Certainly has a long life. With time more and more round, soft, airy with delicate red fruit. More complex and beautiful.
Decanting: Not decanted. With more time in the glass it became rounder and showed more finesse. This definitely needs at least four hours in the decanter.
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This is a better bottle than my previous note. On first opening one is assaulted by an attack of zingy acidity and tannin. Both calm down with a couple of hours of air - but what a vivacity! There is a lot of wood on the palate, again some of this blows off with air but is still quite dominant. This is a moderately big rich ripe wine, with black fruits. It is well balanced and I think will last a few more years.
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14% ABV Ripe rich fruit with an unexpectedly huge structure of acidity and tannin. Plenty of grip here. Sweet blackberry fruit, medium complexity and finish. Also spicy vanilla oak in the background. Harsh when first opened due to the structural attack but softens and fills out considerably with an hour or so of air.
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started off angry and too sweet that worried me about being a new world drinker but after a few minutes integrated and settled down to the point where spanish earth and rioja fruit predominated did not last long at the darien spanish evening
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Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): Tasting at the winery. This was the first wow-wine in the line-up. Complex, sexy and with a good precision, this is a quite captivating wine showecasing the Rioja style in the best possible way. This has certainly legs to improve for several more years but is quite nice to drink now.
TN: Burnt brown sugar, hints of herbal aromas, dark fresh soil, some red fruit on the intense, round and harmonic nose. Intoxicating and sexy. Even more complex on the palate with well-defined, intense aromas of burnt sugar, coffee, cocoa, dark and red fruit, fresh herbs and wet rock. Nicely precise, complex and long. The structure is impeccable with bold but smooth tannins and a fresh acidity. Despite all the power it has a nice and light mouthfeel, not to the amount that I would call it weightless but still very nice and harmonious. Great.
Decanting: Pop and poured and good from the go.
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Part of a tasting after a tour at the Artadi winery (snippets from the tour included in the tasting story).
Lots of flavours here to discover. A darker fruit of brambleberry, a bit of dry earth, black coffee and black tea hebal aromatics. Fresh, fruity but also with coffee and a bit of cocoa on the palate. Great balance with structural tannins. Nothing to complain here and I bought some on the spot!
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Magnificent bottle, very layered, somewhat dark and licorice. Perfectly balanced. Aftertaste lingers for 40 seconds. Herbs, vanilla and refreshing acidity.
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The nose shows spices, licorice and vanilla. In the mouth we find black fruits, spices, vanilla and a touch of wood. This wine is very refined and long, keeping perfect balance all the time. It ends with a lovely bitter touch. Still on the young side but already in its drinking window, outstanding wine!
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Having been disipointed with many a Tempanillo I was impressed with the 07 Artadi. Beautifully balanced, no hard edges with soft tannins. The fruit showed well along with nice earthy notes, not being overwhelmed with American Oak. It paired well with Indian food. To me it's at its peak.
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Reaching maturity now. Will keep longer for several years though. Needs time to develop in the glass, was somewhat closed in the beginning, not a very large bouquet but after some time in the decanter it started opening up. On the palette it still very fruity, jammy black forrest fruit, blue berries and lots of dark chocolate, it gives a soft sweetness to the wine. Its certainly not port but it has some elements of it.
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in a good spot smooth as silk the first night and paired well with a steak on the grill much less fruit the second night and more about the spanish earth yum
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A Matter of Taste tasting (London, Saatchi Gallery): Beautiful bouquet with black and red berries and some minerals. On the palate beautiful juice, sweet spices and some chocolate. Good acidity and soft tannin. The wine is entering its maturity stage now. Lovely wine now and the next 5+ years.
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Decanted and served. Well ripe and modern, decent amount of oak but it carries it well. Juicy, ripe fruit core, maybe on the young side but the ripeness in favor of acidity worries us wrt longevity. Not a bad wine at all but maybe more hype than substance? 90ish
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Decanted for 2 hours, consumed over 3 more. Dark color, purple rim. Nose opens after 1 hour in glass. Varnishes, black pepper, sweet vanilla and blackberries.. nose evolves a lot. On palate ot's full bodied, made of red fresh fruit, high acidity, sweet tannins, mouth coating and overall very balanced and well structured. Finish goes forever. Still needs some time.
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2nd Technical tasting course #4 (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): dark transparent red, pinky rim forest fruits, earth, coffee, caramel, pastrami, sweet candy aromas, develops to leathery. full body, high acidity, wood, red forest fruit & vanilla flavors. High tannin & bitterness, med harmony, long sour after taste.
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Aromatically - high pitched dark fruit, a bit of toasted chocolate, a touch of exotic spice, and blackberry toast, some am oak brls mixed in??, a touch of stoney minerality. Color- very dark vibrant PURPLE color similair to a malbec. On the Plalate - full bodied captivating toasting entry with a very good mid palate and a young strong finish w, a bit of oak. A wine that will age on and on. If you drink it young decant 6-8 hours.
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With Jesús, who brought a half-finished bottle from his tasting the prior day. Deep ruby/black color. Nose of ripe black fruits, spices and toasted notes. Somewhat closed on both the nose and palate, good acidity and presence otherwise. Very young, of course.
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3/1/2024 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Red berry fruit of cherry, fine aging notes of foliage and wet earth, sweet elements of liquorish. Combines a soft texture with a firm structure and a touch of sweetness on the palate. Still slightly mouthcoating tannins, but soft in nature. This is probably very close to prime drinking window, but with easily 10-20 years of life left.
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7/22/2023 - gparker777 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear medium ruby with a tawny tinge in the glass. Intoxicating nose of red cherries, raspberries, vanilla, rosemary and thyme. Ripe and some sweetness the wine settles after at least an hour after opening and decanted. The taste profile is one of ripe fruit, vibrant but soft tannins. Tasting fresh and plenty of lovely fruit on the front, the middle palate has some syrupy sweetness that I noticed but finishes long with tertiary notes of tobacco and leather. Exciting wine and just when I was getting into it on a wife and kid free night the decanter was empty...
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5/26/2023 - Stufts wrote: flawed
Corked. What a shame.
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3/19/2023 - javierbb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bastante pulido, pero muy largo y fresco...
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3/30/2021 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of camphor, black pepper and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries, black currants and black berries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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2/6/2021 - garywonghk Likes this wine: 91 Points
91 pts, 100% Tempranillo, Dark ruby color, nose of blackberry & dried fruit, silky texture, elegant, soften tannic, mid to long aftertaste. 4 hour bottle breathed, decant while drinking for 2.5h, still young, 5-10 years ahead.
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12/5/2020 - LARich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic and elegant. Softens up after 2 hour decant. Has plenty of life left.
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11/28/2020 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark cherry, soft balsamic, dried black fruit, laurel, espresso, medium body, strong finish. Diner at the neighbours.
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10/26/2020 - kastrom Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really great wine,
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10/2/2020 - Gece wrote: flawed
My third bottle of Pagos Viejos, corked in the same, subtle way (previous bottles were 2005, purchased at different occasions). Not much, and doesn't increase in the way that "normal" cork does, but enough to ruin the experience. Or is it not cork, and instead some weird style thing that just doesn't work with me (and my significant other)? Either way, not feeling inclined to buy more.
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4/5/2020 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
The highlight came after hours in the glass when the slutty oaky but sexy wine turned into something delicate, soft and round. The wine developed into a beautiful, fine creature with subtle sweet red fruit and much less weight. This is clearly one or the other step away from the best (precision, length) and showed hints of alcohol (mainly at the beginning) but overall very pleasing. Given the ageing potential (and the modest prices) of the best examples, Rioja should not be neglected (...but I have hardly any in my cellar). First phase 91/92 points, last phase 94/95 points.
TN: At first completley dominated by dark fruits, blueberries, licorice, espresso, dark chocolate, vanilla, cedar and herbs. Some alcohol here and there shining through (but no nasty heat). Good intensity, medium+ precision and length. Very good freshness to keep all these slutty aromas in balance, fine but velvety tannins. Certainly has a long life. With time more and more round, soft, airy with delicate red fruit. More complex and beautiful.
Decanting: Not decanted. With more time in the glass it became rounder and showed more finesse. This definitely needs at least four hours in the decanter.
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3/31/2020 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a better bottle than my previous note.
On first opening one is assaulted by an attack of zingy acidity and tannin. Both calm down with a couple of hours of air - but what a vivacity! There is a lot of wood on the palate, again some of this blows off with air but is still quite dominant. This is a moderately big rich ripe wine, with black fruits. It is well balanced and I think will last a few more years.
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2/9/2020 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 92 Points
14% ABV
Ripe rich fruit with an unexpectedly huge structure of acidity and tannin. Plenty of grip here. Sweet blackberry fruit, medium complexity and finish. Also spicy vanilla oak in the background. Harsh when first opened due to the structural attack but softens and fills out considerably with an hour or so of air.
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9/7/2019 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 91 Points
started off angry and too sweet that worried me about being a new world drinker
but after a few minutes integrated and settled down to the point where spanish earth and rioja fruit predominated
did not last long at the darien spanish evening
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8/30/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Spain Trip (w/ some Rioja gems): Tasting at the winery. This was the first wow-wine in the line-up. Complex, sexy and with a good precision, this is a quite captivating wine showecasing the Rioja style in the best possible way. This has certainly legs to improve for several more years but is quite nice to drink now.
TN: Burnt brown sugar, hints of herbal aromas, dark fresh soil, some red fruit on the intense, round and harmonic nose. Intoxicating and sexy. Even more complex on the palate with well-defined, intense aromas of burnt sugar, coffee, cocoa, dark and red fruit, fresh herbs and wet rock. Nicely precise, complex and long. The structure is impeccable with bold but smooth tannins and a fresh acidity. Despite all the power it has a nice and light mouthfeel, not to the amount that I would call it weightless but still very nice and harmonious. Great.
Decanting: Pop and poured and good from the go.
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8/27/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Part of a tasting after a tour at the Artadi winery (snippets from the tour included in the tasting story).
Lots of flavours here to discover. A darker fruit of brambleberry, a bit of dry earth, black coffee and black tea hebal aromatics. Fresh, fruity but also with coffee and a bit of cocoa on the palate. Great balance with structural tannins. Nothing to complain here and I bought some on the spot!
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5/24/2018 - Vinogan(s) Likes this wine: 94 Points
Magnificent bottle, very layered, somewhat dark and licorice. Perfectly balanced. Aftertaste lingers for 40 seconds. Herbs, vanilla and refreshing acidity.
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5/24/2018 - Kris G Likes this wine: 94 Points
The nose shows spices, licorice and vanilla. In the mouth we find black fruits, spices, vanilla and a touch of wood. This wine is very refined and long, keeping perfect balance all the time. It ends with a lovely bitter touch. Still on the young side but already in its drinking window, outstanding wine!
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9/17/2017 - tc from santee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Having been disipointed with many a Tempanillo I was impressed with the 07 Artadi. Beautifully balanced, no hard edges with soft tannins. The fruit showed well along with nice earthy notes, not being overwhelmed with American Oak. It paired well with Indian food. To me it's at its peak.
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8/15/2016 - vr.bart Likes this wine: 94 Points
Reaching maturity now. Will keep longer for several years though. Needs time to develop in the glass, was somewhat closed in the beginning, not a very large bouquet but after some time in the decanter it started opening up. On the palette it still very fruity, jammy black forrest fruit, blue berries and lots of dark chocolate, it gives a soft sweetness to the wine. Its certainly not port but it has some elements of it.
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5/20/2015 - Lieserfreak Likes this wine: 89 Points
Delicious wine, still very nice drinkable
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3/14/2015 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 91 Points
in a good spot
smooth as silk the first night and paired well with a steak on the grill
much less fruit the second night and more about the spanish earth
yum
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2/28/2015 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
A Matter of Taste tasting (London, Saatchi Gallery): Beautiful bouquet with black and red berries and some minerals. On the palate beautiful juice, sweet spices and some chocolate. Good acidity and soft tannin. The wine is entering its maturity stage now. Lovely wine now and the next 5+ years.
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1/6/2015 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and served. Well ripe and modern, decent amount of oak but it carries it well. Juicy, ripe fruit core, maybe on the young side but the ripeness in favor of acidity worries us wrt longevity. Not a bad wine at all but maybe more hype than substance? 90ish
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1/6/2015 - Papies wrote: flawed
Badly corked, shame.
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10/31/2014 - skurtz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened at a table of friends and enjoyed with a crab cake appetizer. Wow this was smooth! Red fruit, tannin and acid all there, nicely balanced.
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1/1/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP'd with 10 people. From my small taste I got quality, richness, smooth fruit. Drinks nice now but likely better with more time.
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1/6/2012 - Periko wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 2 hours, consumed over 3 more. Dark color, purple rim. Nose opens after 1 hour in glass. Varnishes, black pepper, sweet vanilla and blackberries.. nose evolves a lot. On palate ot's full bodied, made of red fresh fruit, high acidity, sweet tannins, mouth coating and overall very balanced and well structured. Finish goes forever. Still needs some time.
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10/14/2011 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Artadi tasting. The son of the producer came over to join us. (@ WB): Beautiful bouquet. Black fruits. Mouth filling. Soft juice. Complex. Great and lush wine. Beautiful already and for the next decade. 92++
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7/10/2011 - Yagil wrote: 87 Points
2nd Technical tasting course #4 (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): dark transparent red, pinky rim
forest fruits, earth, coffee, caramel, pastrami, sweet candy aromas, develops to leathery.
full body, high acidity, wood, red forest fruit & vanilla flavors.
High tannin & bitterness, med harmony, long sour after taste.
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11/29/2010 - mdobro wrote: 89 Points
It is ok with with tapas , for me it's not balanced , I need more acid, medium long ; nose blackberry and tobbaco
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10/20/2010 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
Zachys Robin Hood 2010 Wine Tasting (La venue, NYC): showed much more than the vinas de gain. vanilla, milk chocolate. good acidic structure. medium finish.
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3/15/2010 - Harrypotter wrote:
Aromatically - high pitched dark fruit, a bit of toasted chocolate, a touch of exotic spice, and blackberry toast, some am oak brls mixed in??, a touch of stoney minerality. Color- very dark vibrant PURPLE color similair to a malbec. On the Plalate - full bodied captivating toasting entry with a very good mid palate and a young strong finish w, a bit of oak. A wine that will age on and on. If you drink it young decant 6-8 hours.
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1/21/2009 - dougsmith wrote: 92 Points
With Jesús, who brought a half-finished bottle from his tasting the prior day. Deep ruby/black color. Nose of ripe black fruits, spices and toasted notes. Somewhat closed on both the nose and palate, good acidity and presence otherwise. Very young, of course.
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