Still good, but maybe it’s lost some intensity because it’s on a downward slope. On the nose, I got a little bit of tobacco and tea. The red fruits seem darker than I remember. Silky texture. Gentle on the attack but a nice finish. I didn’t detect oak. This went better with Glen’s Super Bowl tri-tip than my Carlisle zin. A Bon Vivant import.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is still holding up well. It tastes similar to my last note. It's light and showing lots of depth and elegance. One change is that I got dill this time I didn't get last time. Is that American oak? If so, you'd think it would be resolved by now. Red fruit on the nose and palate and a nice earthiness too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I may have hung onto this a tad too long as it seems to have lost a lot of its life and fruit even over the past 14 months since my last btl. Still something there but a shell of it's prior self. I do really like this producer though and would buy younger vintages again. This was a PnP. No decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Raspberry, strawberry, leather, rustic nose with a little pickle/dill character. Soft, rich, nice texture, sexy, restrained, understated. Soil, leaves, savory. Low alcohol, feminine, and lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was excellent. This was about the lightest red Rioja I can remember. Quite delicate and showing excellent depth. This might be light enough to go with fish dishes. This was more red fruit with maybe a little bit of tobacco and blood on the nose. I just loved how it felt from the attack through the midpalate and finish. And it has an excellent finish. It's the kind of texture that only comes with age. At $30 a bottle it's a steal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent and a great value! Fruit was still lively after 15 years. Classic mature tempranillo profile, except lighter on tobacco than many favorites. No more detailed notes as this was at 40th Birthday Party. It really needed decanting for 1-2 hours to reach full volume and to reveal spicy complexity.
Spain and Portugal at Craftsman: The nose is dominated by exuberant red fruit with a slight hint of VA. Silky smooth on the palate with great red fruit flavors from the attack through the long lingering finish. Fully resolved tannin; this ones ready to go right now. One of my favorites and a favorite of the entire table. Great stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP. Light in color. A traditional Rioja with aromas and flavors of dried cherries, strawberries, and tobacco. Soft, smooth, and velvety mouthfeel with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I liked better than K. Good raspberry and cherry flavors. Not a overly complex wine, but pleasant enough. On the decline a bit, but not so much it killed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is one of the first Rioja's I've had. I found this wine to be delicious an complex. If this had been tasted blind, I would have guessed a mature, restrained pinot from CA. Decent QPR at $30. Will buy a few more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In Praise of aged Rioja! Is your budget limited like mine or are you 55yrs old and not excited about being 70 before you pop your 09 Burgs with age? Check out aged Rioja. This is my fav new region I've been discovering these past couple years. The good news is its not a trendy region and that means you can get really complex aged wines at very modest prices. In fact, many store clerks will look at you with a blank face when you ask if they have any aged Rioja like Lopez Herdia. Tonight we had a '96 Bodegas Las Orcas Solar De Randez Reserva from Rioja that I picked up recently for $30. This wine easily drinks like a $100+ aged Burg. I was amazed by the complexity of both the aroma and the spicy dried red fruit, tobacco infused palate. Even more amazing was the mouth coating length of this lightly colored red. This has one of the longest finishes of any red I've ever had. There is so much in common with great Burgundy here that I can't believe more Burg guys aren't singing the praises of aged traditional Rioja! At age 15 this btl had very modest sediment, showed some light bricking and was extremely fresh. The cork was soaked up about 1/4". Kermit Lynch would be all over this wine but he didn't import it. If there was a cable show called "American Wine Pickers", they'd be all over this "pick"!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good Rioja. Thought this would be past it's prime, but it was very tasty. A berry good start on the palate followed by a tartness that didn't bite. There are flavors underneath the berry, mild herbs and spice. The wine drank great the second day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is a little musty with dried fruit. Mouth has raspberry, dried cherry, very soft tannins coming to the end of its life, but to it's a great Rioja.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: Dried Cherries, Raspberry, and Rosemary/Eucalyptus flavors. Palate: Light/Medium bodied. Dense Dried Black Cherry, tart blackberry, slight smoke, herb, and cardamon flavors. Finish: Tart, but full of almost raisny fruit flavors including dried cherry, apricot and cranberry. Lingered with a slight note of melted caramels. Tanins are slightly grippy, but not forceful.
A nice glass of wine, and a chance to try something unique. I am new to old world styles in Spain, but this was a good place to start.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/7/2021 - stevetimko Likes this wine:
Still good, but maybe it’s lost some intensity because it’s on a downward slope. On the nose, I got a little bit of tobacco and tea. The red fruits seem darker than I remember. Silky texture. Gentle on the attack but a nice finish. I didn’t detect oak. This went better with Glen’s Super Bowl tri-tip than my Carlisle zin. A Bon Vivant import.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2015 - stevetimko Likes this wine:
This is still holding up well. It tastes similar to my last note. It's light and showing lots of depth and elegance. One change is that I got dill this time I didn't get last time. Is that American oak? If so, you'd think it would be resolved by now. Red fruit on the nose and palate and a nice earthiness too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2014 - chablis28 wrote: 88 Points
I may have hung onto this a tad too long as it seems to have lost a lot of its life and fruit even over the past 14 months since my last btl. Still something there but a shell of it's prior self. I do really like this producer though and would buy younger vintages again. This was a PnP. No decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2013 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
Yet another overall great btl that may be ever so slightly less vibrant that 2yrs ago. Still perfect example of complex aged Rioja.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2013 - andtheodor wrote: 91 Points
Raspberry, strawberry, leather, rustic nose with a little pickle/dill character. Soft, rich, nice texture, sexy, restrained, understated. Soil, leaves, savory. Low alcohol, feminine, and lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2012 - stevetimko wrote:
This was excellent. This was about the lightest red Rioja I can remember. Quite delicate and showing excellent depth. This might be light enough to go with fish dishes. This was more red fruit with maybe a little bit of tobacco and blood on the nose. I just loved how it felt from the attack through the midpalate and finish. And it has an excellent finish. It's the kind of texture that only comes with age. At $30 a bottle it's a steal.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2012 - stephenhill8@msn.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent and a great value! Fruit was still lively after 15 years. Classic mature tempranillo profile, except lighter on tobacco than many favorites. No more detailed notes as this was at 40th Birthday Party. It really needed decanting for 1-2 hours to reach full volume and to reveal spicy complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/21/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 89 Points
Limpid, delicately perfumed, autumnal, sweetly woody, rapsberry. Reminds me of Valle d'Aosta stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 89 Points
Very light; cranberry, leather, dead leaves, tobacco nose. Dry fruit and piercing lemon juice acidity on the palate. Mature, classic Rioja.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2011 - gordoyflaca wrote: 90 Points
This is good, nice raspberry rubbed on a leather belt.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2011 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Spain and Portugal at Craftsman: The nose is dominated by exuberant red fruit with a slight hint of VA. Silky smooth on the palate with great red fruit flavors from the attack through the long lingering finish. Fully resolved tannin; this ones ready to go right now. One of my favorites and a favorite of the entire table. Great stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Another great btl from this producerthat many others at tonight's Spainish offline admired too. I love traditional aged Rioja!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2011 - maxmanx wrote:
Even the cabernet lovers enjoyed it! Need to get tmore.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2011 - psrv wrote: 91 Points
PnP. Light in color. A traditional Rioja with aromas and flavors of dried cherries, strawberries, and tobacco. Soft, smooth, and velvety mouthfeel with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2011 - gwkozar wrote: 91 Points
dried fruit, tobacca, subtle vanilla. very smooth, complex, and subtle tastest that need focused on to appreciate
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2011 - kenthargis wrote: 87 Points
I liked better than K. Good raspberry and cherry flavors. Not a overly complex wine, but pleasant enough. On the decline a bit, but not so much it killed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2011 - maxmanx wrote: 93 Points
This is one of the first Rioja's I've had. I found this wine to be delicious an complex. If this had been tasted blind, I would have guessed a mature, restrained pinot from CA. Decent QPR at $30. Will buy a few more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
In Praise of aged Rioja! Is your budget limited like mine or are you 55yrs old and not excited about being 70 before you pop your 09 Burgs with age? Check out aged Rioja. This is my fav new region I've been discovering these past couple years. The good news is its not a trendy region and that means you can get really complex aged wines at very modest prices. In fact, many store clerks will look at you with a blank face when you ask if they have any aged Rioja like Lopez Herdia. Tonight we had a '96 Bodegas Las Orcas Solar De Randez Reserva from Rioja that I picked up recently for $30. This wine easily drinks like a $100+ aged Burg. I was amazed by the complexity of both the aroma and the spicy dried red fruit, tobacco infused palate. Even more amazing was the mouth coating length of this lightly colored red. This has one of the longest finishes of any red I've ever had. There is so much in common with great Burgundy here that I can't believe more Burg guys aren't singing the praises of aged traditional Rioja! At age 15 this btl had very modest sediment, showed some light bricking and was extremely fresh. The cork was soaked up about 1/4". Kermit Lynch would be all over this wine but he didn't import it. If there was a cable show called "American Wine Pickers", they'd be all over this "pick"!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2011 - Rivergirl wrote: 90 Points
Good Rioja. Thought this would be past it's prime, but it was very tasty. A berry good start on the palate followed by a tartness that didn't bite. There are flavors underneath the berry, mild herbs and spice. The wine drank great the second day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2011 - tbailey540 wrote: 90 Points
Nose is a little musty with dried fruit. Mouth has raspberry, dried cherry, very soft tannins coming to the end of its life, but to it's a great Rioja.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2011 - korkd wrote: 92 Points
Classic Rioja, golden tinge, light in color, smooth finish. Pefectly mature now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2010 - gwkozar wrote: 91 Points
Classic Rioja, Medium body, great nose, ripe fruit
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2010 - cwm123 wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well right now. Very nicely integrated, classic Rioja. Medium body, excellent nose & mature rusting color.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2010 - onewineheaven wrote: 89 Points
After the other Riojas this gave an impression of sweetness. We would probably have like it better on its own. It just came across a bit grapey.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2010 - RockinCabs wrote: 89 Points
Nose: Dried Cherries, Raspberry, and Rosemary/Eucalyptus flavors. Palate: Light/Medium bodied. Dense Dried Black Cherry, tart blackberry, slight smoke, herb, and cardamon flavors. Finish: Tart, but full of almost raisny fruit flavors including dried cherry, apricot and cranberry. Lingered with a slight note of melted caramels. Tanins are slightly grippy, but not forceful.
A nice glass of wine, and a chance to try something unique. I am new to old world styles in Spain, but this was a good place to start.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment