1998 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva

Community Tasting Notes (81) Avg Score: 91.2 points

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  4/30/2024 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Classic old style Rioja Gran Reserva. Very lean, definitely not fruit forward. Tart red cherry, lots of oak , old dusty saddle leather.

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  4/13/2024 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points

  I enjoyed a buddy's btl at a Rioja dinner back in late November & agreed with James 92pt score then. Tonight this seemingly drank better still at home :) Semi opaque ruby color w/ bricking on edges. Compelling aromas of; plum, raspberry, forest floor & leather. Flavors amplify the nose w/ an elegant, velvety yet lifted, energetic palate. alc 13.5% Terrific aged Rioja drinking beautifully. Wishing I hadn't been a scaredy cat and bought my usual 3btls. Reminds me again to pic up more Rioja and that Lopez isn't he only great producer. paid $60, drank like $100+ tonight. Slow oxed in my Burg glasses & btl for 4 hours prior to dinner. Since just Nita & I, I simply did all our pours from q1direction keeping the sediment calmly in the bottom of the btl.

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  2/17/2024 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Medium garnet with light edges. Powerful aromas of dark plums, black raspberries, black cherries, dried rose petals, tobacco, earth, decomposing forest log, mushrooms, a touch of vanillin oak. In contrast with the nose, red raspberries on the palate, medium plus acids, smooth medium tannins, low to medium alcohol (13.5%), very long finish with an aromatic back note. Complex and beautifully balanced.

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  2/16/2024 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 92 Points

  A 2022 Library release. This 24 yr old Rioja Gran Reserva is drinking beautifully. Tannins very relaxed, oak well integrated. Very smooth and tannins resolved. Older style of Rioja. Slightly sour red cherry, sweet oak, dill, tobacco, violet. Sublime and still many years ahead of it.

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  12/5/2023 - SirFred Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Old furniture, sweet spice, cherry, raspberry, and flowers on the nose. Smooth entry with tart red fruits, pepper, and a lingering spicy finish. There is a fair amount of oak, but it is well integrated nonetheless. Good value at fifty bucks for a twenty-five-year-old wine with a couple of decades of life remaining, and a good potential for further development.

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