1981 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva

Community Tasting Notes (20) Avg Score: 93.3 points

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  1/1/2024 - NoahCap wrote:

  Definitely getting on in years. Leathery, musty, a bit dirty, saddle soap, soy sauce that is going a little rancid, dried cherries, candied fruits. In the mouth, the acidity is medium, body is light. Leather and sweet cherry flavors dominate, the rancid soy sauce that is immediately apparent on the finish, does dissipate as the wine remains open. Went decently well with some chicken, but this wine's best days are behind it, I'm afraid. Give it a quick decant and drink soon.

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  2/28/2020 - MC2 Wines wrote:

  Opened and it started a bit musty as normal. I don't know that we gave it enough time to truly open up and blow off. And for some reason the seasoning in the Korean BBQ was hitting the reds a bit differently for me than normal. Felt almost like the sauce was competing with the red and it let to a bit of disjointedness. Good learning in terms of food pairing. Would not say that's normal for this wine though which has performed well in the past.

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  9/12/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Magic! Here we go! This is the business. Fabulous nose - mushrooms, garrigue, oregano, truffles, toffee, such gentle beauty at its very heart. A touch of woodsmoke - I can sense the barrel. "Burgundian" says a dining companion, and I agree. Superb length. Fantastic. This is a great wine. And yet another example of Rioja's sublime ageing capability. True character and true greatness.

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  6/7/2017 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Initial funk on the nose that blew off after 5 minutes. Smoke, tobacco, flowers on the nose. Penetrating blueberry blackberry fruit on the palate with a delicate acid underlayer and firm, slightly puckering tannic backing. A lovely continuity from nose to palate. 50 + 17 + 17 + 9 = 93.

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  9/12/2016 - AV2012 wrote: 93 Points

  Sweet vanilla waffles and pleasant toastiness on the nose as well as classical dried cranberries and a bit of pickle. Quite a powerful wine for a classical mature Rioja, lively, medium-full bodied, quite a lot of sweet fruits in it. Excellent bottle.

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