I used to drink a lot of this wine and earlier vintages back in the day. Its been a while, but when a friend popped the cork, it was fun. Still a great wine. Ruby in color. The nose is earthy with slight barnyard. Cherries, slight dill, and slighter vanilla. On the palate, cherry fruit with a bit of cherry cough drops. Good acidity. Very food friendly. Softer texture. Nice depth. Seems to be drinking at or near peak but no hurry.
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Ruby in color with slight browning. The nose has spice, clay and cherries. It also has a ton of dill which was off putting to some. The dill does carry thru to the palate, so be warned if that is a sensitivity. Others liked it. Firm tannins. Nice black cherry fruit. Good balance. Works better with food than alone. Pretty classic Rioja in style.
Seems like a pretty modern take on Rioja. Ruby in color. The nose has cherries, slight dust, and a bit of black cherries. On the palate, this is drinking well. Cherries, black cherries with medium tannins. Nice finish. Easy drinking but also a bit of depth. This will please with or without food. This retails for around $20 which is a great value.
Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has a lot of barnyard on it. It does partially blow off with air. There is also some pine which is both interesting and distracting. And finally, some nice cherry fruit. On the palate, there is some cherry fruit, both fresh and dried. Some pine carries thru as does some barnyard. Slight but drying tannins. The group I was tasting with liked this more than I did. It did get better with air as the night went on. Certainly a nice wine and worth drinking. Food friendly.
One of the best of the traditional Rioja wine producers. This wine lived up to its reputation. A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, 10% Graciano and Manzuelo. Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, slight plums, vanilla, smoke and slight balsamic notes. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, this has plenty of depth. Cherries, dried cherries, smoke and slight dill notes. Good acidity. Nice finish. This is delicious and complex. It drinks great on its own and even better with food. Lamb stew would be a nice choice. Drink over the next fifteen to twent
Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is pretty with cherries, black cherries, slight dust, and spice. On the palate, this is medium bodied. Flavors of black cherries with some dill. Light tannins. Medium finish. Very food friendly, this should go with a wide variety but stews and casseroles should do very well. It is probably close to peak but should be at this level for a decade. Available for around $15, this is a great value in traditional Rioja.
