Bodegas Urbina Seleccion 1999
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Wine
Spectator
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Very versatile with food. Ideal with medium-flavored grilled meats and pasta dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Alluring, oxidative, old-school style. Remarkably aromatic, opening up on the palate with nicely knit tannins, relevant fruitiness and a long finish. Impossible to believe it is 15 years old. This is what Rioja can do!
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Wine Spectator
This red is dense and energetic, with firm tannins and tangy acidity driving the dried cherry, licorice, tea and forest floor flavors. The character is tart and savory, on the earthy side but remaining focused and lively. Drink now through 2023.
Other Vintages
2000-
Wine &
Spirits -
James
Suckling
Bodegas Urbina is a small family-owned and run Rioja producer located in the Rioja Alta sub-region of Rioja, Spain. This Single Estate winery was founded in 1870 and is currently run by fourth generation winemaker Pedro Urbina Jr. The Urbina Estate comprises of some 75 hectares (182) of vineyards planted with 65 hectares of Tempranillo and 10 hectares composed of Graciano, Mazuelo and the white grape variety Viura. The vineyards are located at Cuzcurrita de Rio Tiron at the north western edge of the Rioja DOC and at Urunuela in the heart of the appellation. Cuzcurrita has some of the highest vineyards in the DOC, this means that it is a relatively cool climate growing area compared with other parts of Rioja. The wines from Cuzcurrita tend to have characteristics suitable for great ageing, whilst those from Urunuela produce consistent and fuller bodied wines.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.