Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Vinas de Gain is sourced from Tempranillo vines between 25 and 40 years of age and is matured in new, one- and two-year-old wood from several coopers. It has a very well-defined bouquet with crisp blackberry, cassis and licorice-scented fruit with fine minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannins, crisp acidity and a lovely licorice, white pepper and citrus-fresh finish that is linear and nicely focused. Excellent. Drink 2014-2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
Oaky and generous on the nose, with earth, vanilla, dried cheese and blackberry notes. Feels cushioned and complete, with depth of feel and flavor; tastes of deep berry, mild herbs and finally a toasty wave of coffee and chocolate takes over. Impressive for a 2008.
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.