Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Part gamey and old-fashioned in its firm structure, part contemporary in its succulent fruit and supple texture, this is heady with cayenne pepper spice and zesty with ripe fruit that keeps juicing up in the finish. It feels savory and balanced, ready to decant for grilled baby lamb chops. Best Buy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There might be more balsamic and cigar-ash aromas in the 2010 Viña Pomal Reserva compared to the selection of 106 barrels. They were bottled separately, but otherwise the wines have a similar profile. I think more time in wood is not better, and the 18 months here is more than enough. In fact, I feel more freshness and drinkability in this wine. It is a good, commercial Rioja.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is the epitome of a composed, approachable Rioja reserva; it’s earthy and dry up front, with aromas of fine herbs, brandied cherry and plum. A solid palate houses oaky flavors of vanilla and butter in addition to plum and currant, while the finish is dry, elegant and oaky enough to give off a popcorn-like character. Drink through 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Firm and focused, this red offers a core of black cherry, with notes of coffee, licorice, mineral and herb. The tannins are light but supportive, the acidity fresh. Lithe, graceful and lively. Drink now through 2020.
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.