Winemaker Notes
The 2011 Reserva Seleccion de la Familia shows a deep red cherry color. Intense and very complex on the nose, with aromas of ripe black fruit and creamy notes reinforced by the type of barrel toast. Spice and earthy nuances mixed with liquor notes. It is ample on the palate, with plenty of volume, holding well in the mid palate and polished. Powerful and vivid showing liquorice and bitter chocolate notes.
Blend: 85% Tempranillo. 15% Other
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Dark and oaky with some power and richness, but savory rather than sweetish. The finish is frankly tannic, but fairly well balanced. Drink now.
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.