Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Coffee, moca, cocoa nibs and tobacco leaves lead the way in this elegant Gran Reserva, approachable and balanced but with potential to improve in bottle. Poised, herbal tannins, well presented and structured, lined with thyme and rockrose. Smoky nuances of cedar and toast.
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James Suckling
A racy, vibrant expression of Rioja gran reserva that’s all about the fruit. Deep, dark plums, black cherries and blueberries with touches of truffles and dark chocolate. Succulent and firm, with a medium to full body and a bright finish. Drink or hold.
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.