Winemaker Notes
Bright red and garnet with a rim turning to brick showing its extended ageing in barrel and bottle. Complex aromas from its development and ageing, mature ripe black fruit, and vanilla and cinnamon spice, with a deep mineral core. Velvety smooth, harmonious with a fresh finish.
Great match for roast meats, foie, game, aged or even blue cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Savory and traditional with notes of orange peel, cloves and spiced plums. A touch of leather as well. Firm and chewy on the palate with a juicy, granular finish. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2017 Gran Reserva Carlos Serres blends Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo from Rioja. It aged at least 36 months in oak. The nose contains cherry, balsamic herbs, camphor, vanilla and cedar aromas. It's dry and juicy on the palate, with a gentle texture and balanced acidity, resulting in a silky, traditional Gran Reserva. The 2017 is a fine, well-made example of the genre.
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.