Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All of a sudden the 2008 Finca La Emperatriz Reserva feels somehow different to its siblings, with a distinct note of mint and dill that I associate with American wood that I love (in small doses and as long as it does not overwhelm the wine) in traditional Riojas. This must be their take on a traditional wine, as the blend is very classical 94% Tempranillo, 3% Garnacha, 2% Viura and 1% Graciano and the aging is indeed carried out in 70% American oak barrels. It is supple, tasty, with a chalky/mineral feel to it. It also has the crisp, fresh fruit from an Atlantic vintage. This might not be to everyone’s taste but I think it’s great to see a young winery producing a wine like this and at great price. Bravo! Drink 2014-2020.
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.