Winemaker Notes
Another long standing brand, dating back to 1915, stands out as one of the most traditional. This wine, darker in hue, exudes aromas of cassis and herbs, boasting enhanced structure from aging for 18 months in a blend of 80% French and 20% American oak barrels.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fresh and deep on the nose, showing black cherries, white pepper and grilled herbs. A touch of sweet spices. Very attractive with medium to full body, fine-grained tannins and a long, juicy finish. A blend of 60% garnacha and 40% tempranillo. An excellent year. Drink from 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I love the nose of the 2021 Honorable, a neoclassical red blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Graciano and 5% Garnacha (no mere Mazuelo) from vineyards in five different villages, Lanciego, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Samaniego, Elciego and Labastida, fermented by village and aged in French (85%) and American oak barrels for 18 months. The year was cooler and had a long cycle, when the grapes achieved great ripeness and development of aromas and flavors, while keeping good freshness. The wine is not a shy one; it has 15% alcohol, keeping a pH of 3.6. It's juicy, hedonistic and showy, with tons of berries, flowers and herbs, integrated oak and a medium- to full-bodied palate with abundant, fine tannins. It's serious and has clout.
Rating: 93+
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.