Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very dense and tannic, but there's also plenty of fruit with mulberries on the nose. Is this pushing the envelope one step too far? Although the wine has powerful tannins, somehow it balances out and tastes fresh – an amazing feat. Better from 2018.
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Wine Spectator
This red shows depth and density, with black cherry and blackberry flavors supported by firm, well-integrated tannins and juicy acidity. Notes of smoke, licorice and mineral emerge on the finish. Harmonious. Drink now through 2028.
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.