Winemaker Notes
Bing cherry and strawberry compote, blended with an earthy incense and luxurious, refined texture.
Blend: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An evolved gran reserva, with appealing tertiary notes of forest floor, mushroom and autumn bonfires. Stylish French oak lends structure and elegance to the smooth and generous palate, layered with velvety black fruit, roasted plums, savoury notes and a hint of salinity. Kicks off with aromas of stewed plum, brambly berry fruit, undergrowth and a savoury Marmite note; ends with a long, powerful finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Gran Reserva spends 39 months in French oak and one American. The 2005 Gran Reserva has a deep inky purple/black hue. The nose is very opulent and pure with macerated black cherries, kirsch with a touch of peppermint. The palate is full-bodied and very pure with dense, saturated dark cherry, wild strawberry, a dash of white pepper and dark chocolate. The oak is firmly in the driving seat on the silky smooth finish with tantalizing blood orange and spice on the aftertaste. Limited to 2,400 bottles due to be released in 2013, this is certainly an impressive Rioja worthy of long-term maturation. Drink 2018-2030+
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.