Tom Garland

8.9

1/2 hour decant(decent sediment). A gorgeous still dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: seductive perfumed notes of dark fruit, smoked meat, funky earth, cigar box, pencil lead, vanilla oak. Taste: savory wine with dried dark fruit, graphite and gravel, iron, and a kinda astringent smokey tobacco finish. Not my cup of tea...maybe bottle flaw. — 4 days ago

with Brenda

Dave

9.1

I had this a few months ago, and grabbed another because it's very good. Decanter says 94 points, which is too generous, but it's a solid Rioja.
Listening to Vince Guaraldi — 3 months ago

JKT

9.1

ML and gang visit, outshined 2000 Tradition with more complexity — 5 months ago

Brian

9.3

1986 vintage, 40 year old wine on our 40th Anniversary — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. Black plastic cork; the standard for Dard et Ribo. The 2015 “Les Rouges des Baties” pours a deep, dull ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of wild black brambles, oil cured olive, roasted meat, purple flowers, black pepper, a mix of organic and inorganic earth and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. An utterly beautiful expression of Crozes-Hermitage and this worked really well with goose from South Dakota. I’m smitten. Drink now through 2035. — 9 months ago

Ivor

9.1

Great wine combining southern burgundy richness, use of luxurious oak, great acidity and low alc levels. Wonder how this ages.. Tx @Jan A for pointing this one out!. — a year ago

Ted

9.3

My third vintage of a 4 bottle vertical. Dark chocolate and dark berries. Showing no signs of aging. — 12 days ago

with Jeni

Mark S.

8.9

Cherry red with brick color. Smoky. Oak vanilla black fruits. Leather. Clove nutmeg. Dry.
Fruitiness M Sweetness M Acidity M Tannin M Smooth Soft Silky Velvety. Bitterness M Body M Finish M % Baron de Ley Gran Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 19 @489, cost, 260905-261022 — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Slightly brighter and more ruby garnet appearance . Narrow garnet rim . This has more crunchy , cherry fruit focus , with some chalky , dried flowers , wet stone hints . On the palate this mineral note is also present but with strawberry and red cherry , a bit more structure , tannins a little more present , but still with good refreshing acidity . Lightly mineral , cherry tinged finish . Pretty decent length and freshness , though the Malconsorts does appear to have more layers . This is slightly rustic , less polished in comparison with the Malconsorts, a little more nervy and edgy . Pretty young still , I would give this a bit more time, another 3-5 years or so , and then should drink well over the following 5-10 years . — 3 months ago

Tegan Marriott

9.4

Viva la Rhone, et Magnifique! — 7 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

8.9

Clear, medium ruby to garnet in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced intensity primary and secondary aromas of black cherries, cassis, and graphite; on the palate, it's dry with high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and intense primary and secondary flavors of blackberries, black cardamom, and wet gravel with a medium finish. This wine is simple, but balanced. Overall, I rate this wine as good. — 8 months ago

with Nellie

Nicole

9.3

Light, mineral, oak, berries. Perfect with any food. — 10 months ago

Roberto Carli

9.3

Great bang for the buck. Yeasty savory bread, macerated peach, overripe/candied pineapple, and a long creamy mouthfeel with fine perlage. An expressive ripe style that is very well executed for the price point  — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1986 vintage. 10.16.26. — 19 days ago

Kyle Elliott

9.0

Delicious, raspberry, cranberry, pepper. Young tasting and fruity with Dusty tanins. It is a very food friendly wine that could probably age another 5 years — 6 days ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.3

Really good. Super Syrah. Balanced with good acidity and fruit. — 3 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2020 vintage. An excellent introduction to the grand vin at a fraction of the price. Highly recommended. Abv. 14%. — 4 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2022 vintage. Deep dark red colour. Raspberries, flowers and cedar. Concentrated, intense. Combines power and elegance. Many Crus Classés would be very satisfied with this quality for their grand vin. Henri Lurton stated that he made his best wines ever in 2022 (which is saying a lot given the track record of this Château), and you can see why with this Baron de Brane. One can only imagine the quality of the grand vin in 2022! Anyway, this is one of the finest wines one could encounter for 30 euros. Abv. 14%. — 7 months ago

Miguel Silva

9.2

Full body, berries mild tannins. Go well with game or lamb. Delicious for a Friday night for 2 — 10 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Barón de Ley – Varietales Tempranillo – 2014
Rioja DOCa – Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
A 100% Tempranillo from Rioja’s esteemed Barón de Ley Varietales Collection, crafted to highlight the noble face of the region’s flagship grape. Although structured in a crianza style with a projected drinking window of 10–12 years, opening it in 2025 revealed the wine perched right on the twilight edge of maturity. This is bottle #04400, now showing the soulful evolution that Rioja Tempranillo is famed for.

Aromas & Flavors
Initially faint cherry fruit, now firmly in the tertiary spectrum: leather satchel, dried rosemary, forest floor, and faint cigar box. Gentle hints of balsamic and dried fig linger in the background.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with softened, polymerized tannins. Acidity remains fresh enough to carry the wine, but fruit presence has largely faded, leaving savory and earthy notes to dominate.

Food Pairings
A fine match for aged Manchego cheese, braised lamb shank, mushroom-stuffed peppers, or even a rustic stew where earthy and herbal notes harmonize.

Verdict
This Tempranillo no longer plays its youthful cherry trumpet but rather resonates like the old violin sound of Rioja—mellow, textured, and contemplative. A fascinating study in maturity, best enjoyed with reflection rather than exuberance.

Did You Know?
Rioja wines are often classified not just by grape but by aging designations (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva). This bottle leaned into crianza timing, showing beautifully at first but demonstrating how Tempranillo gracefully transitions from fruit-driven vibrancy to complex tertiary elegance. — a year ago