Black Spanish

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 1995

Medium garnet with a medium terracotta rim . Herbal and dried flowers at first with some iodine , dried mushroom , sous bois . On the palate this is more elegant and evolved with light strawberry , raspberry , spiced cherry , herbal hints , old wood , black tea . Great balanced acidity and fine but present tannins . Long finish , with strawberry conserve , mineral hints . This is in it drinking window but will probably give a further 10 or so years of prime drinking . Slightly finer and small boned than the 2001, but lacks nothing in complexity — 8 days ago

Jan, Tom and 9 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Blanco Malvasia Viura 2000

Quite yellow gold colour , wide light lemon rim. Shows quite a lot of development . Quite toasty with roasted nuts , candied citrus peel , candle wax , ginger , saffron, curry powder, sea breeze. On the palate this is structured and quite full bodied with the nutty character , ginger and candied lemon rind , great intensity and grip , salty , balanced acidity and very long and balanced on the finish . Drinking well now but needs time to open , will probably continue at this high level for another 5-10 years and maybe even improve further — 8 days ago

Dave, Jan and 7 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Gravonia Crianza Rioja Viura 2016

Really fantastic. Love Rioja whites. Waxy, savory nutty. — 2 days ago

Dave liked this

La Rioja Alta

Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2015

Nothing like an aged Rioja. Still fresh and vibrant. Acidic and long finish of black fruits — 4 days ago

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2004

Medium ruby garnet quite narrow terracotta rim . Quite herbal , dried strawberry and red cherry nose , touch of iodine , sous bois , dried mushroom notes , discreet roasted coffee note after a while. Quite pretty red fruits on the palate with good freshness , strawberry , earthy cherry and a marine , iodine like note , sous bois underneath . Quite elegant and well balanced acidity with fine tannic grip . Good red fruit , earthy tinged finish . This is showing more advanced than the 2001 Reserva , and would like to try another bottle of this , as I suspect this half is a bit below par. On the basis of this bottle drink now and over the next 5 or so years . — 8 days ago

Tom, Shay and 4 others liked this

Dominio de Pingus

Flor de Pingus Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 1996

A beautifully aged wine from a great producer! Black and red fruit with lots of tertiary oak (coconut and vanilla) notes with mushrooms — 25 days ago

La Rioja Alta

Viña Alberdi Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 2020

Tasted during WSET Level 2 class on 6/9/25. Very good tenparanillo. Mix of red and black fruits, hints of spice! — 8 days ago

Campo Viejo

Rioja Tempranillo 2021

Classic Spanish flag color of yellow with red writing. Good brick red color. Just a hint of a purple core. Aroma is stones and red/black cherry cobblers-pies. Slightest of linseed oils. Flavors are bright, fresh Temp. Crunchy and dry. Just a hint of fennel or oregano. Has a classic feel and flavor. Would be great for watching El Clasico. — 25 days ago

Douglas liked this

La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri

Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2014

I’ve drunk a bunch of 14’s from all over Rioja and it’s not a flashy/big/concentrated vintage, but man if you like understated, balanced, elegant wines, this hits the mark. — 4 days ago

Tom and Pinotman liked this

Bodegas Numanthia

Numanthia Toro Tempranillo 2018

Delicious. Perfect with NY Strip. — 8 days ago

Mariana Puga
with Mariana
Mariana, Ted and 11 others liked this