Probably the best bottle of this I’ve had. Perfectly matured classical Rioja. Black cherries, some caramel, no tannins left and piercing acidity. — 3 years ago
A bit past its prime but otherwise still smooth, earthy, and delicious. — 23 days ago
Strong, tannic but enough fruit and acidity to cut through. Dark plums and blackcurrants. — 5 years ago
I am not a fan of the “new school” relatively-extracted, French-oak aged Rioja. This is not that. This is old fashioned, old-school. And perfectly resolved. Nose has sweet spices, lovely vanilla-tinged American oak, ripe berry. Balanced and soft and enveloping in the mouth. I’m surprised how much I like this (because of my predilection to be skeptical of Rioja, nothing else). — a year ago
Osteria Il Centro — 5 years ago
Vasanth Balakrishnan
Compared to our previous bottle, this second of 3 bottles is drinking really nicely. I’m thinking it’s probably near peak at 13 years. Second day after opening (wine fridge with a vacuum cork stopper) its lovely, fragrant dark cherry, lithe bramble fruit nose, reminds me of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir aromatically. Delicious tartness on palate, not a ton of weight as this is a lower-extract style and tannins have been fully tamed on the finish.#riojagranreserva — 9 days ago