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. — 2 hours ago

Lance E. Farman

9.3

On point and delicious. — 2 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Pale yellow white, excellent clarity. Wood and florals in nose, lemon, apple and pear flavors, mineral finish. Decent acidity, good body, restrained alcohol. Great dry supper or aperitif with plenty of fruit. Classy. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2019 vintage. From a 375ml btl Coravin sample. Absolutely rocking. Shredding on both lead and rhythm guitar. And then the bass and drums with a vintage electric violin flourish. Not the cheapest Merlot expression from Sonoma but likely the best. Built to last. 06.18.25. — 4 months ago

David Shaw

9.0

Not a rosé, just a noir de noir Pinot from Radtke “First Man” Vineyard, Willamette Valley. Different style of Pinot noir, lots of barrel smoke and meatiness, mostly cherry from the fruit itself, slightly tart or bright with moderate amount of skin astringency in the finish. Fun wine to savor, chill, session. Tasted and bought at winery. The style grows on you, but it’s really challenging to compare to other Oregon Pinots (and I’ve had my share) because it is so different. — 5 months ago

Lance E. Farman

9.4

Explosive aromatics. Delicious. So much red fruit and the 8 years of age has brought it all together in this elegant package that makes you realize Pinot noir is very noble. Another wine that shows Oregon's small producers are doing the best work. — 2 years ago

Severn G

9.4

NV | Champagne
(67% Arbane/Petit Meslier/Fromenteau & 33% Chardonnay)
Perseval-Farge; Les Goulats 1er Cru, Brut Nature
Montagne de Reims; Chamery, France
Disgorged October 2018
(93-96; Drink 2028-32)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading John WILLIAMS (Violin Concerto No. 2, written specifically for the intended soloist this evening) featuring the violin virtuoso, Anne-Sophie Mutter, STRAUSS (Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24) and then RAVEL (La Valse). — 2 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Not a rosé, just a noir de noir Pinot from Radtke “First Man” Vineyard, Willamette Valley. Different style of Pinot noir, lots of barrel smoke and meatiness, mostly cherry from the fruit itself, slightly tart or bright with moderate amount of skin astringency in the finish. Fun wine to savor, chill, session. Tasted and bought at winery. The style grows on you, but it’s really challenging to compare to other Oregon Pinots (and I’ve had my share) because it is so different. — 5 months ago

Severn G

9.3

1992 | Riesling (Spätlese)
Wilhelm Weber-Ostetmann; Wintricher Großer Herrgott
Mosel; Brauneberg, Germany
APN 2 577 104 03 93
(92-94; Drink 2022-32+)
90m decant

Redemption for a underperforming bottle from our last go at this 1992. If you're buying old wine and didn't anticipate bottle variation, you need to know that's just part of the game. This bottle is fantastic.
(Enjoying alongside the '88 again today, no slouch on that bottle!)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this afternoon with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading Sarah KIRKLAND SNIDER (Forward into Light; BSO Premiere), PROKOFIEV (Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 63) and DVOŘÁK (Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Opus 70).
 
Our soloist today Augustin Hadelich rounds out the program with Prokofiev’s intense Violin Concerto No. 2, and Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 – sometimes called the composer's greatest symphony. — a year ago

Severn G

9.1

2010 | Chardonnay
Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix; Vaillon 1er Cru
Burgundy; Chablis, France
(90-92; Drink 2025-33)

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading John WILLIAMS (Violin Concerto No. 2, written specifically for the intended soloist this evening) featuring the violin virtuoso, Anne-Sophie Mutter, STRAUSS (Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24) and then RAVEL (La Valse). — 2 years ago