Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — 19 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2012 Rosado pours pink/salmon color with medium viscosity and no signs of sediment or particles. On the nose, the wine is developing with Maraschino cherry, dried apricot, coconut, dill, vanilla, and walnut. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium- tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Brilliant, soulful stuff. My first experience with the 2012 vintage. I hope there are many more to come. Drink now with patience (maybe even a decant) and through 2037. — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Splash decanted directly before service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours out of red Solo cups. The 1981 Gran Reserva Blanco pours, a golden color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of Khalas dates, dried apricot, black lemon, almonds, toasted coconut and marshmallow. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is waxy. A cerebral wine and just lovely stuff. Well stored bottles have a long life yet left ahead. Drink now with patience and plenty of air and through 2051. — 10 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Another great vintage of a wonderfully consistent Rioja. Made from fruit of vines that average 40 years old. Lots of aging in advance of this wine’s release. (And it’s considered a Crianza?) Aromas of blackberry, leather and dried rose petals. Blackberry and Black cherry on the pallet with a hint of orange peel. Hint of wood smoke on the finish. Dusty tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Solid QPR. — 4 years ago

Conrad Green

9.2

Another bottle. This rocks. A little bread and biscuit on the nose. Lean and defined. Rocks and conserved lemon. Very good. — 6 years ago

with Bex

Conrad Green

9.1

Really fresh, yeasty, with steel, lemons and good definition. A lot of promise. Young — 7 years ago

with Bex and Major-General

James Pauls

8.9

Upon opening, VERY bitter and strong. Have to let this one open. Upon opening got pretty good. Similar flavour to the previous rioja I’ve had many times that I love, but this is just more of it and much stronger and more flavourful. Not sure that I want that out of a wine, pretty sure I’m not willing to pay more for it. Not sure if I should attribute that to the wine or its age (oldest bottle I have yet tried).

Lighter and easier drinking reds are my preference at the moment. Maybe I will feel differently and prefer the stronger flavours once I am more seasoned into wines as I’ve become with scotch.

Definitely will return to this bottle if that becomes the case, otherwise prefer other favorites or to try new wines at the price.

It’s really not a bad wine. A lot of flavour and a lot going on.… I highly suspect I just am not able to fully appreciate what it is giving me at this point in my wine journey. — 6 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

On paper they say 08 wasn’t a good vintage but hey I love it. Old vine Reynard is excellent in 2008 showing all the Allemand sigs with dark fruit, olive tapenade and a liquid rock minerality. 08 is particularly Bordeaux like and not at all thin—that magical Reynard vineyard really ups the concentration of any vintage. Always a thrill to drink Allemand, my favorite Syrah. — 5 months ago

Michael J Lanni Jr

8.9

A great blend of five grapes. Enjoyed with grilled chicken thighs and oven roasted mushrooms. Combo of berries and a hint of pepper. Smooth and stately finish. — 9 months ago

Ming L

9.0

The nose is quite exotic for a Bordeaux white with tropical fruits leading the way, supplemented by green apple, fresh cut grass, and citrus blossom. Good tension and volume on the palate with fresh acidity and generous texture. Finishes long and clean.
Outstanding value from a winery of this caliber. — 3 years ago

Lauren Golanty

8.9

A good champagne. Drank kind of… young? Balanced but not graceful, hefty but a little too eager. All of the flavor was BOOM, right up front, and it was more green apple rind than anything. Good - maybe not my thing. — 5 years ago

romo

9.4

With my flu significantly behind me, I ventured to Alsace. What a knockout of fruit and acid, nearly overwhelming. — 6 years ago

Christine Pappas

8.9

Citrus, light, hint of tang on finish. More full bodies than a French style wine. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

It’s been a few years since I last checked in to the 2011 vintage of LdH Viña Bosconia and, to my palate, time has been kind. This is far more balanced and open than my previous experience. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2011 pours a ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe cherry, dill, toasted coconut, leather, tobacco, dried earth and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Delicious. Drink now through 2036. — 3 months ago

Christian Fischer

9.3

Ah yes, good to be back with the 2003. Almost rose-like darker color and characteristic notes of aged white Rioja. A lot more depth compared to the 2013 we drank side-by-side — 5 months ago

with Ruchia

Ed Chin

9.1

My first and I found it quite interesting. Nutty with a fino type finish. Definitely need to have food with the bright acidity it has. I think more age is needed to bring the out the complexity. The oxidative style isn’t for everyone — 6 months ago

Neal Ferry

9.0

Top Notch for a sub $20 bottle — 3 years ago

with TwiLea

Kendall Johnson

9.7

Reeeeally enjoyed this one! Deep berry and smooth tannins with a hint of spice that just work so well together #wsjwine — 5 years ago

Matthew Youngs

8.9

Light and fruity. Both the red and dark fruit, giving it good balance. A bit of acidity lingers. — 5 years ago

B

10

1985 Lopez de Heredia Temperanillo. Lunch at Coq SF for A&S’ anniversary. Decanted for an hour before drinking. Excellent. Not too long a finish, but very soft and no hard end to the finish. Balanced and really delicious. — 7 years ago