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. — 8 days ago

Gerard McDade

9.0

Typical Rioja - good value at £16 — 4 years ago

Liliana Ortix

9.0

Rosado pero se acerca al@sabor de un tinto — 5 years ago

Benjamin Hickey

9.3

Strong powerful acid pushing lots of flavour 25yo — 2 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.4

Excellent wine. Fantastic backbone with crisp tannins and vibrant acidity. Bright dark red fruit with a nice edge that makes it a perfect match with asada tacos! — 2 years ago

with John and Tammy

Diego Escudero

9.0

Negroni con Fam — 4 years ago

A Tux

9.4

To Patti from R&B Feb 2025
Warming, smooth and leathery 👍 — 8 months ago

Joss Salgado

9.0

Good tannins and acidity but very well balanced and structured. Red and dark fruits, baked spices, cinnamon and a whiff of leather. Delicious wine! — 4 years ago

Daniel Jara

9.0

Excelente! Suave al paladar , mejorando su personalidad con El Paso de los minutos — 4 years ago

Chris N

9.0

Wine Society - nice light rose. Fruity - very drinkable. — 4 years ago