Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is like wine candy and not in the way I normally refer to wine candy. In this case, fruity but a bit too sweet. This tastes like a higher brix pick than I prefer w/ my red burgundy. The sweetness does fade some after it long sets.

Black cherries, strawberries, raspberries with some blue fruit. Eucalyptus, a pungent herbaceous quality, dry top soil, dry limestone powder, fresh & used tobacco, dry leather, dry twig, pronounced barrel shavings, soft baking spices- strong clove, understated cinnamon, nutmeg & vanillin, some grilled meats, pepper, mid berry cola, dry river stone, nice red, dark, blue florals with violets, excellent acidity and a well knitted structure-tension, needs more time to be well balanced but elegant & polished long finish that lasts minutes and long sets on dry earth minerals & spice.

Maybe, better with a good long cellaring? — 15 days ago

Mark

9.5

This is a huge wine and I hate that I opened it. I think it’s going to be awesome in another 10 years. Huge fruit strong tannins and a chalky feel from green tannins. I’m going to buy a case to cellar for later. This is a really big wine and is delicious but too young. — 19 days ago

with Jeron and Jessica

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. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing red fruits with light wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, bitter herbs, spices, light vegetables and black tea.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 5 year old GSM blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is elegant and nicely balanced. Not as big as I expected it to be.

Complex, soft and elegant. Precise and inviting.

Robert Parker 92 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.

Easy drinking now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, or with food.

A blend of 45% Grenache, 45% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. Aged in large French oak barrels for 18 months.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$50. — 11 days ago

Jan A

9.6

I keep posting this, it is such a pqr killer! Widely available at around 18€ in the Netherlands. For my palate this is easy on premier/grand cru level. Worth seeking out! — 17 days ago

Mark S.

9.0

Good Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 20 @10120, Pieroth, 251117 — 20 days ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.6

Had this vintage almost a year ago and was highly impressed...something that remains the same. Complex, nuanced and refined. Great wine — 7 days ago

Conrad Green

9.6

Oof. This is exceptional. Intense ripe fruit. Rich and textured. Great balance — 9 days ago

with Major-General

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

One of the best CDLR’s in the biz showing beautifully tonight with an ultra complex and seductive bouquet of candied red cherries, rose petals, coffee beans and game meat. The palate is luxuriously silky with obvious grand cru and old vine concentration, particularly for the vintage, and there is beautiful purity and elegance to balance its power. Its spice and mineral inflicted finale just keeps on going. 07 Burgundy are in such a great spot. — 22 days ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.9

Anthony zhang sean corteze — a month ago