Tom Garland

8.9

1/2 hour decant(decent sediment). A gorgeous still dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: seductive perfumed notes of dark fruit, smoked meat, funky earth, cigar box, pencil lead, vanilla oak. Taste: savory wine with dried dark fruit, graphite and gravel, iron, and a kinda astringent smokey tobacco finish. Not my cup of tea...maybe bottle flaw. — 12 days ago

with Brenda

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1986 vintage. 10.16.26. — a month ago

Dave

9.1

I had this a few months ago, and grabbed another because it's very good. Decanter says 94 points, which is too generous, but it's a solid Rioja.
Listening to Vince Guaraldi — 3 months ago

JKT

9.1

ML and gang visit, outshined 2000 Tradition with more complexity — 5 months ago

Brian

9.3

1986 vintage, 40 year old wine on our 40th Anniversary — 6 months ago

Miguel Silva

9.2

Full body, berries mild tannins. Go well with game or lamb. Delicious for a Friday night for 2 — 10 months ago

Ivor

9.1

Great wine combining southern burgundy richness, use of luxurious oak, great acidity and low alc levels. Wonder how this ages.. Tx @Jan A for pointing this one out!. — a year ago

Tegan Marriott

9.1

Gourmandise glou style, easily consumable, sweet black cherries, a bit creamy,medium length clean profile. Merci beaucoup Loire!🇨🇵 — a month ago

Michael Wehner

8.9

Just the right amount of oak — 2 months ago

with Margaret

Louis Martin

9.2

Crisp and mineral with citrus, green apple and white flower. Bright acidity and a long, clean finish. Had at Dunbar House with a local organic greens salad with fresh blueberries, goat cheese, and toasted sunflower hearts. — 3 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2020 vintage. An excellent introduction to the grand vin at a fraction of the price. Highly recommended. Abv. 14%. — 5 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2022 vintage. Deep dark red colour. Raspberries, flowers and cedar. Concentrated, intense. Combines power and elegance. Many Crus Classés would be very satisfied with this quality for their grand vin. Henri Lurton stated that he made his best wines ever in 2022 (which is saying a lot given the track record of this Château), and you can see why with this Baron de Brane. One can only imagine the quality of the grand vin in 2022! Anyway, this is one of the finest wines one could encounter for 30 euros. Abv. 14%. — 8 months ago

Nicole

9.3

Light, mineral, oak, berries. Perfect with any food. — 10 months ago

Ted

9.3

My third vintage of a 4 bottle vertical. Dark chocolate and dark berries. Showing no signs of aging. — 20 days ago

with Jeni

Kyle Elliott

9.0

Delicious, raspberry, cranberry, pepper. Young tasting and fruity with Dusty tanins. It is a very food friendly wine that could probably age another 5 years — 14 days ago

Mark S.

8.9

Cherry red with brick color. Smoky. Oak vanilla black fruits. Leather. Clove nutmeg. Dry.
Fruitiness M Sweetness M Acidity M Tannin M Smooth Soft Silky Velvety. Bitterness M Body M Finish M % Baron de Ley Gran Reserva Rioja Tempranillo 19 @489, cost, 260905-261022 — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2023 vintage. FLB jetsam. Decanted and tasted after 30 minutes and 1 hour. Medium/medium-heavy body. Dark color. Round impressions. Pleasant berry escapades on the back end with spritzes of rhubarb. This was waay too young and could definitely use 2-3 years to dump the baby fat and reapply. Nicely made. Just needs more time to reveal all the wonders within. 6.26.26. — 5 months ago

Brett Vanderbrook

9.0

One of my go-to California Chards. All the hallmarks I like. Oak notes of vanilla, butterscotch, and brioche toast, but balanced by high acid and minerality. The best of both worlds. — 7 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

8.9

Clear, medium ruby to garnet in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced intensity primary and secondary aromas of black cherries, cassis, and graphite; on the palate, it's dry with high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and intense primary and secondary flavors of blackberries, black cardamom, and wet gravel with a medium finish. This wine is simple, but balanced. Overall, I rate this wine as good. — 8 months ago

with Nellie

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 year ago