Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over three days; consistent throughout with very little evolution. The cork basically disintegrated when trying to open. The 2009 Gran Reserva pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core, moving gradually towards a rust colored rim. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and desiccated red fruits: Bing cherry, mulberries, spiced plum, cumin, dill, Balsamico, chocolate chip banana bread, toasted coconut, leather, cigar box, dry earth and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory and super delicious. What a drop dead gorgeous Gran Reserva from Hermanos Pecina. This drinks well from the pop and pour opens up considerably with air so decanting 30min before would be advisable. Enjoy through 2039+. The cork was doing its job as it was only partially saturated, it just came apart in little pieces. I have several remaining bottles and I’ll plan on using an Ah-So or Durand with the next bottle. A stunning, ultra-traditional Rioja Tinto. — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days. Best on Day 3. The 2011 “Bosconia” 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 sour cherry, dill, leather, dried earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium++ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, elegant and leans towards the bitter side of the spectrum. Good on its own but I think these really excel with food. I’ve probably covered this before in previous TN’s but the wines of LdH might not be for everyone but I find them to be truly special and while there tends to be quite a bit of variation, they are always full of soul. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — 5 months ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.2

Third time (!) I have this wine and this exact vintage. Very disinct character with tertiary notes jumping out of the glass. Dill, cranberry, coffee, leather and some fresh herbs. They hold this back at the winery for 12 years before releasing it to the market. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Presented double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of dark cherry, brambles, fig, toasted coconut, dill, cedar, olives, leather, earth and baking spices. There seemed to be quite a bit of wood. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish was long, delicious. Initial conclusions: this could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or a blend with other Bordeaux varieties), Syrah (or a blend with other Rhone varieties), Zinfandel, or Tempranillo from France, Italy, the United States, Australia or Spain. However, the amount of coconut and dill suggested this was American oak which had me rule out France, Italy and Australia and while this had some very lovely fruit, I felt this leaned more towards its non-fruit characteristics. So, final conclusion: this is Tempranillo, from Spain, from Rioja, Reserva 2011 from a high-quality, traditional producer like Lopez de Heredia. Ohhhh so close! I love this producer. The wines have so much character. Drink now and through 2033. — 2 months ago

Adam Kincaid

8.9

Always a solid Sonoma cab. Some anise and dark fruit, dark chocolate and anise. Slight bit of dill and vanilla. Drinks young, this could go for a bit longer. Good strong tannins but smooth enough to balance my prime rib. — 7 months ago

with Jillian

Charlie Tapp

9.3

Black fruit, cedar, dill and dark chocolate. This ripe vintage is on the plateau — drink over the next couple of years. — 2 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.0

Not sure if reviews of the Crianza got mixed in here, but this is the Riserva from a great Rioja vintage & is a solidly medium bodied wine. The nose alone is worth the cheap price of admission: ripe cherries, leather, all the classic barrel aged notes of dill & vanilla. Very very fresh though on the palate. Those ripe cherries, dark chocolate notes pick up intensity. For a rich wine ( which is not to my taste) & producer I never tried I was impressed — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

After an initial smell and taste, I felt the wine was a bit shy and some air would do some good. Additionally, there appeared to be quite a bit of sediment so I poured into a Riedel Amadeo decanter about an hour before service. The 2009 Reserva pours a deep ruby with a near opaque core with some slight rim variation; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of dark dried cherries, sage, dried/cracked leather, dill, tobacco, anise, a touch of furniture varnish and some baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with some added mint on the very long finish. This is a very lovely, traditional leaning Reserva that’s just beginning to show secondary characteristics. Drinking well now and should continue to do so well past 2029. — 3 months ago

Jim Wagonfeld

9.3

Garnet red in color. Offering nose and palate of dark cherry, herbs, leather, cedar, tobacco, prune, fig, vanilla and dill. Structured and long. A very good effort and a favorable pvr. — a year ago

with Judy

Guillermo Camacho

9.1

Classic example. The oak is not as coconut and dill heavy and the fruit is a bit more forthright than some other Rioja producers. Nose of cigar red and blue berries. Palate of bright fruit with medium acid and tannin. Drinking well now, but this still has plenty, plenty of life. — 2 years ago