La Rioja Tempranillo
R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2001
This is what I think of when I think of Rioja. Dried cherry and cranberry is what I get right away, and then it has more savory/earthy notes like leather and mushroom. When I tasted it I said “it tastes old.” That is a compliment. Hints of vanilla and spice. Felt elegant with a long finish. Had it with fatty new york strips. Tannins and acidity balanced it well. Not a loud wine, but a great one. — 3 days ago
C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España)
Imperial Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2019
Punchy crowpleaser: heavy, almost syrupy body with strong, bold flavors of oaky vanilla, ripe black cherry, and cinnamon spice. Smooth and round mouthfeel. Not terribly complex but a joy to drink. — 22 days ago
R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Rioja Rosé Blend 2012
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. — 19 days ago
Bodegas Numanthia
Numanthia Toro Tempranillo 2019
Presented double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of plum, dark cherry, licorice, coffee, dry earth, soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. The alcohol is high. Hmmm…
Initial conclusions: this could be a Grenache based blend, Tempranillo based blend, Merlot based blend or Malbec from France, Spain, the United States or Argentina. This didn’t stain as much as I would like for Malbec or Merlot and I don’t detect any pyrazines. Yet, it stained more than I would like for Grenache and the florals were all wrong besides. I kinda like this being Tempranillo but the oak seems French; neutral or larger format so I don’t like this from Rioja. I’m calling this Tempranillo from Spain, Toro, 2020. Lol, wow. Even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes. Drink now through 2035. — 14 days ago
La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri
Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2015
Solid Rioja Reserva from 2015. Dense without being overly so. Nice nose, which started to take off toward the end of bottle. Decanting before serving helped. Served as the second red, so should have opened it earlier. — 13 days ago
La Rioja Alta
Reserva Viña Ardanza Rioja Tempranillo Garnacha 2019
This full bodied reserva wine offers big aromas of cherry, black licorice and black pepper. It was tight upon opening but I let it breathe in the glass for an hour which allowed vanilla aromas to come through as well. It offers silky tannins that keep the structure and mellow out on the persistent finish. This wine has flavors of ripe cherry, black pepper and leather. This is a beautiful and complex wine that I think will be even better in a few years. — a month ago
Meredith Moody
Smells amazing. I get some coffee/chocolatey notes. Another great Rioja. Was very smooth, but still had structured tannins. I taste dried red fruits like the other one, but this had more acidity/brightness. Beautifully complex with great depth. Some warmth from vanilla and spice notes from it being so old. Had with the other Rioja I reviewed with a steak dinner. Great comparison drinking them side by side. Can taste the age, but not as much as the other. Think I slightly prefer the former. This is still amazing and I would highly recommend. — 3 days ago