Chris England

9.5

Fab 05 top Rioja @ £70-100 in a great year & a fav of mine - will keep improving but great now 😉 Awesome 2020-30 👍

📍 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2005

🏵 95 points w/ 96-98 potential

🍇 89% Tempranillo & 11% Mazuelo

🍷 Deep ruby

👃 Soft oak through dark spiced berries, currants & cherry with creamy vanilla, light smoked tobacco, leather, mocha, coconut, mint & balsamic into choc cherry gateaux w/ a bit of date coming through

👄 Med+ body of deluxe silky smooth creamy stewed rich dark cherry driven fruits all perfectly balanced w/ thick cocoa cream, vanilla & balsamic touch

🎯 Long seductive oak, cocoa, balsamic & dark fruit cherry boom linger — 2 days ago

Chris England

9.4

When @gabymeetswine @vilaviniteca said they had an old LRA 890 @ €220 I bit her hand off & what a lovely experience 😍 Scroll for extra pics of the colour, cork & meal on Instagram 😉 Reminds me of Tondonia 1961 😁

🥩 Paired w/ Puff pasty Mexican beef wheel, cheesy baked Tato & veg perfectly

📍 La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva 1982

🏵 94-95 points

🍇 Tempranillo with small quantities of Graciano & Mazuelo

🍷 Garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃Smokey oak, fig, prune, date, musty damp cellar & soggy earth through old cherry & red berry fruits w/ lead pencil, minerals & a balsamic leather sherry mocha tone & hint of liquorice expressed perfectly in a Zalto Burgundy glass 😍

👄 Med body of smooth elegant red berry & red cherry in mocha & balsamic juice

🎯 Long red cherry & red fruit balsamic cocoa linger w/ a light minerality
— 18 days ago

Rick Riddle

9.6

Cherries, Cherries, Cherries!
From the onset, this gem screams Cherries; Red Cherries, Black Cherries, Sweet Cherries, and Tart Cherries.

But it doesn’t end there. This Garnet, Red Ruby beauty has additional notes of tobacco.

The Oak has mellowed over time leaving flavors reminiscent of caramelized walnuts.

The finish adds notes of Dates and Blackberries, and is silky smooth and lingering.

One of the more expensive Rioja Gran Reserva’s at $74, but it is a huge step up and well worth it.

Tipsy Grapes Rating 96
Price $74 — 6 hours ago

Mike Evans

9.4

Rich and intense dark fruit, anise and star anise, with plenty of oak spiraled through like a marbled rye, lots of fine tannin on the finish, still a baby, but if you have a lot it is worth drinking one now. — 5 days ago

with Kevin and Stan

Chris England

9.5

This is a super hard Rioja to get your hands on (think Rocking Horse 💩) & is Mugas top wine only produced in top vintages so I was quite happy to find this & some 2015 as only around 5,600 bottles 😮 it’s not cheap at £120-£155 but I’ve been chasing for ages! Having had the amazing Prado Enea & Torre Muga in 09 I couldn’t wait 😊 The verdict? It’s a monster 😈 but will benefit 5-10 years more age 😉

📍 Bodegas Muga - Aro 2009

🏵 95 points w/ 96-98+ potential 👀

🍇 70% Tempranillo & 30% Graciano

💥 14.5% ABV

💨 4hrs+ or 15 mins in #vSpin

🍷 Deep opaque blackened ruby

👃 Double shot mocha through more coffee, black cherry & blackcurrant w/ blueberry, liquorice, dark red roses, violet & drowned red fruits w/ a touch of balsamic & vanilla cream

👄 Med++ intense loaded dark fruit body of black cherry, blackcurrant & blueberry bathed in cocoa mocha cream w/ a hint of balsamic & liquorice in fine slight dry tannins & mineral

🎯 Long deep dark fruit annihilation w/ a red fruit undertone & big mocha liquorice slight dry mineral kiss — 13 days ago

Chris England

9.6

A very limited production Ribera del Duero of 6,990 bottles in a great year @ €180-€265 that should age into a Vega Sicilia quality wine as a very intense big wine 😈 but well balanced 😉 I’d drink in 10-15 years but superb already 😁

📍 Viña Pedrosa Perez Pascuas Gran Selección 2010

🍝 Paired w/ Mrs Es homemade Cumberland peppered & sage pork sausage meat filled ravioli smothered in a chasseur mushroom sauce & Parmesan cheese 😍

🏵 96 points w/ 98+ potential

🍇 Tempranillo

💥 14.5% ABV

🍷 Deep blackened opaque ruby

👃 I had to peel these aromas from my nose as they overpowered it in chocolatey rich dark fruit goo in a porty style of spiced dark cherry, earthy dark plum, melted chocolate, herbs & smoke w/ raspberry liquorice, minerals, date compote, prune pie & soft oak

👄 Full bodied rich ripe smooth ultra silky gooey creamy melted black cherry & chocolate w/ raspberry, liquorice & cherry liqueur

🎯 Long Long Long (like never ending!) lingering dark cherry explosive punch in the teeth oozing through raspberry chocolate liquorice gloop
— 7 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Deep ruby core and reasonably wide ruby rim. Slightly Deeper than the 07. Starting to show more complexity and development also. More undergrowth , tobacco. There is a sweet ripe strawberry/ blackberry compote note. Some mineral once again. Lovely ripe blackberry fruit, plum , very long and complex . Tannin is evident, though ripe it is fine grained and hangs on the finish. Acid is also higher than the 07. A big wine , really needs more time . Very complex mineral and coffee edged finish. Best of the 3 so far. — 14 days ago

Joe Gillies

9.2

Still too young and needs more time...still fairly primary with dark fruits and touches of leather, tobacco, and earth. Shows promise. In a few years, will be even better! — 9 days ago

Matthew Hauck

9.1

very nice blackberry tones but dry and lighter than it would normally imply to me, I just like it, #dryfarmwines #dryfarmed #keto — 2 days ago

Chris England

9.6

Another beauty from @lariojaaltasa that I nabbed from @gabbymeetswine @vilaviniteca for €150 and it’s singing 😍 check Instagram for pics of cork & wine ⏩ This is at peak drinking 🕺

📍 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1985

🏵 96 points

🍇 85% Tempranillo w/ Mazuelo & Graciano

🍷 Slight garnet clear ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Smokey charred oak in a damp cellar through mashed earthy cherry & old leather w/ balsamic, cocoa, herbs & vanilla expressed perfectly in a Zalto Burgundy glass

👄 Med body of super silky fine creamed cherry bathed in cocoa w/ red berry tones & light balsamic

🎯 A very long balsamic cherry cocoa linger that just goes on and on 😍 w/ a touch of dry oak as it dissipates into mocha
— 8 days ago