Wonderful and fully resolved, not profound and a little short on finish, but delicious.
Wonderful and fully resolved, not profound and a little short on finish, but delicious.
Jan 31st, 2020
1970 Berberana Rioja Reserva (not Gran Reserva) "carta de oro":
DESCRIPTOR EPIPHANY WINE! After tasting dill in so many forms (pickles, sauteed, fresh dill, dill pickle chips, dried dill), it finally popped on this wine. The scent-memory for me was quite specific—opening a bag of Kettle brand “Thick + Bold” Dill Pickle Krinkle Cut chips at the office in Sunnyvale. (One might infer a combination of American oak and volatile acidity). Slight bruised apple (acetaldehyde, but nothing crazy for a wine this old) and faint pickled strawberry-balsamic jam. This is light yet intense on the palate with vibrant acidity and phenomenal persistence. The dill is center stage (which I’m digging) but there’s still plenty of complexity here. The fruit is on its way out, but I would still like to see what this does in 10 more years.
1970 Berberana Rioja Reserva (not Gran Reserva) "carta de oro":
DESCRIPTOR EPIPHANY WINE! After tasting dill in so many forms (pickles, sauteed, fresh dill, dill pickle chips, dried dill), it finally popped on this wine. The scent-memory for me was quite specific—opening a bag of Kettle brand “Thick + Bold” Dill Pickle Krinkle Cut chips at the office in Sunnyvale. (One might infer a combination of American oak and volatile acidity). Slight bruised apple (acetaldehyde, but nothing crazy for a wine this old) and faint pickled strawberry-balsamic jam. This is light yet intense on the palate with vibrant acidity and phenomenal persistence. The dill is center stage (which I’m digging) but there’s still plenty of complexity here. The fruit is on its way out, but I would still like to see what this does in 10 more years.
Aug 27th, 2015
La Rioja, Spain
