Excelso Gran Reserva Rioja Tempranillo

Maybe a bit past prime. Not much depth. Still fun to drink.

Tight and woody at first, but really excels after decanting. Dark cherry fruit on the palate and really interesting figs and baking spice on the nose

History lessons

Not my favorite but hell it's old.

Compared to our previous bottle, this second of 3 bottles is drinking really nicely. I’m thinking it’s probably near peak at 13 years. Second day after opening (wine fridge with a vacuum cork stopper) its lovely, fragrant dark cherry, lithe bramble fruit nose, reminds me of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir aromatically. Delicious tartness on palate, not a ton of weight as this is a lower-extract style and tannins have been fully tamed on the finish.#riojagranreserva

I really did love this. Perfect solo, slightly sweet.

This one just tastes young and youthful and vibrant. Fairly simple with straightforward fruit flavors, but it’s freshness is its best feature.

Pretty lackluster wine on 1st attempt. Opened up decently. Great front end, no finish

Good on the front. Little lackluster on the finish

Delicious example of this grape. Solid body, reasonable tannins, leather & tobacco flavors.