Selección Especial Rioja Tempranillo

Intense, full, with plum, blackberry, tobacco and cedar.

Good, but nothing special here. Perhaps we drank the wine too quickly. It probably needed a few hours to open up.

This really came around after an hour of air, shedding its chunky-ness to become quite refreshing and complex, if a touch modern with sweet fruit.

A splendid Rioja, still young yet already showing its great potential with notes of coffee, tobacco, dark chocolate, black currents, mint and earthiness, full body, with firm big tannins, dry and round, lovely acidity and a long delicious finish. My score 90, drink to 2026

Deep ruby red. Lovely nose coated in leather, dried cherries and earthy. Medium tannins (6.5/10) with balanced acidity and medium plus bodied. Layered palate with some gaminess, dried cherries and blackberries. Long finish. Drink till 2025.

Fruit forward blackberries, cherry, strawberries, touch of pepper, hints of leather, tobacco.

@Greg Ballington echoes my thoughts exactly on this one. Lovely Rioja that has been open a few days in a wine bar with their preservation system. It’s opened up beautifully with a lovely perfume of dried cherries, forest floor, mushrooms, leather, violets. Medium but well-structured tannins that hug your tongue, classic Old World acidity but some added spice that make this a food-friendly superb wine.

The highlight of Christmas Eve dinner. Absolutely fantastic

😋😋😋

Damp earth, fig, cherry, caramel, cola. Supple tannins, bright balanced acidity and a finish that lasts for days. Great wine!