The top-rated vintage of this brilliant Rioja Reserva on CellarTracker, with reviews like this:
Deep dark magenta. Black cherry, chocolate, leather, and molasses. Smooth, dry palate, with good acidity. Firm tannins on medium finish. Terrific QPR.
Also outstanding ratings from Suckling, the Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, Vinous and the Penin Guide.
And a Double Gold at the International Wine Challenge, which said:
Deep cherry-red with garnet highlights. Nose of red and black fruit jam with a menthol-like touch. Ample, velvety palate with silky tannins. Concentrated finish driven by freshness and finesse. Lovely precise, indulgent fruit.
And Jancis Robinson:
100% Tempranillo grown at 600 m above sea level in Galilea. Malolactic conversion in French oak barrels. Aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months, then 3 months more in a large Allier oak vat.
Tasted blind. Sweet spices like vanilla and nutmeg. A classic wine showing quality barrel work and rich notes of evolution. An open wine offering complex aromas of dry grass and ending with an attractive note of cherries in liquor. Pleasant, classic style.
Just a brilliant and immensely satisfying Rioja Reserva, at an incredible price for magnums.
But again, only 23 of these beauties available.
