This and Alion are my two favorites! Dark color, black currant, black pepper. Delicious — 10 days ago
Mariano García’s final vintage at Vega Sicilia. What a great bottle.
The nose opens with damp forest floor, leather, cedar, and quiet red fruit; subtle, reserved, endlessly composed.
On the palate, it’s silk laid gently over structure: dried cherry, tobacco, graphite, and savory earth carried by fine-grain tannins and measured acidity.
The finish reads like the final lines of a great novel: inevitable, complete, and exactly as it should be. And already, there’s a touch of nostalgia, because I don’t know when I’ll encounter something like this again. — a month ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of dinner. The 2021 pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of black cherry, espresso, black tea, dried herbs and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Drink now with patience but, to my palate, I think this will be better with a few more years in the cellar so the oak can better integrate. This is built to last well past 2041. — a month ago
Delicate and delicious — 13 days ago
Massive wine, huge flavor, judicious oak. Usually wines like this would be goopy but this is not. — 24 days ago
Ming L
I like to drink Rioja Reserva at 8–12 years of age, when the balance really clicks: the woody notes are fully integrated, lending gentle spice, cedar, and tobacco, while the fruit remains vibrant and expressive. The 2015 Contino Reserva shows just that sweet spot with ripe red and black cherry, dried herbs, and a touch of leather, framed by fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. It’s poised rather than powerful, with a long savory finish.
Certainly has the stuffing for another 8-10 years development. — 11 days ago