Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Deep Ruby, aromas of sweet red and black fruits with pepper spice and oak. 4 grape blend from some of CVNE's best vineyards in the Rioja Alta (85% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo & Graciano), aged in both French and American oak for 24 months. On the palate flavors of blackberry and currants with licorice, vanilla, tobacco & toasty oak tones. Soft full ripe tannins, wonderful balance, lively acidity on a long finish ending with an earthy mineral character. Very nice! — 2 days ago

David White

9.3

Nice cherry ruby red colour with cherries and red fruit on the nose, silky balance of tannins on palate with minerality leading to a long satisfying finish
Excellent example of good old world wine making — 4 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium garnet , quite pronounced terracotta , garnet rim . This is more closed on the nose , slightly darker , less fruited , more tobacco , earthy , iodine , mineral, dry spices . On the palate more intensity with fresher acidity and grippy tannin . Darker fruits , with cherry , blackcurrant , but with a strong seaside , oyster shell componente . Good length and very elegant , slightly tannic finish . This is quite serious and restrained, more complete and complex than the 2011. Needs a bit of time to open, probably better in a 3-5 years and will show well for a further 5-10. From magnum . — 25 days ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Very light and classy. Orange peel, roses, plum, tangy violet. Intense but light and a very pure. Long finish. Excellent (bottle pictured from library, not the one I drank) — 4 days ago

with Chris, Alec and 1 other

Sean Grullon

9.3

Happy Easter! Uses a lot of new French oak, and it shows but it’s well-integrated. It tastes like a marriage between a California Cabernet and a classic rioja, modern in style but very good. Intense concentration, silky tannins on the palate with medium+ acidity. chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, spice, a bit of earth, and rich dark fruit that’s nearly jammy but not quite. — 9 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

90% Tempranillo; 10% Graciano. Red fruited perfume, earthy with medium plus intensity. Palate at 21 years is developed, balanced and soft with fully integrated tannins. Medium weight with declining strength to its inner core. Not near as good on the 2nd night. This aged overnight and finishes a little sour. I was going to give it 94 points but will now give 90 points. — a month ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.4

Incredible bottle of LRA — 9 days ago

romo

8.9

Called Rioja. Super-dill coconut give-away. — 2 days ago

Noah Ross

9.0

Sight: Completely opaque, blood red, slight tawny. On nose: fruit forward, tobacco. On mouth: very smooth, full bodied, was difficult to taste fruits but strong oak and earthy presence. Might not have been at correct temperature. — 12 days ago

Bradley

9.1

See: med red
Smell: berries, red fruit, Smokey?
Sip: Smokey, red fruit
Tannins: med
Acidity: med — a month ago