Kike Sola

9.3

80% Tempranillo, 12% Graciano, 3% Mazuelo and 5% Grenacha of 90-year-old vineyards on a limestone soil, with a boulder surface in “Las Laderas” and more sandy in “Calitrancos”, located in Ollauri. Ferments in stainless, malolactic and subsequent aging in foudre of French oak. Black fruit, red, floral, mineral, toasted, wide, corpulent, fine, complex, with freshness, elegant and long. No Bot 4594 / 4951. Now it’s a good time to enjoy it! — 2 years ago

ESF

9.0

Not quite as stunning as the 2010 I had recently, but still represents an incredible QPR - this is a very forward / intl style Rioja, reminds me of a wine made by Valsacro - very generous & actually presents like a Bordeaux. Gobs of dark fruit, cacao, lead pencil, sweet spice, vanilla, etc. This lacked some suave character but maybe just needs more time. — 5 years ago

Shengli Hu

8.9

Ruben Diaz Cerro de la Estrella. Ripe and tart blueberry and plum. Iron, clove, mint, and bay leaves. Stony minerality. In between ruby and garnet. More juicy red plum and red cherry on the palate. Low acidity, medium (+) tannins, elevated body (14.5% abv). — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

One of these bottles came out to play tonight, and I dare say it gave a Kapcsandy 2003 and a Favia 2009 Cerro Sur a run for its money. Between this wine and the Favia, I'm not sure which one I really liked more. I think they were both WOTN for different reasons. This wine started out with a funk that was a little bit strange right out of the bottle. A little hay and mushroom that had to die off. For the first 30 minutes, the wine was a little muted with regard to fruit. Lots of glycerine on the palate, but increased as it sat in the decanter. The wine eventually had a nice aged and completely ripe blackberry note that was ever present from front to finish. An herbaceous quality crept in and out throughout the entire experience, and finished rather bold for its age. Very impressed with this bottle. I have quite a bit more of the 2001 that I think I'm MORE impressed with, but this one certainly showed well. — 9 years ago

with Shay and Benjamin

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.0

A bit more oak covering the front from the oak than I would have liked but great tannin structure. Vanilla from the oak and pepper tannin. — 13 years ago

carmen

10

fantastic light bodied chilled tempranilllo - it’s fruity with notes of strawberry and cherry, slightly nutty. it’s got some nice residue that adds some texture but not quite funky, more creates a minerality to it. other than that, pretty clean, no tannins, not very acidic either. it was paired with prawns and fried shrimp. — 2 years ago

Charles Steinbruegge

9.0

Delicious .. more full-bodied than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

Great value.
— 5 years ago

Will Stanley

9.0

Drinking well now, this is a well composed wine that typifies Rioja. I first had this about six years ago, and really enjoyed it. This time round, it’s of course more mature, but perhaps falls somewhat short on the finish. The nose is absolutely knockout - it smells much more than the £15 that I paid for it - but on the palate it doesn’t quite live up to it. Still, a very pleasant drink. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This is blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Tempranillo. Cool climate, high altitude.

The nose shows ruby, ripe, elegant fruits; blackberries, blue fruits, dark cherries, black raspberries and some strawberries on the edges of the glass. There is a creaminess about the fruits. Some sweet tarry notes, black licorice, light baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, soft elegant spices, dark rich soil and amazingly, beautiful red, blue & purples florals.

The body is rich and full. Gorgeous mouthfeel. The tannins are; soft, round & velvety with fine powder. The fruits are, round, ripe and beautiful; blackberries, blue fruits, dark cherries, black raspberries, touch of black plum and some strawberries. There is a creaminess about the fruits, as well as, some rustic quality from the 20% Tempranillo. Some sweet tarry notes, black licorice, light baking spices, vanilla, cinnamon, soft elegant darker beautiful more pronounced spice on the palate vs. the nose, nice soft herbaceous notes, dark rich soil, some fine dry rock powder and amazingly, beautiful red, blue & purples florals.

Photos of, the cone shaped tanks that Jeff’s (shown in the photo) partner and Winemaker Alejandro invented. The cone shape along with a mess grater the fits up top keeps the cap or hat-sombrero (expression used here) moist. This avoids punch downs creating more elegance and better florals in the wine. Both Jeff & Alejandro worked at Catena Zapata for 15 years before starting their own project. Their partial barrel room and Jeff (Co-Owner) hosting our tasting. This was a excellent visit and bottle to end our producer visits on. Thank you Jeff for all your time, shared knowledge and this bottle for our dinner tonight.

@Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher
This is the real deal if you can find it. @Shay A
Luis-Parker 96. $50 was the release price. Such a steal. — 8 years ago

Gilles de Chambure

Master Sommelier & Educator

9.7

blend from north sandy soil cerro chapeu near nrasilian border and las violetas mear montevideo more tannic black clay — 13 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2020 | lavender and violets, very civilized smell, minerality — 3 years ago

Jody Scharf

9.4

This is really good. I need more. — 4 years ago

Rich Bluth

8.9

solid wine, more tannic than some i’ve had. would definitely recommend. — 5 years ago

WineMascot

9.1

Maybe I expected more umph, but happy to say there was brighter fruit than I thought would show. — 8 years ago

Andrew Whittle

Co-Owner/Director Summit Estate Wines

9.2

Softer & more integrated than last go. — 10 years ago

Sonal Bhatia

9.4

Brett, deep fruit, bubbles at first. Becomes more complex, deeper over 24 hours. So amazing it's hard to describe — 10 years ago

Clancey Yovanovich

9.0

Pomegranate, cedar, cobwebs, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, cotton, tar, iron, macerated strawberries, menthol. Tastes more herbal than it smells - rosemary, basil, chalk, sand. It is full, smooth, and acidic. Very complex. Sell to a Boudreaux drinker. — 10 years ago