Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Tempranillo and Graciano. Medium ruby color with a dark core and orange rim. Aromas of coffee, leather, ripe red fruit, wet stones and forest floor. Flavors of black berry/currant/plum fruit, black licorice, balsamic vinegar and roasted meat and nuts. Long earthy and slightly spicy finish. Pleasant acidity and silky (but slightly chalky) tannins. Full bodied, round and elegant. Beautifully aged. Thanks for sharing, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 2 months ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Ruby reddish color, young-looking compared to other reds so far. Opaque. Notes of black fruit, mocha, some earth and a little bit of wood. Rich in the mouth. Given our earlier Rioja bottle, we go back to Spain with guesses. I guessed 90 Unico. This is the Valbueno blend, with grapes from 85/91/96. 94+ — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Dark tawny, opaque. Old wine nose with notes of dark fruit, chicory, hazelnut and vanilla. Like earlier in the day, the age of this and the notes mean it could be anything. I go with a guess of 50's Rioja and others are in similar areas. Although this never showed the old Italian barolo descriptors you'd correlate with it, this was a very well made wine and certainly better than the 64 before it. — 4 years ago

Bryan Vanderkruk

9.0

Dark dried fruit, leathery, dry, pepper, lots of oak. Delicious. — 5 years ago

with Corrie

John W

9.2

Dark ruby coloration. On the nose, cherry, cocoa and vanilla. A little anise, cinnamon and cedar wood as well. On the palate, medium - full bodied, blueberry, cherry, minerality, spices, and a medium longish vanilla finish. Tannins still in good force but not overpowering. $70ish at total wine. — 5 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.4

W&S Top 100. I had a bottle of 1958 once. Yeah, it lasts that long. — 7 years ago

with Mark

Conrad Green

9.4

Soft aged raspberry and delicate roses with dark fruit. Not as expressive as the Rioja alongside. Feels a little pinched compared, but lovely and subtle. — 8 years ago

with BOT, Matt and 1 other

Tony D

9.5

Cune imperial reserve 2019.
Tasty red. Reminds me of when we were there. Complex but nice. Opened up for new years. Enjoyed a nice glass prior to falling asleep waiting for the ball to drop. Dark ruby red. Little tannins. Nose was floral. Really easy to drink. Had it second day which was great. Happy new years with a flight of tacos (9/10). 40-50$. Would absolutely recommend this wine. So smooth. So silky. Like a nye dress. It s a 10-9… — 6 months ago

Brendan Powell

9.1

Great value! Would buy again. From LCBO — 3 years ago

David Walser

9.1

At La Gazzetta Italian restaurant for the second time. The first wine we tried here last time we didn’t like so we tried a different, more expensive one this time. Much better experience by spending a few more Euros…22.50€ on the wine list but the only charged us 18.50€ because we told them we didn’t like their 18.50€ wine. Nice gesture…one that will bring us back. — 3 years ago

David Walser

9.1

€15.90 on the restaurant wine list. The wine list said it is a blend but the bottle only mentions Tempranillo. Pleasant enough to order again. Restaurant will be changing name/venue soon. Enjoyed our meals here overlooking the boardwalk & beach. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Before ‘14, last vintage was ‘11, no ‘12 or ‘13. Deep Ruby a blend 70% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano & 10% Mazuelo, aged new French oak for 15 months (‘11 was 24 mos). Ripe red fruit aromas with floral, oak & pepper spice. On palate ripe red fruit flavors, complex with layers of fruit & spice, noting espresso, cacao & licorice. Fine tannins, well balanced, long finish ending with fruit, spice and oak. Decant or let sit in the cellar for a while. Nice! Tried several ‘14’s. — 5 years ago

B

10

1999 Vina El Pison Rioja. Drank after the ‘85 Lopez de Heredia for A&S’ Anniversary lunch at Coq SF. Didn’t decant very long, but delicious. Much more fruit, tannin, and structure than the Heredia, since much younger. Delicious, but different. — 7 years ago

Eric Egan

9.5

This 6 year old Tondonia Blanco bottled in the early 70s is absolutely stunning. Better than any of the vintages I’ve had. I know traditionally some Spanish producers put a lot of effort into their NV blends (think Vega Sicilia for example) but this was still far better than expected. Glad I’ve got 11 bottles left. It’s complex as hell and has serious acidity but it’s the length that really stands out. It. Never. Ends. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Consistent both days. The 2017 Marqués de Riscal “Reserva” pours a deep ruby with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. No signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with dark cherries, ripe bruised strawberries, baked apple, hibiscus, toasted coconut, vanilla, new leather and some baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Medium+ alcohol. A lovely pairing with my sort of modern riff on paella for a quick Tuesday evening meal. More please!

Having enjoyed vintages going back to the early 1980’s, I think Marqués de Riscal “Reserva” is one of the last few, true bargains in the wine world. They are classic in the sense that they are unmistakably Rioja and they have the ability to age for decades. It’s very hard for me to think of another wine that is widely available for under $30 that can drink this well and cellar that long. Let’s enjoy the disparity while we can! — 3 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

A blend of wines from the 60’s — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Very dense in colour - impenetrable. It threw a large crust when decanting. On the nose coffee grounds and savoury black cherry, black plum. Sweetish on the full bodied concentrated palate. The savoury plum comes through with rich earthy flavours. Finishing with grainy tannins. Tempranillo seems perfectly suited to the warm dry conditions of Rioja. I couldn’t imagine Tempranillo showing its best in a cool to cold climate. I guess it does exist but it does seem best suited to warm climates. I just finished an interesting article on what grape varietal lasts the longest. From many tastings over many years Jancis concluded it was Tempranillo over Bordeaux with some old Vega Sicilias seemingly timeless. — 4 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

8.9

Never heard of Tempranillo Blanco. Is that a grape? Golden, straw colored. Smells like Albariño or a French Rhone type white. Honey, sweet baked goods, sage, carrot seeds and oak. Flavors are strange and unfamiliar. Crisp, zesty, with a streak of tart green apple. Some honey, but not sweet at all. Just a hint of that CA chard stuff with the oak flavors. But it’s not really like any white I can place. Most resembles Rhone white blends. It’s a fun wine to try, and it’s nice. Complex and just a bit funky. — 5 years ago

Mark Presswood

9.1

An incredibly smooth tempranillo does not taste as young as it is. Surprising notes of tobacco and dark cherry in a smooth older vintage style. For the $s cannot go wrong — 6 years ago

Ben Edwards

9.2

Always love a Serres. Having been drinking the regular bottling(s) for a few years, I'm not entirely convinced that the reserve adds much. It's, perhaps, a little less fruit-forward, with more wood/leather (no big surprise). With folks "discovering" Serres recently, the price of this reserve likely will match the 2015... which reminds me: I have cases to buy. — 7 years ago