This is a high quality Rioja Reserva from Remelluri. It opens to aromas of game, sweet red fruits and cedar. The palate is medium bodied with mid weight tannins. Its principal feature is its saturated red fruit character interlaced with chocolate. Long length on the finish confirms this to be a very good wine that…Continue readingRemelluri Reserva Rioja 2012
Rosé is just right for these hot summer days. Here’s another one, this time a blend of garnacha (aka grenache) (70%) and viura (a white wine grape commonly known as macabeo outside of Rioja) (30%). This rosé is an easy to appreciate with a full bodied and dry expression of strawberries, some refreshing acidity and…Continue readingConde Valdemar Rioja Rosé 2018
There’s a lot of value to be had in red Rioja. This Rioja crianza is 8 years old and an 80/20 blend of tempranillo and graciano. It saw 18 months in barrel and is from an organic vineyard. In the glass, there are aromas of game, cedar, leather, spice and red fruits. The tannins are…Continue readingViñedos Real Rubio Crianza Rioja 2010
A second Spanish wine review, also from the same producer. I wasn’t initially entirely taken by this wine – a Rioja Reserva. That said, drinking it now a couple of days after opening, I am enjoying it. For this reason, I would suggest a long decant. It has a caramel and cedar driven nose, with…Continue readingHerederos del Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2013
I recently attended a wonderful Spanish wine tasting, with each wine presented blind. I don’t drink nearly enough Spanish wine as I should, which in part, I think, is a function of access and living in Australia. Here are my notes on the Riojas among the mix. But first some key points on red Rioja.…Continue readingAn outstanding Spanish wine tasting – part 1 (Rioja)
Price and quality are not always correlated. This humble wine from Berberana, a Rioja Gran Reserva from the 2005 vintage, ably demonstrates this point. I found it for around the $20 mark in the “other” section of a major retailer, reviewed it back in 2012 (see here) and promptly returned to buy the remainder on…Continue readingPrice, quality and a Rioja wine
Desperate for a last minute match for an impendingly delicious paella, I gave this Rioja a go from Liquorland (part of the Wesfarmers group). It’s ok. “Reserva” means it’s seen at least 36 months in bottle and oak, and in Rioja, with a minimum of 12 months in oak. Aromatics of earth, chocolate, plum and…Continue readingGlorioso Rioja Reserva 2009
Some initial bottle stink here and the palate seemed stretched and thin. I moved a step closer to the sink, but a moment of patience stayed my hand. A spark of hope then appeared with some committed swirling, and the wine’s aromatics of fruit cake, currants and plums gently came to the foreground. The palate…Continue readingCampania de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez LZ Rioja 2013
There’s something rather compatible between rosado (rosé by another tongue) and summer. This rosado is made from 100% garnacha (grenache) and is produced by Viñedos Real Rubio in Rioja in Spain. The style will not be unfamiliar to the Australian palate, since some of the better known higher quality South Australian rosés are also based…Continue readingViñedos Real Rubio Rosado 2012
Rioja seems to be a thing for me at the moment. Few miss the mark in terms of quality and they seem leanly priced. This wine from Burgo Viejo is a blend of 85% tempranillo 10% garnacha and 5% mazuelo. It has aromatics of blueberry, earth and juicy blackberries. These aromatics carry through to the…Continue readingBurgo Viejo Tinto Rioja 2012
This is yet another excellent import from Ce Soir Wines. A blend of tempranillo (80%), graciano (10%) and mazuelo (10%) from Bodegas Latente in Rioja, it has complex aromatics that remind of plum jam, blackberry, old leather, anise and game meats. The palate is in balance, with savoury flavours reminding of old leather, plum, game…Continue readingBodegas Latente Crianza Rioja 2010
I don’t know what’s going on with this label that makes it so cheap, and I checked and re-checked the wine pondering this thought, but this would have to be one of the better $11 wines that I have tasted. It’s a medium intensity ruby in colour in the glass and opens to developing aromatics…Continue readingBerberana Carta de Oro Reserva Rioja 2007