1 | Wine | Tempranillo | Page 6

"Dark ruby-colored with a garnet rim, it displays a lovely nose of Asian spices, incense, tobacco, balsamic, and blackberry. On the palate it has exceptional depth, layers of spicy black fruit, excellent ripeness, and an elegant personality. Upon release it should continue to evolve for another 5-6 years and drink well through 2040."

"Deep, mineral-accented aromas of blackberry and cherry pit, with a strong licorice note. Taut and slow to unfold, offering zesty, youthfully bitter dark fruit flavors and good mineral snap. Lively but ungiving, with very good clarity to its unevolved dark berry flavors. Give this a little bottle age." 89(+?) pts.

"There's good density to the ripe flavors in this supple, velvety red, offering black cherry, kirsch, cola, leaf and licorice notes over light, firm tannins that give this the structure to match with food."

"Well-defined mulberry, cocoa and mint-scented bouquet that unfurls temptingly in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and crisp acidity, serving up notes of blackberry, melted asphalt, undergrowth and a sandalwood. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of white pepper on the entry. It is underpinned by firm tannins: a solid structure that is classic in style, but one that melts and coalesces beautifully over the course of twenty minutes in the glass".

"The 2009 Crianza is sourced from Rioja Alta and Alavesa: pure Tempranillo aged in French and American barrels for 12 months. It has a perfumed bouquet of ripe strawberry and Morello, with well-integrated oak that allows the fruit to shine. The palate is very supple and rounded on the entry with corpulent red cherry and cassis fruit. The finish is well-defined, crisp and vibrant, lingering nicely in the mouth."

"It has a very well-defined bouquet with crisp blackberry, cassis and licorice-scented fruit with fine minerality. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannins, crisp acidity and a lovely licorice, white pepper and citrus-fresh finish that is linear and nicely focused."