A beautiful Rioja with an aroma of cigar box and toasted cinnamon. Flavors of vanilla and espresso dominate the attack. On the mid-palate mineral and red cherry come forward. The finish is bursting with crushed red fruit. This is a well-tailored and charismatic Rioja without being overblown. Oodles of new oak.
Aged for a year in French and American oak, this wine is mostly Tempranillo with some Garnacha and Mazuelo. Grapes are sourced from vineyards in Nájera, in the southern edge of Rioja Alta.
The wine shows a great deal of finesse, showing classic Rioja vigor. Aromas of ripe cherry and toasted spices are followed by a bit of dirty vanilla. Medium bodied with fine and linear tannins, the fruit flavors are bright red fruit with black pepper and a touch of savory herbs. The finish moves to vanilla and cedar. A very nice bottle and a best buy.
Available at Bacchus Selections
About Rioja Alta
Logroño and Haro, the principal towns of Rioja, are both in the Rioja Alta. Logroño is a very big town by Spanish standards, but Haro, at the western edge of the region, is an enclosed hilltop community and a much smaller, far more charming, older, and traditional place. The area’s wine is Rioja’s fullest in terms of fruit and concentration, and can be velvety smooth. Bodegas Muga makes fine examples of pure Rioja Alta, as do CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España)—in the form of their Imperial line—in nine years out of every ten.
One the nose, cardamon and lavender play with a nub of burnt vanilla, following a sweet hit of black fruit. The palate is exactly what a Crianza should be: balanced but exuberant. There are deep dark fruit flavors and chewy tannins along with floral notes and a finish that brightens into fresh strawberries and iron.
Bodegas Dios Ares is located in the Rioja Alta region, in the town of Laguardia. Having spent time working with the Wine School in that town, I must confess I have never heard of this winery before tasting it. It seems to be a relatively new company that primarily distributes its wine overseas and to hotels.
Via Wikipedia. Logroño and Haro, the principal towns of Rioja, are both in theRioja Alta. Logroño is a very big town by Spanish standards, butHaro, at the western edge of the region, is an enclosed hilltopcommunity and a much smaller, far more charming, older, andtraditional place. The area’s wine is Rioja’s fullest in terms of fruitand concentration, and can be velvety smooth. Bodegas Mugamakes fine examples of pure Rioja Alta, as do CVNE (CompañíaVinícola del Norte de España)—in the form of their Imperialline—in nine years out of every ten.
This Rioja review is compliments of the Wine School of Philadelphia and Bacchus Selections.
This is a classically structured wine and lovely Rioja. Based in the Basque section of Rioja, the winery was founded in 1926 by winemaker Jose Murua. By the middle of the century, the winery was sold to an outside owner. In a moment that would make any dad proud, his son, Julian, repurchased the winery in 1982. He has been making classical Riojan wines ever since. The Vina Eguia Riserva is a wine that far surpasses its price point; I actually feel a bit guilty for paying so little for so much wine.
Aroma of tobacco and rose petals, with a bit of damp earth and clove. On the palate, the fresh fruit comes across in high definition; in particular, fresh cherry and red raspberry. The bright fruit gracefully intertwines with mocha and Medjool date flavors. Tannins are delicate and light, and nicely balanced with the vibrant acidity. The flavors flow into a harmonious ending. This is a wine that cries out for a roast leg of lamb with a bit of garlic and rosemary, and perhaps a bit of roasted potato.
Via Wikipedia. Rioja is oaky, and all attempts to rid the wine of oak are doomed to failure. Oak is the basis of its fame and the reason it became Spain’s first and greatest red-wine success, and while critics who suggest that these wines are too oaky for today’s more sophisticated consumers may have a point, there is precious little left in most Rioja once you take away the oak. It was the French who originally blessed the wines of this region with their unmistakable sweet-vanilla oak identity. As early as the 18th century, a few enlightened Riojanos had looked to France, Bordeaux particularly, to improve their winemaking skills.
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