At a recent tasting of currently available Riojas, this was my favorite although I seemed to be the only one amongst the tasting panel. It is much more modern in style and did stand out as different from the rest. It is 100% Tempranillo. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is tight but with air opens and is lovely. Cherries, black cherries, slight cloves, a bit of dark chocolate and slight mint. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is ripe/rich and a bit softer texture. Accessible. Flavors of black cherries, cherries, spice, coffee and char. Deep. Long finish. This is drinking well now and should continue over the next ten years. Great on its own, this should work well with big meat or poultry dishes.
