1994 Vina Arana Reserva

Readers looking for deeply pigmented, dark purple-colored wines will be disappointed by the light, evolved colors from this bodega, but there is considerable complexity, elegance, and flavor authority to these wines. The 1994 Arana reveals a light ruby color with amber at the edge. Aromas of wet pebbles, lead pencil, cherry liqueur, and sweet oak soar from the glass of this medium-bodied, ripe, long, luscious wine. While not a powerhouse, it possesses beautiful flavor authority. Consume it over the next 5-6 years. A Christopher Cannan Selection, imported by Europvin USA, Watertown, MA; tel. (617) 924-7620

The dark garnet-colored 1994 Vino Arana Reserva reveals a complex bouquet of cedar, tobacco, spice box, and smoke in addition to elegant, medium-bodied, tasty, lush, smoke-infused cherry and currant flavors. There are no hard edges to this medium-weight wine. Consume it now and over the next 6-7 years. Wine Advocate.August, 2001

Medium red, a bit less saturated than the last two wines. Spicy aromas of plum, cherry, tar and exotic wood notes. Juicy, intensely flavored and concentrated; at once dense and delineated. Shows a strong fresh fruit component. Finishes spicy and persistent, with fine tannins and lively acids. Perhaps the most complete Arana release to date. (The '95 is not yet bottled!).