2010 Rioja Reserva Especial

Chewy, dense, fruit cake richness, dark chocolate, tea and spice. A fine, linear, lengthy wine. (RH)

The 2010 Reserva Selección Especial is always the most food-oriented of their reds, a blend similar to the one found in the Reserva, 65% Tempranillo with some 20% Garnacha, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, but here the grapes are sourced from older vineyards in higher-altitude terraces where there are poorer soils and the grapes have an extra degree of freshness. The wine is also aged for longer in barrel and it's slightly marked by toast aromas, but the bright fruit underneath is quite pure, and comes through very recognizable as Rioja. A second bottle showed fresher (the cork on the first one was a bit dry), even brighter and more transparent fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins that would benefit from some more time in bottle and have a long life ahead. There is very good acidity and fine balance. It's a wine that is perfect for the table. A great Selección Especial. 200,000 bottles produced.

(70% tempranillo, 20% garnacha, 7% mazuelo and 3% graciano; fermented in large oak vats and aged for 28 months in small French and American oak barrels of varying age): Inky purple. Flamboyant aromas of ripe berries, incense, potpourri, smoky oak and pungent minerals. Lush, fleshy and alluringly sweet, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors that coat the palate. Smooth, seamless and impressively concentrated but also lively, with sneaky tannins giving shape to the long, spice-accented finish.