Drinking Now 2035
The aromas to this are stunning with dried strawberry, stone and fresh mushroom. Full body and very tight with incredible depth and structure. It goes on for minutes. One of the greatest ever? The new 1964? Available January 2018.
98 points, James Suckling
Made with grapes from some of the winery’s oldest parcels in Briñas, Labastida and Villalba, this really is one of the best ever 890s, produced in an exceptional vintage for Rioja as well as La Rioja Alta. Blending Tempranillo with 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, it combines the grace and elegance of a great Musigny with the sweetness, focus and balance of a classic Rioja grown on limestone soils. Scented, complex and very long, it’s unashamedly traditional and all the better for that. Drinkable now but will reward further patience. Drink 2017-30.
98 Points, Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com/reports/2017-rioja-special-report
La Rioja Alta...
The top of the range is only produced three or four times per decade, and the current vintage is the 2005 Gran Reserva 890, which refers to the year, 1890, when the winery was created. It all starts by selecting grapes from their oldest vineyards (over 40 years old), harvested into 350-kilogram cases that are transported in refrigerated trucks to the winery, an improvement implemented in 2005. 2005 was an excellent vintage, and this 890 might challenge the exceptional 904 released some four years ago. Here the Tempranillo is complemented by 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in 199 oak barrels for six years with ten rackings. It's a very balanced and polished classical Rioja with moderate alcohol (13.5%) and good acidity (6.1 grams of tartaric); it also has a silky texture, resolved tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel. It has complexity but is a little closed, and it feels a little evolved, at times even a little tired. The fruit feels quite ripe, with some liquor notes. The palate is polished, with fully resolved tannins and fine acidity.
94 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
The fruit for the ESP 'reserve cuvee' Cabernet is mainly sourced from vines dating back to 1949. Darker fruits on the nose and palate than the Estate Cabernet, the ESP has a richer palate spectrum with more poise and power. Intense black fruits, coffee, black olives and more spice with excellent concentration of fruit on the finish. A wonderfully impressive...
moreBottle 75cl £36.08
Undoubtedly the star of the show for me, this wine bears all the hallmarks of beautiful, intense Tuscan Cabernet. Showy and rounded with a wild, spicy and concentrated texture. There are hints of smoke and tar beneath the dense, sweet core of fruit and exotic spice. The finish is long, rich and impressive. Wonderfully youthful in its freshness quite...
moreBottle 75cl £90.08
The Shiraz grapes for this ESP 'reserve cuvee' were sourced mainly from vines planted on the Estate during the 1930s. Rich, dark fruit scents with a mix of spice leap from the glass. Powerful and rich black fruit flavours on the palate with excellent depth of fruit, layered complexity with notes of spice, pepper and licorice. The overall balance is...
moreBottle 75cl £36.08
Bottle 75cl £30.58
