| Score: |
93+ ST.
"Bright medium ruby. Distinctly sauvage, sweaty aromas of raspberry, leather and roasted meat; this may be a bit too rude for the fainthearted. Then chewy, dense and deep, with outstanding intensity of flavor and great inner-mouth lift. Distinctly wild-verging-on-rustic but cleaner and more deeply fruity than the nose suggests. Finishes long and leathery, with a touch of youthful austerity. Seems a bit less superconcentrated than the '96, but this is a Rioja of great individuality." Vinous, Nov 2001 |