Ivor

9.1

Great wine combining southern burgundy richness, use of luxurious oak, great acidity and low alc levels. Wonder how this ages.. Tx @Jan A for pointing this one out!. — 7 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Barón de Ley – Varietales Tempranillo – 2014
Rioja DOCa – Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
A 100% Tempranillo from Rioja’s esteemed Barón de Ley Varietales Collection, crafted to highlight the noble face of the region’s flagship grape. Although structured in a crianza style with a projected drinking window of 10–12 years, opening it in 2025 revealed the wine perched right on the twilight edge of maturity. This is bottle #04400, now showing the soulful evolution that Rioja Tempranillo is famed for.

Aromas & Flavors
Initially faint cherry fruit, now firmly in the tertiary spectrum: leather satchel, dried rosemary, forest floor, and faint cigar box. Gentle hints of balsamic and dried fig linger in the background.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with softened, polymerized tannins. Acidity remains fresh enough to carry the wine, but fruit presence has largely faded, leaving savory and earthy notes to dominate.

Food Pairings
A fine match for aged Manchego cheese, braised lamb shank, mushroom-stuffed peppers, or even a rustic stew where earthy and herbal notes harmonize.

Verdict
This Tempranillo no longer plays its youthful cherry trumpet but rather resonates like the old violin sound of Rioja—mellow, textured, and contemplative. A fascinating study in maturity, best enjoyed with reflection rather than exuberance.

Did You Know?
Rioja wines are often classified not just by grape but by aging designations (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva). This bottle leaned into crianza timing, showing beautifully at first but demonstrating how Tempranillo gracefully transitions from fruit-driven vibrancy to complex tertiary elegance. — 9 months ago

Aaron Schneider

9.8

Truly an elegant expression from aged Napa wine. The notes of cedar and cigar box coupled with some mushroom and earth tones dominate. On the taste, the rich mouthfeels steel shows some fruit notes with deep blueberry and plum notes. I REALLY LIKE THIS WINE! And am glad to still have this in my cellar... — 6 years ago

with Kay and Chuck

Sid Hoffsommer

9.0

Excellent! Bright taste and no bitter aftertaste. — 9 years ago

Mike Bennett

9.0

Extreme vanilla taste, full bodied red. Love the bourbon hint! Would drink again for sure — 9 years ago

Monica Ramirez

9.4

Smooth finish, love this addition from Mondavi. Can taste the hint of bourbon — 9 years ago

Tim McCoy

9.0

Friar Tuck-14.99
Mellow taste — 10 years ago

Angel Martinez

Brand ambassador GHMumm Spain, Wine reviewer www.theluxury.es"

9.1

Un infanticidio terrible. El próximo dentro de 20 años. — 11 years ago

Andrea Tidwell

9.1

Pretty good!!!! A little dry. Good taste. — 11 years ago

Rebekah Polster

10

Didn't get to taste but I'm keeping this on my list!!! — 12 years ago

Luca D’Ambrosio

9.9

Hate to be a typical wine drinker, but there was a smooth and velvety taste with a continuous bite at the end. Completely coats the tongue with flavor from start to finish. — 8 months ago

Joy Hammons

9.7

Excellent! It took very little time to breathe which was unexpected for a 2011. We will be buying more of this if we can find it. — 2 years ago

Norma Munoz

9.8

Deliciously dry. Sprinkly on the tongue. Good finish. I can taste the oak. I can smell the dirt these grapes came from. Love! — 4 years ago

with Roy

Dillon Ladenburger

9.0

Very dark red, nose is vanilla, ripe cherry and whyskey, taste of vanilla, a lil oak, ripe cherry and jam. — 6 years ago

Kristen Grimes

9.0

Explore Chile and Argentina wine class! The only one I want to remember. Bold nose, SP and PG get "happiness". Herbs, leather, some vanilla, almost a chocolatey taste. Stewed black plums. Lots of tannins, some minerality. — 8 years ago

Anita Grizzard

9.7

One of the smoothest blends I've had. Used a decanter so it could breathe and it lightened up the taste. Slightly fruity with little tannins. Would definitely get again. — 9 years ago

Alicia Cypress

9.2

Not quite over the hill. Always a treat to taste the butterscotch and sweeter tones coming from aged champagne. — 9 years ago

with Art and Berg

Mark Lipton

9.4

If you have to drink a 2011 Napa Cabernet, this is the one. Overcomes the flimsiness and off-centered taste of many of its peers. Blueberry, suggestive of Alexander Valley cabs, is present in spades, and wonderful, smooth, and satisfying midpalate and finish. — 10 years ago

Barb

9.7

Wow... So many flavors in this wine. It's quite a treat to your mouth. Smooth with a great mid taste and a long finish — 11 years ago

Anthony Erben

10

Amazing wine!!! Great taste and great for pairing with cheddar. Brings out spice especially with hummus and blue cheese. — 11 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Finally talked this dude into drinking.

I don't know, maybe I'm getting old but aged Riojas are starting to taste/feel weighty to me. It's very good. Muddled fruits, resolved tannins, nice and round, leather notes. But somewhat boring. Probably my mood.

92+ points — 8 months ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Smooth, well-balanced, medium tannins. Strong smell and taste of cocoa and lush dark cherries. — 4 years ago

Eoin Danaher

9.0

Stephens day tipple... Beautiful — 6 years ago

Natalie Griffin

9.4

Great champagne blend with sharp bubbles and toasted caramel notes. Some green apple. Excellent especially at $25. — 7 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.2

Color of bubbly egg white. Nose of honey , a bit gasoline, pineapple, and actually a bit nutty and oaky note. Taste is sweet honey, some zesty peel, Sprite, citrus, lemonade like flavor, light yet refreshing. Aftertaste is a bit short, but definitely a crowd pleaser. — 8 years ago

Mike R

9.0

Road wine so ease off me please and I usually enjoy stag leap but last night so so

First off o smiled but because I drank entire bottle

Color was fine smell was aromatic but from there the other things were off

Taste was not what I expected as was too much heat and alcohol and finish was weak

Sadly I have a few and will be handing off as gifts to people I really don't know when needed - sorry to al future gift receivers — 9 years ago

Katie Erickson

10

At first taste wasn't sure about the powerful grapefruit, but now love this wine — 10 years ago

Eric Egan

9.2

Super-weird bottle. Mid-shoulder, crumbly cork, and the colour of freshly pressed strawberry juice - extremely pale as slightly cloudy! The immediate scent was quite off-putting but after 30 minutes it stormed back! Scents of autumn mulch, burning vine roots, sour cherries, and raspberry compote. A weird sourness and heady acidity on the front of the palette but it still keeps together well. Clearly badly kept but still really interesting to drink! A true testament to The quality of Mouton under the stewardship of the late Baron. I wonder if this is what some of the better kept bottles might be like in 100 years' time!? — 10 years ago

Kate

9.0

I had this a few years ago and didn't love it. Just tried again. When I first opened the bottle it was a strong berry at first then evaporated but once bottle open the tastes softened and the first taste and finish blender more smoothly. — 11 years ago

James Wells

9.3

One of the all time family favourites and this vintage is more of the same...will be a good one to taste though with a few years on it. — 12 years ago