Chris Buggy

9.1

Vanilla! But once it calms down, good round tannins, good body, super smooth at this point, perfect for the obligatory Father’s Day steaks — 2 days ago

with Jennifer

Willem Booij

9.2

This wine takes me back to 1980. I had to check my very first wine journal, back when I was still a true wine novice.

What I wrote then was simple but telling: “wonderful, full, and ripe.” No elaborate analysis, just sheer admiration as my third wine ever.

Now, decades later, I taste it again. With experience, reference points, and countless glasses behind me. And yet, the remarkable thing is: my tasting note today aligns perfectly with what I wrote back then.

The wine remains classic, harmonious, and carefully crafted. Ripe fruit, integrated oak, soft tannins, and a long, elegant finish, exactly what you hope for in a Gran Reserva.

This time, I was particularly surprised at how astonishingly well it paired with smoked salmon and a touch of soy sauce.

Something I could never have imagined in 1980. Yet it worked beautifully: the wine’s umami embraced the salmon, and the soy’s saltiness found balance in the wine’s ripeness and softness.

A wine that has not only stood the test of time, but has also grown alongside my palate. Then impressive for its power and ripeness, now for its precision, balance, and classic craftsmanship.

Some first impressions, it seems, are simply right from the start. And in this price range it’s just a very good wine. — 6 months ago

Benjamin Hickey

9.2

Just super well balanced. Lots of flavour and complexity for how easy drinking it is — 9 months ago

Anna

9.0

сухое, легкое, вкусное, запах сладкого — 2 years ago

Jess

9.1

Pale straw color

Aromas of brioche, lemon, mushroom.
Dry. Flavors of lemon, brioche.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.0

Intense, sharp, saline — 5 years ago

Marcus Christian Williams

10

Rioja Reserva version. Excellent for a 9$ bottle. Deep ruby with visible browning. Notes of cherry, spice, and dried fig on the nose. Sour cherry and raisin with secondary of oak, spice, coconut, dill, leather, and eventually vanilla and mint after savoring. Once it opens up there’s some rich dark chocolate. Drier with med to full body. Medium tannins. Goes excellent with slow roasted pork. Everything I’m looking for in a Rioja at a really good price at Costco. Also went well with Californian blue cheese — 2 months ago

Steve Bowen

9.2

Paired with chicken thigh paella. Dry with a fast finish. Somewhat bold flavor that paired perfect with bold flavor paella. The fast finish was perfect with the lasting flavor of the food making the wine not compete with the meal. — 6 months ago

with Tracy

Benjamin Hickey

9.4

Super intense. Had with firm white fish and was great! — 9 months ago

David Walser

8.9

House wine at La Casita for 15€. Not a great wine but was ok with our canelloni dishes. I wouldn’t order again if there were other options. At La Casita restaurant in Manilva, Spain. — 2 years ago

Peter travis

9.0

Quite nice. We would buy again — 3 years ago

Alex Dang

9.9

Had it chilled…super delish!!! — 4 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

There is a first note of raisins, then comes a cherry note and shortly after a mineral touch like gun powder or crushed rocks. This is very inviting and quite classic in style. The palate is wonderful. There is a strong acid backbone which gives this wine precision and drive, a nice raisin and cherry note all along, almost sweet but not unpleasant given the acid drive it plays against. A monster of a mid palate powers a very long finish. There is a slight tannic layer caressing that very long finish with a nice sand-like touch. The finish is all raisins, cherry that goes on for ever and with a slight bitterness that pops up in the end while the finish expands. This is the best ripasso I have ever had — 5 years ago

Stanley Dowell

9.2

Classic style rioja. Bold and dry with a little spice — 2 months ago

with Matt

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

12.5%. Eye catching blue glass bottle. The wine is actually pretty good almost tastes like a blend of a sauvignon blanc and a Riesling. Very powerful lemon notes, lemon curd, touch apple hint herbaceous. This is definitely a nice bottle - i wonder how this would age it as some stuffing. — 5 months ago

Benjamin Hickey

9.5

3 years under flor then 9 years oxidative. Salty, long. A little funky — 9 months ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.0

Bobal & Temp.? Hell yes. Pretty and light. Like a lot. — 2 years ago

Michael Amoruso

9.0

Wow value. Black raspberry. Tar, dark chocolate. Late mint finish. Perfect tannins. Good finish. — 2 years ago

Claudio Katz

9.0

Vintage 2016 Tempranillo — 4 years ago

Peter Coulthard

9.0

Sainsburys. As before - easy drinking, decent price point, nothing spectacular but would drink again. — 5 years ago