Rioja Alta, Rioja Ardanza Reserva Vintage:2001 mulberries

mulberries

soft textures and overall amplitude

less demonstrative than bottles encountered previously and less “sexier”

I would be inclined to begin drinking this now and over the next 10 years as I fear this risks drying out and becoming astringent if held for the longer-term

it will be a hedonistic coup d’état

Rioja Alta, Rioja Ardanza Reserva Vintage:2001 mulberriesBottled December 2008. 80% Tempranillo (aged in 4 year old American oak for 36 months) and 20% Garnacha (aged in 2 to 3 year old American oak for 30 months). Dark cocoa scents plus Morello cherry and blackberries. Chewy, substantial palate with aromatic oak on the long finish. This is bold but beautiful, with oak and fruit in superb balance. Its not just the complex flavour range and superb persistence that marks this wine, but the effortless,