'01 Pecina Reserva

Gregg G

Gregg Greenbaum
2001 Bodegas Hermanos Peciña Rioja Reserva
This is my new favorite Rioja producer. I'm a long time fan of old school Rioja ala Lopez de Heredia & La Rioja Alta. I first tasted the Pecina lineup in 2009 and was blown away by the purity and unmanipulated style. I quickly became a fan and sought out older bottles (not easy to come by as they have not been imported into the states with regularity. Now that JPS has them, things are coming in at a steady rate. This Reserva is already showing tertiary characteristics of savory, spice and forest floor. The texture is like velvet with a great streak of acidity along the spine. This is both a sipping wine and a food wine. By sipping, I don't mean a cocktail wine. Rather, it's a Burg lovers Rioja with a changing array of aromas. The flavors are similar to the nose with a lovely length on the finish. Highly recommended and readily available.
 
Had the '98 GR during the 6/10 FW tour. Liked it but I also prefer the Reserva. Already obliterated a case of '09 joven.
 
The Crianza 2006 is of a similar level to the Reserva 2001: interesting, because it's a much less prestigious vintage. Nice wines. I'm always surprised at the limited availability of top traditional Riojas in the US. Valenciso, Valserrano, Exeo, Olivier Rivière, Finca La Emperatriz, Telmo Rodríguez, Abel Mendoza are some names to keep in mind in addition to the 3-4 usual biggies.
 
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