Rioja Porn

originally posted by Brad Kane:
Know anything about the Martinez Lacuesta- Campeador, Palacio Reserva Especial or the La Rioja Alta Marques de Haro and what their aging curves are like? All good fills and colors. Also, any tn on the '25 Marques de Riscal Reserva ?
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La Rioja Alta is a better producer than Martnez Lacuesta (which lacked any sort of a winemaking facility, and traditionally bought already made wine from co-ops and other bulk producers to make a blend of its own and just age it) or Palacio, so its wines are usually more reliable. But with Rioja's tempranillo (and some mazuelo on top), the aging curve can sometimes be mindboggling, so who knows? At those ages, anyway, there are never any great wines - just great bottles of wine.

I've never had the good luck of tasting the 1925 Riscal. I've checked my notes from the momentous presentation made by Riscal in 1996 at London's Savoy hotel, but I see that it wasn't there. That day we tasted the 1871, 1924, 1945 and 1964. (No, not a bad selection. One of the three times I've had the immense luck of tasting that unforgettable 1945...).

I've been searching, however, and I've found, on a fine Spanish wine site, verema.com, the notes posted last year on that 1925 wine by one guy I trust, Eugenio Senz, a serious buff from Madrid. So here they are, translated by yours truly:

"I admit the difficulty of writing tasting notes when I know I am confronted with a wine that's 82 years old, but...

Dense color of an old leather brown with copper rim, medium-high intensity.

An intense and very complex nose. There are surprising traces of liqueur-like red fruits, herbaceous and spicy notes, with clove dominating. Then there's a delicious tertiary bouquet in which we discern fine leather, some humidity, black and white chocolate, mushrooms and toasted coffee. It doesn't evaporate, and after one hour in the glass it's still showing things. Fantastic.

But it's in the mouth that those wines are most expected. Its delicacy, roundness, still impressive acidity, its silky finish, the tertiary aftertaste and its great length linger on the palate, and are quite movi9ng. I leave the glass for a while, and the wine keeps on demonstrating power and elegance. How is this miracle possible?

This is more than drinking a wine, this is drinking a part of Spain's history. It's both incredible and exciting to be able to enjoy this wine, which no doubt has more life ahead. I am not giving it any points, because you don't give points to art, and we are truly faced here with an eternal work of art."

Hey, doesn't sound too bad. I hope your bottle is in the same neighborhood.
 
does 22 riscal have a reputation one way or the other ?

because our bottle rocked the casbah recently
 
What we had the other day was a bottle of 1964 Monte Real Gran Reserva Bodegas Riojanas just like the one in your lot, and (as usual) this was close to perfection.
 
originally posted by VS:
What we had the other day was a bottle of 1964 Monte Real Gran Reserva Bodegas Riojanas just like the one in your lot, and (as usual) this was close to perfection.
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Manuel brought this to a jeebus at Joe's in the spring. Gorgeous wine. I don't know why I didn't take all of them.

Oh Greg. Your bottle, um, broke. Yeah, that's the ticket.
 
Victor, I think that I am right in that La Rioja Alta's "Marques de Haro" is only sold at the bodega and only produced in magnums? It is more expensive by some margin than the great cuvee "(1)890".

Also, even though not of the same pedigree, I have had some rather fantastic older Martnez Lacuesta and some pretty good Palacio.

Best,
Joe
 
The 'new' Marqus de Haro Reserva, AFAIK, is made only in regular 75 cl. bottles and in Romane-Conti-like quantities, i.e. it's quasi-confidential: 5,700 bottles in 2001 and 6,600 bottles in 2005, the only two vintages released. Not to be confused with the 'old' Marqus de Haro Gran Reserva, last made in 1989, which indeed came in magnums and double magnums. The current wine is available in (few, of course) shops. It's Julio Senz's baby, and the winery stresses that it comes from their "experimentation cellar". Senz, 42, the assistant winemaker at La Rioja Alta since 1996, replaced the retiring Jos Gallego as chief winemaker three years ago. The wine is the first one ever aged in 100% French oak by La Rioja Alta, and is an 85%/15% tempranillo-graciano blend. It retails for about 36 euros here not much higher than 904, which goes for about 33, and a lot less than 890, which is up around 75.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
originally posted by VS:
What we had the other day was a bottle of 1964 Monte Real Gran Reserva Bodegas Riojanas just like the one in your lot, and (as usual) this was close to perfection.
Click to expand...

Manuel brought this to a jeebus at Joe's in the spring. Gorgeous wine. I don't know why I didn't take all of them.
Click to expand...

Oops. Just realized he brought the '68 as it was his birth year and it was his going away/40th birthday jeebus. Can't recall when I had the '64 that's on top of my TV stand, but I vaguely remember it not being pristine. Glad I'll get the chance to retry.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Man, you guys play for keeps over here. I thought they were mean on the other board.
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"Coy" is an insult?

Chris is in the Christmas Islands, so I suppose explaining the joke falls to me.

The gag is that you expressed an economic theory of value for art, interestingly combined with point assignment. The former position has long had a foremost proponent, whom you know. I therefore greeted you with his name. The joke being that "Ian Fitzimmons" is an alias for y.k.w. Hahahaha. When you demurred, I pretend that you are protesting too much, being "coy." hahahaha.

It's true, jokes are funnier when explained.
 
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