From the moment I pulled the cork and sniffed it, I knew I was dealing with a great wine.
Normally I go Mmmm if the cork chocolatey or cigarboxy, but this one had a lot of complexity. Dark intense fruits, exotic spice, rosemary, earth. That s just from the cork itself.
The wine itself is very dark and intense, earthy wtih good amounts of spice and leather, with a slight note of vanilla custard. It stays with you.
Mind you , it is not jammy. It had lots of acidity and structure to keep it balanced. This is a very young gran reserva. I havent had this good rioja sinze 1994 Campillo Gran Reserva and Tondonia 2001 Reserva. I think this will surpass the Campillo with age. I think its worth seeking out the 1994.
It went well with the braised leg of lamb bianco (similar recipe as osso bu co bianco) with mashed potatoes.