Klein Constantia: stellar whites, sweet and dry 
Marqués de Riscal: Gehry hotel outshining solid Rioja and Rueda 
La Rioja Alta: benchmark classical Riojas especially top flight Gran Reservas 
Marqués de Murrieta: Rioja aristocracy built around Castillo Ygay 
CVNE: Combining volume and classical quality 
Contino: Château-style Rioja and Graciano pioneers 
1,500 ESP; 13%
Bugger of a label. Pretty nice Gran Reserva, that was certainly ready to drink. Medium garnet core with browning rim. Slightly “varnishy” oak over some residual dried cherry fruit, but predominantly secondary aromas. Medium-bodied, with acidic structure and soft residual tannin. Quite long and overall very drinkable, but all-in-all slightly less well “integrated” as the 1990 overleaf…
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