2/00. Bought locally, Feb-2000 for $24.
Friday night dinner for the two of us at home. Filo pastry filled with minced meat [bought from a local deli], delicious home-made chicken soup with noodles, "Cocinado de Judias con Pato Cassoulet" - a Spanish cassoulet [conserved, the last food item we brought from Barcelona this autumn].
We had the 1994 version of this wine at a restaurant in Barcelona a few months ago.
COLOR: Light brownish color, quite watery in appearance. One of the less appealing-looking wines I can remember.
NOSE: Very mature and completely forward, even somewhat old. Having said that, the nose is much better than the looks suggest. Nice combination of sweetish plums and flowery aromas. Nothing smoky or dusty here. Pure mature fruit that could have led me to mistake this for a oldish 1er Cru (B).
TASTE: Again, much better than the color. Smooth, sweetish and light on the palate. A little bit dried up but not excessively so. Nice acidity and well harmonized tasty flavors. Got better and better along dinner.
LENGTH: Surprisingly persistent and pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-light body. Nice integrated and mature fruit, medium winyness, good acidity and receding tannins. Not lacking in complexity, this wine is obviously beyond its peak, though not by much.
OVERALL: Very-good-plus. Perhaps not the greatest Rioja I've had but still very enjoyable. Drink up if you have it.

MARK: 16.5/20.

BUY MORE? Maybe.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.