Marques de Riscal Reserva 2001 Friday, Aug 25 2006
Tasting Notes and Spain and Wines of the Month and Imported and Variety and Red and tempranillo et al
It was only May this year that the lovely JP and I were enjoying a half bottle of this wine in a tapas bar in San Sebastian, the air thick with smoke and the roof dangling with the bodies of dead dried pigs..ah Spain..it seems like a lifetime ago. The wine that evening was the 2000 vintage and while it was very good, the 2001 is better again. When I saw this reviewed on Tinto Y Blanco I wasted no time in securing a few bottles. We opened this last night at a restaurant so I was only taking notes using the power of my mind, not my pen, so what you get is an idea of the wine rather than an analysis.
Strong dark colour. It smells of black and red fruits but mainly the black ones - blackberries, cherries. There’s also coffee, mineral, earth and spicy vanilla oak that is beautifully applied to the lush dark fruit. On the palate medium to full bodied and still pretty tight. There are flavours of blackberry, spice and again those earthy minerally flavours. The oak adds a layer of cedar and vanillin flavour. The tannins are really what I like here though - mouthcoating layers of powdery firm tannins that reach into every corner. Long finish that makes you think -’ooo this really is a most excellent wine’. At the moment this is a Reserva showing some reserve so give it a few more years if you are lucky (or smart) enough to own a few bottles.
Rated : 93+ Points
Tasted : Aug06
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $45
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009 - 2020
Source : www.boccaccio.com.au
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13 Responses to “Marques de Riscal Reserva 2001”
August 25th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Not bad for off the top of your head!
You have to love the gold wire
August 25th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Yes. I am an idiot savant. Like Rainman. Very good taster.
I love the gold wire. I am drinking 12 this weekend and making my own Mr T necklace. Fool!
GW
August 25th, 2006 at 11:06 am
And you had the cheek to call the Azienda a crazy bottle!
August 25th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
One of my Dads old favourites, used to be a bit of an oaky little number but has been modernized more recently, also they have the oenologist from Margaux consulting.
Not sure I would quite go as high as you on the rating, but its a good drinker.
They also have a Gran Reserva which spends an extra year on oak, but comes from the older vines (30 odd years). Riserva comes from 15yr vines.
August 25th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Have you had the 2001? Fool.
GW
October 11th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
Just bought this wine today[am in Japan] upon the recommendation of the lady in the wine shop. Must say it is rather nice; all the more quaffable after reading your review. Your words brought out the flavours for me and cheered me up because at first I thought it was all tannin. But then again, I’m a brute who doesn’t know much about beer.
Mata ne.
October 11th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
I had this is singapore last week, a nice wine…93+…well…;) more like 89-90 for me.
Interestingly it is also freely available in Korea at about the aussie retail price you quote…which I guess is about right given it is a $15-20 AUD bottle of wine in europe/US…d9ont know why oz is so pricey.
October 11th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
It is because you don’t understand Spanish wine you fool!
GW
October 11th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
how do plebs do italics?
October 11th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Register. Then you can edit your comments.
GW
April 12th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Got a case of this a while ago and after reading your review retreived some from storage. Dont you hate it when you realise you have not bought enough of a wine.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I tried the 02 of this wine. Dreadful, very dilute. Speaking to shag, the 03 apparently is much better and the 04 is already being talked about in hushed tones
June 18th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
It kind of makes you wonder why they bother making a reserva in poor years like 02. I mean think about how many barrels are used for this wine (its something crazy like 15,000 every year).