Rioja

I couldn’t turn this one down, not that i wanted too. It was a mature Reserva Rioja from the great 2001 vintage that was being offered to me at less than its original release price. Was there something wrong with it?

Not in the color, perhaps a little brownish at the edge, but that’s what older wines do.

Not in the nose either. Soft wood notes, a bit of cherry and spice, tantalizing and elusive forest floor maturity.

Certainly not in the mouth. All of what the aroma promised, plus a light layered structure and very good length .

The Baron de Ley is a newer Rioja producer in a more modern style. Their Reserva 2001 exhibits characters of the excellent 2001 vintage, a year growers say equals or surpasses the quality of 1996 and 1994, the best Rioja vintage of the 1990s. The wine has expressive aromas of spicy red cherries, strawberries and toasted oak with black pepper and coconut notes, from 14 months aging in new American oak barrels. On the attack, the wine shows ripe, juicy fruit which becomes very focused on the palate, with good structure and a long finish with a note of nutmeg. It is 100% Tempranillo.

The Wine Advocate last winter called it “a great value in Rioja” (at up to $24) and went on to describe it as “dark ruby-colored with a fragrant nose of spice, cedar, red currants, and cherry that jumps from the glass..... In the mouth the wine is intensely flavored with a stylish grace and elegance that reflects traditional winemaking in a fine year. The wine has enough structure and balance to drink well for another 8-10 years.”

The 2001 Baron de Ley Reserva is reminiscent of our immensely popular Raimat Cabernet Reservas that we offered several years ago. While lighter and lither, it has the same mushroom and forest floor notes. In Spain they would drink it with grilled lamb or or steak. You can have it with almost anything you do on the grill, even herbed chicken. If the day is hot, put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so.

So I took all I could, but that was only fifteen cases. One will go home for my summer barbecuing. That leaves fourteen for you.

WINE	bottle	case special	half case
2001 Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva: Color: medium dark; Aroma: light clean earthy,sweet fruit some funk, spicy oak; Mouth: very sweet mature notes clean ripe, sweet herb, good acid backbone, lean,older mature notes again on a long finish; Very Good Plus	$21.95 - regular price $19.95 on sale	Special $189 a case (15.75 a bottle)	$99 a half case, (16.50)