Occasional tasting group: Top Spain

We all had to bring one or two bottles. We did not know the line-up. All wines were tasted.

• 2005 Bodegas Rafael Palacios Val do Bibei As Sortes 89 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Val do Bibei

  Butter and vanilla in the bouquet, like a rich Burgundy wine. Full bodied, going through the whole mouth, a hint of sweetness, friendly soft acidity, some citrus fruit. Long aftertaste. Beautiful, but a little too young perhaps

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• 2003 Bodegas Julián Chivite Navarra Reserva Coleccion 125 91 Points

  Spain, Navarra

  Dark gold yellow. Asparagus, butter, oak. In the taste some clove, a lot of oak, good bitterness and a long aftertaste. Blockbuster. Too young.

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• 2000 Torres Cabernet Sauvignon (Black Label) Mas La Plana 88 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Penedès

  Ruby, not so very dark. Nice CS nose. In the taste soft, vanilla, marmalade like raspberry, sweet soft bitterness, laurel, black currant and milky. Nice and juicy glass of wine, but less complex than I expected.

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• 1997 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 89 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Bouquet: rich, sweet, vanilla, eucalyptus, rosehip, cocoa. On the palate soft, a little sweet, forest fruits, a little clove.

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• 1994 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  A very good wine, a little younger definitely excellent. Beautiful wine! Horse-stable in the bouquet. Vanilla, cassis fruit, jammy. Sweet and soft on the palate, a lot of vanilla, cigar box, cherries. A bit dry in the aftertaste, but a beautiful wine.

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• 2000 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 90 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Dark red with a purple rim. A lot of fruit, black currants in the nose. Firm, cherries, black currants, some medical associations, soft and sweet. Long aftertaste. Now in the glory of its life, but definitely remaining there for a while.

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• 2000 Perelada Empordà Gran Claustro 90 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Empordà

  Smells like walking through a pine forest. In the taste sweet, a lot of oak, vanilla, eucalyptus, tobacco, cigar box. Now a beautiful full bodied concentrated complex glass of wine.

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• 1998 Perelada Empordà Gran Claustro 89 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Empordà

  Blood red with hints of garnet. In the nose iodine and vanilla. In the taste pleasant juicy, vanilla, soft acidity, tea and some sweetness. A beautiful wine right now.

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• 2002 Marqués de Griñón Dominio de Valdepusa Eméritus 91 Points

  Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Dominio de Valdepusa

  Dark purple red. In the bouquet tobacco, leather and ripe red fruits. A mouth full of wine, a lot of good bitterness and sweet juice, wood, sweet bitterness in the aftertaste. High concentration and a lot of oak. Needs some ageing, but not that long I suppose.

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• 1996 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Gaudium Gran Vino 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Blood ruby red, not so very dark. In the bouquet complex pleasant oak and soft red fruits. In the taste pleasant marmalade, soft well integrated oak. All together a classical elegant wine. I love it now!

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• 2001 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Dalmau 96 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Bouquet; backward, complex, oak, vanilla, black fruits. On the palate a blockbuster of a wine, jammy, soft tannins and JUICY. Explodes in the mouth and the aftertaste seems to last forever. What a wine. So wonderful already, but can last for years. 19/96

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• 2001 Bodega Mustiguillo El Terrerazo Quincha Corral 95 Points

  Spain, Valencia, El Terrerazo

  Almost black purple. Very complex bouquet; oak, leather, sweet, spicy, very deep. Fills the mouth completely with soft juice and sweetness. So nice already!

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• 2001 Bodegas LAN Rioja Reserva Culmen 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Deep dark purple. Ink in the nose. Full bodied, complex, much juice, much sweetness and very clearly clove. Soft tannins in the long aftertaste.

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• 2001 Bodegas Pintia Toro Pintia 93 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  Black purple. Fruitbomb; black currants, oak. In the taste the same plus soft bitterness and sweetness. Much of everything.

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• 2001 Bodega Numanthia Toro Numanthia 94 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  Deep dark purple. Enormous complex bouquet. In the nose as well as the taste ink, pure black currant juice, lead pencil. A wine for which you almost need knife and fork. Because of its thickness you might think this wine need many more years. On the other hand the acidity seems quite low, so you can have your doubts about storing this wine much longer. Future will tell…

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• 2001 Bodegas Roda Rioja Cirsion 97 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Dark Purple, almost black. Enormously complex bouquet; sweet, oak, a little ink. The taste is full of a lot of things; leather, sweet, black currants, blackberries etc. etc. As a whole the wine is creamy, full bodied with soft good tannins in the finish. A party!

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• 2001 Dominio Pingus Ribera del Duero 99 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Purple red. In the bouquet ink, lead pencil, blackberries, all sorts of spices, black olives. On the palate clove, juice of esp. blackberries, light perfect integrated oak, good acidity, friendly tannins. Perfection! Belongs to my TOP 5 ever tasted. Can definitely last for more years, but why wait? It is perfect now!

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• 1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 96 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Dark garnet red. In the bouquet dark fruits and soft oak. In the taste soft, good acidity, good firm tannin and a lot of young fruits. Elegant, ripe, complex and classical wine. This is what I love!

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• 1998 Clos Mogador Priorat 94 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Deep dark ruby red with a little purple. In the bouquet leather, tobacco, earthy tones, little clove, thyme. On the palate soft sweetness, black forest fruits. Beautifully concentrated complex and complete wine.

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