Huntsman
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2004
- Messages
- 7,888
- Reaction score
- 1,002
It's Friday and we are drinking lunch.
Just the right age for a Riserva.
STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.
Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.
Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!
Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.
It's Friday and we are drinking lunch.
The 2011 vintage in Rioja was marked by hot, dry weather, which came on the heels of two phenomenal vintages (2009 and 2010), but the best producers, like Cune, followed through with aplomb.
Cune’s 2011 Rioja Reserva, a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and 5% Mazuelo, is a touch shy after popping the cork but opens beautifully with just a bit of aeration. In the glass, it shows a classic dark garnet core, with slight ruby and purplish reflections throughout. Aromatically it projects red and black plum, a touch of red currant, and that slight sandalwood, maturing tobacco, leather, and cedar spiced quality with hints of dried coconut, exotic baking spices, and a kiss of wild vanilla bean in the background. All these delicate spices come from lengthy aging in new French and American oak. This, like many other classic Rioja bottlings from the best producers will live a long life. I’ve had these wines going back to the ’70s and ’80s, and believe me, this 2011 is just getting going. If you are enjoying it in its younger and more vulnerable years give it 60-90 mins in the decanter, served in large Bordeaux stems. But otherwise, I would highly recommend putting aside a case and enjoying a bottle each year to experience the perfect evolution of a beautifully polished and classic Rioja.
Barbera or nebbiolo?