Rioja Gran Reserva 904 1982

Ruby with an orange rim. Mildly animal nose. A little bit of sweet dust (cumin?) and definitely a fully mature wine. Marked acidity and great smoothness. Quite enough fruit in the middle and wonderful length. A second bottle had much less TCA decay around the edges and quite a bit of vital chew on the finish. Pretty sophisticated.

Score: 17 - 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 1994-2008 01 February 2011