1996 Solar de Randez Rioja Reserva 13.0%
I was told at Chambers Street that this saw no oak, and thought it might be didactic & fun to compare it to the 97 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 that charmed us two months ago. Light almond aromas hint at oxidation, assisted by cloves, damp earth and blood iron. Tastes meaty, reminiscent of rare steak, with some leather showing up towards the end. Zero sign of oak (no dilly dallying here). Lively acidity, decent enough body, unobtrusive alcohol, like wallpaper. Sweetness perhaps slightly deficient, not sure if the victim of incipient oxidation or just a textbook example of grapes picked at European maturity, with no hint of that amicable cola super maturity produced by the Jerry Bruckheimers of wine and playing in home theaters everywhere. Worked much better with food, as acidic wines are wont. For once, I wondered if a bit of wood (castanets, perhaps) might not have done this proud teen some good. Not so much for flavor (though I have never enjoyed American oak as much as I did with the Rioja Alta), but for the anti-oxidant effect of wood tannins, which might have given grape tannins the helping hand they needed. For once, I opt for wood.