The Stockbroker opens the bottles.
Though I have had all the wines (except one) not long ago at the winery and with Aaron and James, Stockbroker wanted JC and I to go through them again to fine-tune the pairing menu - hence, the subject tasting.
Per JC's suggestion, we tasted the 7 wines in 2 groupings:
First Group
I've made very detailed notes on these wines from my above-mentioned tasting at the winery and at La Tienda (which may be referred to in addition to the shorter, more evaluative notes below by clicking on the highlighted links).
2003 Viña Alberdi Reserva - Though the ripe-roasted vintage traits are apparent in the somewhat confited nature of the fruit (wild cherry, raspberry with a slight meaty touch), it retains good freshness as well as concentration. One of the most balanced 2003s I've had.
2005 Barón de Oña - Richer, lusher and immediately very well-rounded. Denser, heftier, also slightly confited fruit, nice hit of spice and entertaining wood-related notes. Bigger than the preceding Alberdi and also nicely balanced. JC likened it to Burgundy (Nuits St-Georges in particular).
2001 Viña Arana Reserva - All I could do was note how very harmonious, well-knit and well-balanced this wine is. Similar in nature to the Alberdi and the Ardanza, JC pointed out that, having the 3 in a line shows the unmistakable (for him anyway) elegant La Rioja Alta style.
2000 Viña Ardanza Reserva - More balsamic notes on this one compared to the previous 3 wines. What was most notable to us was how very clean, well delineated and well focused this was. Very elegant and light-footed wine. Nicely complex too and with an impressive finish. I mentioned to them that this particular bottling is a current 'pet project" of winemaker Julio Sáenz who prefers the oak barrels of Tonnellerie François Frères for this line.
Second Group
2005 Marqués de Haro Selección Especial - This is the first time I've had this bottling. Notably darker, richer, denser, heftier, more concentrated and extracted. Longer hang time with this; probably older vines too. Quite complex in a very ripe, markedly lower-acid way - I noted notes of fig and underlying slight roasted meat as well. Old-style use of oak is also very apparent - JC astutely likened it to the style of Marqués de Murrieta's Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial and had served with it some velvety-savory cecina de León (smoked and air-dried hind leg of beef from same-named Indicación Geográfica Protegida) and let the Stockbroker and I sniff it first so we could pick up the similar scent underneath the wine's fruit.
Pretty amazing how JC almost immediately made such a specific food-connection after trying the wine. Surely, now, this cecina will play a role in this wine's pairing dish.
1997 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 - Though I've had this wine at least thrice before off the top of my head, this was definitely the most expressive bottle I've had. Obviously silkier and more refined in nature (balsamic, cedar, ripe tamarind, black cherry, hint of kirsch, underlying leather notes, etc.) - it made the preceding wine seem a touch rustic. Miguel, I and a few others noted a somewhat clipped finish in previous bottles of this, but this bottle was far better in this regard. No clipping here, rather, a confident, expressive, precise and proper finish.
1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - This wine I've posted on several times in the past few months (most recently here) so it is no secret how much I love this wine - so elegant and expressive with great typicity. Since I've written about it last just over a week ago, there is no need to repeat myself.
After the tasting proper, we enjoyed a bottle of Carolina de Masachs Cava courtesy of JC. This particular bottling of Masachs cava has 10% chardonnay in the blend - very brightly crisp, bracingly dry, vibrantly fruited, playfully frothy and most reinvigorating - especially after 7 reds.
As some may have noticed in some of the previous photos, it just so happened the spouses Vigneron, Miguel & Barbara A. and their respective children were having dinner at the table behind us. Not having seen them in a while, the subject tasting turned into a nice little reunion of sorts as well.
¡Hasta la proxima!