Open Mike for the weekend: `01 Marques de Riscal Reserva, Rioja.

According to a few in-the-know, this winery has seen some patchy times but I am a true believer in this traditional bodegas and ready to see how this wine shows up. There are many Rioja fans here on this forum so hopefully some will go out and seek this wine out. Think Riscal should be readily available in the market, so see what`s out there! I paid $24 Cdn, should be a lot cheaper down over the border your way.

Bob
Well, you wouldn't believe it, but we have a bottle of this in the cellar! Same vintage as well.

I'll try to get it readied for the weekend

regards

Ian

All you have to do is stand it up!!

According to Alko's web site we would have this. I'll be joining also.

Great, the 3 Musketeers ride again!!!!!
Now, what to recommend with my raisin pie!!!!! Get with it.

http://www.chuckwagner.com/images/3musketeers.jpg

Bob, I have had the 2001 Riscal and it is a fine tempranillo IMO. Riscal has had problems for several years in making a wine worth drinking, so I am hoping they are back on track now. In fact Riscal is the wine that got me to thinking seriously about wine in the first place. I was in Seville and could buy the Riscal of the late 60's (when they were really really good) for $1.00 per 750ml. Heck, I can still buy it for <$14

Well guys, as it turns out, this is a wine with which I'm altogether too familiar. The 2000 Reserva was Riscal's official "return to form" as far as I was concerned. It's a very elegant and easy-to-drink (especially with food), thoroughly colloquial wine. The 2001 is all that, but with more stuffing (different vintages will give you that) and a less friendly disposition at the moment, since it seems to demand more time in bottle to be just right.

I'll try to fish up a bottle from the many boxes here. At the moment, my cellar is going through a major restructuring and it's pretty hard to find anything...

Oh, and the reason I made it a point ot show my ugly mug here toight is because I just had a small jeebus with your Robin last night, here in Manhattan. I mentioned that I knew well it had been a while between visits, but my life is kind of complicated at the moment.

Sipping some '05 Bründlmayer Riesling (the basic cuvée) in between typing sentences. Brilliant stuff, these '05 Austrians. One can't go wrong, almost at any level...

I stopped off last night to buy a sale wine (2003 L'Oratoire des Papes CdP for $22). It was unfortunately sold out, but the 2001 Riscal Reserva was on display - so count me in.
I also finished up another Rioja last night, Sierra Cantabria. I had their 2001 reserva a couple of months ago, no notes, but liked it enough to buy three more. The wine last night was their $9.00 2004 rioja my favorite merchant described as the best under $10 wine in his shop. I sincerely hope not. On Tuesday nite, it had almost zero nose, and what little there was didn't show any fruit. Mostly wood. Good grip, and I'm pretty sure something is hiding down there in the depths, but carpet-threatening swirling didn't reveal much - a little plum and/or other dark fruits, maybe a little earthiness, so I corked it and left it. Day two, yesterday, not showing much more. Slightly more nose, but still wood dominated, as was the taste. Some dark fruit, herbs, but also a wierd tiny hint of cabbage. I did not go back for more, notwithstanding the view of my almost always reliable wine merchant. I have saved a sip for tonight.
Looking forward to something better this weekend.

I've never understood the hype about the Sierra Cantabria wines. Every time I've tried something, it's been dullsville. Wood, as you say, and the whole cabbagey-vegetal vibe, too. No real traits that would make them discernible as Rioja or in any way happy-making.

Perhaps you'll like the '01 Riscal...

M.

[Jenise]

Wood, as you say, and the whole cabbagey-vegetal vibe, too. No real traits that would make them discernible as Rioja or in any way happy-making.

Yeah. I've got some of their 96 Reservas in the cellar that I've been eyeing suspiciously. Bought them in L.A. a looong time ago from a clone of Oliver's retailer, who told me these wines were fine fine fine and never seen outside of Spain. He was so convincing that I bought, like, 4 bottles, and along the way I've opened one. As you say, not discernible as Rioja, and odd. I was hoping they'd straighten out some day but you don't give me hope.

Ah, retailers... This somehow reminds me of a new guy they have at Garnet. When he first saw me at the store, by the Burgundy shelves, he came over immediately, probably thinking I would be an easy prey for some big-ticket items. I let him recommend wines, nodding sphinxishly. He came to a Vosne-Romanée from a producer for which I have zero regard and said: "Of course, this is great stuff. Low acid. Very fruity. Delicious new oak".

He was lucky to escape with all his limbs.

Sierra Cantabria not seen outside of Spain? Your guy is quite a joker...

Since it's the weekend according to Bob I opened it up today already: I've got a very social weekend ahead so I'm afraid my liver would protest and my sunday half-marathon would be out of the question if I added one more wine for the weekend!

I like this wine. It is too young and the oak is unintegrated, but I think I should buy a couple to visit in a couple years. Apart from the coconutty oak, there are the typical, hight toned Riojaesque scents of red berries, earth and citrus - kumquat especially.

The palate is full bodied, sweetly fruity, but with nice acidity. It is obviously from a ripe year. And now comes a sentence that may shock many people and cause a heart attack or two: I like ripe fruit. But I detest over-ripe fruit, and this certainly wasn't over-ripe. The aftertaste is amazingly long and fresh. I like it.

-O-

Thanks Otto, yup, early weekend here. LOL. I have tried not to read all your notes but see you like it. Good wine for Open Mike eh.

WTN: 01 Riscal Reserva. Very nice. A little bigger than I expected, with a little more leathery nose than I expected - almost rhonish funk - but good but not overdone fruit and a slightly too big dose of oak, but only slightly. Decent grip, if not quite as firm as I prefer. Very mouthcoating, nice lengthy finish, a blackberry, earth, even a touch of chocolate and maybe a bit of bacon fat. Smooth but not fully integrated tannins, but very nice. I've got a feeling the oak will integrate, as will the tannins. I think it is kind of new world in style but with old world flavors thrown in. I'll grab a couple more if they are still there, and hold for 4 to 10 years.
Enough left for a glass or two tomorrow.

Thanks OV for posting your notes. I will be getting round to my bottle on saturday!

Marques de Riscal Reserva 2001

When this morning I saw the bottle at Rob, the Brussels temple of gastronomy, I thought immediately of contributing to the Open Mike, a system to which Bob has recently introduced me. At EUR 16,40 it was EUR 2 dearer than I have seen in a supermarket but I took it because the lamb on the menu this evening seemed a good accompaniment.

These are my notes written up without looking at other people’s impressions.

At the first sniff upon opening, I thought “oh dear!”. The impression was sweet and sour with the sweet being vanilla, coconut and cigar box and the sour being sour cherry, all in separate strands. Happily after 10 minutes in the glass, the aroma was better integrated with some deeper fruit coming up but the vanilla patina was still quite present.

The palate showed the same aromas with the sweet dominating the sour and was well shaped with flesh and a quite firm tannic structure and good length but, on the after-taste, dry and slightly bitter notes dominated sweet fragrance. There were hints of malt and liquorice in mid-palate towards the finish.

For me this wine did not sing but there was no difficulty in finishing the bottle. My wife liked it better than me being less troubled by the malt, vanilla and liquorice notes. It was much more drinkable than some blockbusting and oaky “modern” Riojas which I have tasted. It is probably too young now and hopefully will be more integrated and expressive in 5+ years.

Will it ever become one of those sweetly elegant and beautifully balanced Riojas which I have enjoyed in verticals of, say, CVNE’s Imperial going back to the 50s? Or is it capable of effacing my memories of (incredibly cheap, approx Pesetas 250) Rioja during my frequent visits to Spain during the 70s, when Marques de Riscal itself and Marques de Murrieta, in particular, opened up new vistas to my then Médoc orientated palate? I doubt it.

But I may buy a few bottles out of curiosity to see what happens.

Nice choice of wine, Bob.

Like Tim, I was initially worried when I opened it. It seemed somewhat big. But it calmed down with some time, displaying cherry and leather on the nose. Those sour cherries are there on the palate, along with some cocoa powder and a slight bit of vanilla.

I didn't find the oak too prominent, but I'd like to see how this does with a few years.

By the way, it went well with an A&W Teenburger and onion rings.

Better late than never

My notes - interesting having written them and then read others notes to see similarities and differences. Also to see subtleties others have picked out. Anyway, enough navel-gazing:

Opened, but not decanted 30 mins beforehand

Somewhat dark (but not dense) claret in colour, with some browning at the rim.

The nose is quite restrained with some oak and a touch of lifted balsamic notes released by swirling. The restrained fruit is more blackberry than blackcurrant and there's a touch of spice. Quite an Italianate nose.

On the palate, it's still a bit raw, with quite spiky acidity, a decent degree of astringency and the fruit getting a little hidden by this and indeed the fruit acquires a (pleasant enough) sour edge through the acidity. At this stage really needs food.

* I see where others describe sweet/sour - I tend to use balsamic to describe this, which sounds like the same feature. I'll try and revisit this wine early next week to see if it opens out a bit.

regards

Ian

Hi Ian/everyone. Well I have had my bottle open since yesterday (half left) so will post later. Not much to add altho` mine showed no age on the rim.

WTN: `01 Marques de Riscal Reserva, Rioja.

Opened 4 hrs and then decanted, lots of swirling. 13.5% alc, good cork but tough to pull! No sediment noted.

Colour. Medium (red) ruby w. thin watery strawbeery rim. Centre is an intense but not opaque centre. Some viscousty here, no sign of age.

Nose. Oak, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon. Blackberry and some mocha after 24 hrs.

Palate. Initial mouthfeel entry on first day is lead pencil, sour cherry, herbal and earthy. Not ripe to me and tannins intensify over time. Dryish finish with white pepper, some licorice and cinnamon. Needs some more time in cellar to knit together but this is old style rioja.
After 24 hrs, tad stemmy(?), cigar box hints and too tannic as I pull from fridge. Found the sour cherry others have noted, will buy more and cellar.
Cost was around $25 Cdn I think.

Food, studded garlic leg of lamb with root veg batons. Meal enhanced by `94 Pink Floyd special on PBS.

Follow up - the following night, not much different, except the fruit is more prominant (that blows the TCA thought Otto).

I concur with others that this needs longer - might be tempted to buy a bottle or two to lay down, as it's often on 'special' - not a great wine for me, but can be great value for the cellar.

Different bottles, different results, Ian. I saved a glass for a second night, simply corked on the counter. The wine was far less expressive the second night than the first, with less fruit and less, well, everything. On the first night, mine had a distinctly funky nose, and since I see no evidence of that in any of the other notes, I am guessing that my bottle was not totally representative.

We've had a great turnout for this and all on the same wine & vintage - more PCE than the earlier PCE trial

Bob - yoodaman!

Yeah, was a pretty good OM. It is tough to know which wine to pick out, vintage/availability/cost etc. Which wine should we think of next as Xmas draws near? I will be in Medicine Hat for a week, whoppee!

A few thoughts, something thats readily available from...........

Fairview, SA.
Penfolds (again).
Chapoutier, good one.
Carmen, Chile or Veramonte perhaps.
Catena, Chile.
Antinori, Italy.