WTN: a few Rioja

Friday my non-serious local group met for a night of Rioja. Roger had cheeses, sausages, and more. He greeted us with the 2021 CVNE Monopole Rioja Blanco. Really nice value - vibrant lemon and peach fruit, floral notes, crisp and clean. B/B+

The reds were blind
a)Nice, crunchy black raspberry fruit, spice, smoke. Light tannins, easy to drink..Guessed Crianza. 2019 Pecina Rioja
B/B+

b) obvious but not overbearing American oak, black cherry and plum, incipient cigarbox, guessed Reserva or possibly GR. 2014 La Rioja Alta Alberdi Rioja Reserva B+

c) my wine so no guessing, Fred got Reserva (and knowing me LdH). Red plums, coconut, ripe but not flabby. Pretty ready to go. 2003 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Reserva B+

d) A little hot, oaky, kirschy, easily my least favorite. 2015 Altos Ibericos Rioja Reserva
B-/C+

e) Light, a bit thin, sharp red cherry fruit,.2020 Cortijo Rioja B-

Fun night with the guys. Weekend of rain starting, but wasn’t too bad on walk home.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[Jenise]

How great to be in a group so close by you can walk home.

Interesting set of wines--but for yours and the CVNE Monopole, fairly typical I guess of what a "non-serious" group would put together. That said, even cheaper Riojas of the type we find in supermarkets in my neck of the woods are generally very easily palatable. More so than a handful of similarly priced American wines would be (for my tastes).