2003 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Colección Privada - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (12/15/2008)
– decanted for a few hours before tasting –
– tasted non-blind on Day 1 and again on Day 3–
NOSE: DAY 1: big-time cigarbox aroma is supported by concentrated plum, moderate oak, and hints of funk, smoke, and squash; the bouquet is dark and brooding, and pleasantly earthy, if not a bit dusty; for each glass poured the oak became more prevalent as the wine sat in the glass … notes of brown sugar emerged with time; both “A” and I thought the bouquet was rather tight right now, but it’s obviously quite complex and spellbinding; a slight citrus (underripe fruit?) note emerged four hours after 1st taste – so about 7-8 hours after initially decanting. DAY 3: fruitier than Day 1, and the strong cigarbox aroma has eased-up a bit; a balsamic note has entered the picture as well.
BODY: this wine simply looks “big”: lots of fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine … a bit of fine sediment was left in the bottle; black cherry color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: DAY 1: wonderful front-palate acidity balances the impeccably interwoven fine-grained tannins; cigarbox is repeated on the palate and is complemented by flavors of dusty blackberries, plum, and moderate oak; this wine does not taste funky, despite the hint of funk appearing in the bouquet; the palate is full & seamless; slightly hot on the finish; the oak still needs some time to integrate more fully, but this is hardly an “oak bomb”; the finish is ridiculously long (1.5 - 2 minutes)!!! Even after swishing a sip of water around my mouth, I could still taste the wine … and I don’t mean “I could tell I had a sip of wine a couple minutes ago” … I mean, I could still taste all the flavors of the wine – absolutely remarkable. DAY 3: Pretty much the same as DAY 1, but more minerals today, and less oak … very smooth, and no longer hot on the finish … very nice. This wine will get better with time, and has the structure and stuffing to safely sleep under years of cellar dust … this wine is an absolute blockbuster! If you have one in your cellar, wait 5 or 10 years … if you have more than one, open one now to taste what I’m talking about. I will be buying more, and giving them extended aging … I think this can easily ride for 20+ years.
B: 50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = 95
A: 50, 5, 11, 17, 8 = 91