Valenciso Reserva 2006 Magnum

The 2006 Reserva has a classic, very pure bouquet of warm leather, dried herbs and dark berry fruit, and it offers scents of melted tar with continued aeration. The palate is very harmonious with succulent red cherries, mulberry and dried fig, with subtle white pepper notes sprinkled over the finish. This constitutes a worthy follow-up to the superb 2005 and will have the same propensity to age. Drink now-2025.

I tasted two impressive Reservas from Compania Bodeguera de Valenciso. The company was founded in 1998, the name conjoining the family titles of Luis Valentin and Carmen Enciso. Their focus is aimed upon the vineyard, which is around 17 hectares in size. Their red vines are exclusively Tempranillo and at their winery in the village of Ollauri, they mature their reserva in French oak with approximately one-third renewed each year. There is also a white wine, although the quantity is minuscule and I was unable to taste it. If you have to classify it stylistically you would place it in the “modern” Rioja category, although I personally would simply classify it under “delicious” Rioja".