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By: James Bradshaw | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/12/2019 | Send Email
This is among the finest Gran Reservas from Rioja I have ever had the pleasure to taste—full stop. A drop-dead gorgeous red, this 2005 is a pure delight from the first sip to the last. A chorus of red fruits burst from the glass and are accented by delightful savory touches of mocha, clove, baking spice, fresh herb, and vanilla. The mouthfeel is smooth and velvety, but at the same time remains infinitely refreshing. Dollar for dollar, you won’t find a better bottle of Rioja. After savoring our last glass, my wife asked, "You can get more of this, right?" Thankfully, the answer is "yes," but I imagine not for long once folks catch wind of just how spectacular a wine it is. Seriously, this is one red you don't want to miss
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By: Stefanie Juelsgaard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/13/2018 | Send Email
It's crazy to me how much life these wines can have after 13 years in bottle, but this Gran Reserva is just only starting to blossom and show its true characters. So supremely fresh from the bright acidity, this is a fantastic blend of old world savoriness and fresh clean fruits. Señor de Lesmos is always my go-to recommendation for any level of Rioja to customers, but in this case, they are going to have to beat me to it.
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By: Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/13/2018 | Send Email
I've been waiting years for this release! I have consumed cases of the 1998 Gran Reserva (one of my all time favorite wines) and I had extremely high hopes for the 2005. Fortunately my patience has been rewarded. This beauty is every bit as good as the 1998. Being 7 years younger it is only just now stepping into the complexity that will undoubtedly develop. It's velvety smooth and in its infancy it has wonderful liveliness. The oak has just perfectly integrated and provides a backbone of spice, tannin, and contributes to the wonderful mouth feel. Given how many bottles I've enjoyed over such a wide drinking window of the 1998, I've already socked away a bunch of these 2005s to drink now and over the next 15 years.
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By: Joe Manekin | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 11/1/2018 | Send Email
I remember how delicious the 2005 vintage Crianza and Reserva wines were from Casa Juan (that said, if I were to forget I can remind myself because I have some in the cellar..) Nevertheless, when I first tasted the 2005 Gran Reserva with Angel in his Laguardia tasting room, I had a little moment. I tasted the wine and found it to be spectacular, one of the finest "young" Gran Reserva Riojas I have ever tasted. We are fortunate to be working with someone as kind, genuine, hard working and serious as Angel from Casa Juan, whose wines continue to surprise and delight anyone lucky enough to drink them. I cannot recommend this special bottle of Gran Reserva highly enough.
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