This is the first vintage of Viña Arana Gran Reserva that I can ever recall having tasted, as most of my experience with this cuvée has been at the Reserva level. The bouquet here is still youthful and has loads more...
This is the first vintage of Viña Arana Gran Reserva that I can ever recall having tasted, as most of my experience with this cuvée has been at the Reserva level. The bouquet here is still youthful and has loads more complexity to offer with bottle age, but it is utterly classical in profile and is awfully easy already to fall in love with, as it offers up scents of red and black raspberries, cigar wrapper, Rioja spices, a fine base of soil and a lovely foundation of toasted coconut American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, velvety on the attack and rock solid at the core, with ripe, seamless tannins, tangy acids and great focus and grip on the long, nascently complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is the finest example of Viña Arana that I have ever tasted! It is tasty now, but still a puppy and will be far better five to ten years down the road.