WTN: Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2002

My sister and I stopped off at the grocery store looking for something other than the ususal grocey store fare, and came across this on the shelf for $17.99. Although unfamiliar w/ the producer, we decided to give it a shot (the bottle was very pretty ) My notes (taken very quickly and hastily, on my parent's deck, as I felt like a huge dork around the other non-dorks who just kind of winked at each other and grinned as if to say "awww, isn't she cute w/ her little notes):

The nose was very oakey but bearably so, chocolate, wet fur, cooked fruit, boysenberry (my sister threw that one in, I don't think she's probably ever even had boysenberry, but whatever). Later on I noticed tobacco and middle-eastern spices (cumin, aniseed).

The taste was brighter than I expected from the heavy nose; ripe cherries w/ some tomatoes, evident acidity and medium tannins which felt a little unintegrated and floated around my mouth separate from the rest of everything.

I did a search here on this producer and found some notes on a 2001 by OW Holmes from an open mike, and I see some similarities:

WTN: 01 Riscal Reserva. Very nice. A little bigger than I expected, with a little more leathery nose than I expected - almost rhonish funk - but good but not overdone fruit and a slightly too big dose of oak, but only slightly. Decent grip, if not quite as firm as I prefer. Very mouthcoating, nice lengthy finish, a blackberry, earth, even a touch of chocolate and maybe a bit of bacon fat. Smooth but not fully integrated tannins, but very nice. I've got a feeling the oak will integrate, as will the tannins. I think it is kind of new world in style but with old world flavors thrown in. I'll grab a couple more if they are still there, and hold for 4 to 10 years.
Enough left for a glass or two tomorrow.
_________________
-OW

I liked this wine and would buy it again.

Excellent notes. Yup, we featured the `01 last year here. I had heard somewhere the `02 was not up to scratch so great to read these notes. I do not think that traditional label will ever change!!

[Jenise]

Good notes, K. Your commenting on the aniseed and cumin is especially on target, tempranillo can really throw those exotic spice notes around. Ubiquitous as they are, Riscal is actually a pretty okay producer just as you found here--the oak integrates with time, and the better vintages age well.

2002 is a much, much weaker vintage than 2001 in Rioja.

[Jenise]

2002 is a much, much weaker vintage than 2001 in Rioja.

Sure, but as you would know sometimes weak vintages have the advantage of delicacy, and show more nuance and secondary character earlier on, like '97 in Bordeaux. From K's note I'm presuming that's what made this Riscal so attractive.

Although unfamiliar w/ the producer, we decided to give it a shot

Kind of funny - I went to add this wine to my excel spreadsheet of "Wines I Like" and when I started typing it auto-filled the rest, meaning I've already typed this in there. I looked about halfway up the page, and sure enough, apparently I have tried this before, same vintage, and liked it! My brief notes there just said very nice wine, sophisticated, slightly over-oaked. Unfortunately I neglected to note where it was that I tried it, and it's driving me crazy trying to remember!