Campo Viejo 1964 Reserva

Wine: Campo Viejo 1964 Reserva
Winery: Bodegas Campo Viejo (Logroño, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano
ABV: 12.5% vol. (est.)

Winemaking:
Selection of grapes from various plots in Rioja Alta. The wine spent 18 months in old wooden vats for fermentation and stabilization before being racked. It aged for 30 months in used 225-liter American oak barrels, with two manual rackings performed each year. Bottled in November 1969. Minimum of 2 years of bottle aging in the winery’s cellars before commercial release.

Note of Interest:
The regulatory seal classifies it as "Crianza," though the label states "Reserva." Due to its extensive aging, it effectively corresponds to a Gran Reserva level. The only difference from the winery's official Gran Reserva was 6 months less in barrel and being marketed 12 months earlier, using the same grapes and blend percentages.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Reddish-ruby color with medium depth; darker than other examples and with a slightly cloudy sensation that is hard to explain. Garnet reflections with low gloss. Minimal rim, barely coppery, nuanced against the meniscus.

 

Nose: Powerful, aggressive, concentrated, and very expressive. It possesses such "bite" (mala ostia) that it is hard to believe it is a 1964 vintage. Notes of red fruit (cherries, sloe) intermingle with a background of rackings and balsamics. There are no reductive nuances or finesse; it does not even fit the traditional style. It is all piercing intensity. An infusion of hibiscus and orange peel emerges and "softens" after being open for a couple of hours. Wild!

 

Palate: Goes even further than the nose. Relentless, with an uncontrolled acidity that pierces the palate without mercy. Full of reduced fruit that masks high-quality oak, which stands no chance of emerging. Nervous and energetic to the point of violence.

 

Commentary:
An indomitable 1964. Bottles in this exceptional condition could easily survive another 50 years without issue. It is a raw, powerful expression of the vintage that defies the typical expectations of a "classic" aged Rioja.

 

Personal Score: 92
Tasting Group Average: 92

Tasting Notes (15/07/2013)

 

Appearance: Garnet-ruby color with medium depth; limpid and brilliant with reddish reflections. Broad, tile-colored (atejado) rim. It presents a light sediment in the form of flakes.

 

Nose: A textbook Campo Viejo—recognizable, frank, and with an outrageous classic Rioja profile. The winery's hallmarks are all here: hints of stable, wine-soaked staves, old leather, and feathers, followed by an increasingly intense background of red fruit in liqueur, orange peel, and spices. It gains precision and power with aeration, revealing aromas of withered flowers, dried petals, lavender, vanilla, and smoked black pepper. Soft, perfumed, and slightly Mediterranean in its breadth. Very elegant.

 

Palate: Greasy, as expected from the best 1964s. Fresh, earthy, and spicy, with an intense streak of acidity that adds brilliance to the whole. Spirited, sparkling, and nervous; full of tart red fruit and firm tannins. Fine aging nuances linger in the background, providing notes of cocoa, high-quality bitters (black licorice), and sweet citrus.

 

Commentary:
An excellent example of Campo Viejo's ability to craft great wines capable of aging indefinitely. It still has a long life ahead. Wines like this are exactly what is needed in the industry today.

 

Personal Score: 92
Tasting Group Average: 92