Wine: Bodegas Bilbaínas 1955 Gran Reserva
Winery: Bodegas Bilbaínas (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 70% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha
ABV: 12.5% vol.
Winery: Bodegas Bilbaínas (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 70% Tempranillo, 30% Garnacha
ABV: 12.5% vol.
Winemaking:
The wine spends 1 year in large wooden vats for fermentation and stabilization before racking. It matures for 9 to 10 years in used 225-liter American oak barrels, with 2 to 3 manual rackings performed each year using the traditional barrel-to-barrel method. Fined before bottling. Aged for a minimum of 8 years in the winery’s underground bottle racks before commercial release.
The wine spends 1 year in large wooden vats for fermentation and stabilization before racking. It matures for 9 to 10 years in used 225-liter American oak barrels, with 2 to 3 manual rackings performed each year using the traditional barrel-to-barrel method. Fined before bottling. Aged for a minimum of 8 years in the winery’s underground bottle racks before commercial release.
Tasting Notes
Appearance:
Beautiful reddish-ruby color with medium depth; limpid, brilliant, and
translucent. Radiant with garnet and orange reflections. Narrow,
tile-colored rim, showing little difference from the meniscus.
Nose:
A pure wine, not at all pompous, but perfumed and with great aromatic
power. Fine expression of high-quality reduced red fruit (sloe,
strawberry tree) nuanced by a slight liqueur-like accent of star anise,
rock tea, laurel, and sage. Complex, highly integrated, and elegant. It
feels even more fragrant and ethereal than in previous tastings. The
aging notes remain buried, completely integrated into the whole.
Palate:
It sparkles: fresh, agile, and nervous, with magnificent acidity and no
sharp edges. Luxurious, caressing tannins in an almost perfect,
stately, and settled structure. A great example of a wine in full
plenitude.
Commentary:
It seems to have reached its absolute peak. A wine to be kept for a few more years and enjoyed to the fullest. It represents the pinnacle of Bodegas Bilbaínas' historic winemaking from the mid-century.
It seems to have reached its absolute peak. A wine to be kept for a few more years and enjoyed to the fullest. It represents the pinnacle of Bodegas Bilbaínas' historic winemaking from the mid-century.
Personal Score: 96
Tasting Group Average: 96
Tasting Group Average: 96
Tasting Notes (18/05/2013)
Appearance:
Beautiful and unusual salmon-ruby color with very low depth,
reminiscent of an aged rosé. Orange, golden, and amber reflections.
Luminous and brilliant. Tile-colored (atejado) rim with no difference
from the meniscus.
Nose:
Despite the light color, it surprises with enormous power and a marked
"classic Rioja clarete" personality. It oozes an unexpected amount of
liqueur-like red fruit (strawberry tree, pomegranate, sloe, cherries)
and citric notes that bury any traditional aging expression. Balsamic
brushstrokes of clove, laurel, sage, and fresh mint.
Palate:
Shows great finesse and elegance. A fresh, lean, straight, and citric
red; nervous and without concessions. Impressive amount of red fruit and
citrus coupled with soft, caressing tannins.
Commentary:
These old "claretes" from Bodegas Bilbaínas continue to prove their enormous longevity after decades, forming a distinct category within classic Rioja. Such wines should be urgently rescued by major wineries.
These old "claretes" from Bodegas Bilbaínas continue to prove their enormous longevity after decades, forming a distinct category within classic Rioja. Such wines should be urgently rescued by major wineries.
Personal Score: 92
Tasting Group Average: 92
Tasting Group Average: 92
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