Marqués de Riscal

Baron de Chirel Reserva Rioja

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  Vintage 2005
  96 points

A super-Rioja of sorts, being a blend of the traditional Rioja red varietals with Cabernet Sauvignon. Paul Pontallier, of Chateau Margaux, is the consulting oenologist. A seriously structured classic red with superb dark fruit aromas, finegrained tannins and underlying cedar complexity.

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  Vintage 2005
  95 points The Wine Front

Baron de Chiral is Riscal''s ''High Expression'' wine - which pretty much means a modern style, with plenty of new oak, density and concentration, hand-picking and attention to detail. Lavish oak, yes, but boy is it seductive and high quality, so I don''t mind it at all. Spice, toast, creamy vanilla oak along with rich cherry, a little earth and cola flavours in a medium to full bodied frame. It''s the texture that''s the thing though - a silky flood of ultra-fine tannin that coats the mouth and runs from front to back - a languorous stroke of a wine. Deep and concentrated and ever so sexy. Length is no problem for the Baron either. Hedonism, but not at the expense of good taste.