Winery - Baron De Ley
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Stewed fruit aromas with some baked beans on the side just isn’t alluring, and the lean, raw, acidic palate that some might describe as traditional isn’t clicking in my book. Saving graces include milk chocolate on the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Opens with earthy, slightly raisiny aromas along with mint, fresh grass and clay. The palate feels clanky and tannic, while the flavors of strawberry and herbal raspberry are good but bland. Shows its share of good components, but overall the wine struggles to distinguish itself among Rioja’s top performers.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Woody and dried out, with oak-based spice and burnt elements on the bouquet. The palate is gritty and acidic, with tart, limited, earthy cherry flavors. Not a disaster, but for a $46 wine from a great vintage it isn’t offering many reasons to explore it.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The aromas of sarsparilla, tree bark, dried raspberry and cumin take you back to traditional Rioja winemaking. With lighter-weight fruit, herb and tomato leaf flavors, this is a solid old-school wine that will hit the right marks with tapas or roast meats. It’s got some tea and tang as well, courtesy of zesty acids.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
It has taken this bodega a few years to get it right, but in 2004 this blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet is dark and rocking. The nose offers that modern but increasingly familiar blast of bacon, baked fruit pastry and leather, and the palate works its magic with black plum and smoked game flavors. If it were just a touch longer and richer toward the finish it might rank as a nuevo classico.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Deep in color for an ’01, with sweet aromas of vanilla, tobacco, leather and hickory. The palate is endowed with big berry fruit and flavors directed by wood spice, and the tannic level is just right given the wine’s midterm age. With licorice, resin and additional hickory on the finish, 7 Viñas (vineyards) is one of Baron de Ley’s better efforts.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Fairly stylish and quite serious. There’s darkness to the nose along with masculine, meaty, leathery aromas. And while the bouquet is sturdy and begs you to dig in, the palate is a little less generous as it shows some herbal sharpness at its core. Overall there’s commendable cherry and plum flavors, but the wine lacks some depth.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Oaky and charred, with maple and mocha on the nose. And from there it slips. The palate is spiky and acidic, and the finish is sharp and saucy. For whatever reason this Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon blend weighs in on the cusp of sour. Pricey for what you get.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Begins with cola and root beer aromas before going decidedly stewy. Ultra lemony on the palate, a combination of thin but cooked fruit along with overaggressive oak. Finishes reedy, with tomato notes. A wine with greater intentions that doesn’t click. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tight-grained oak on top of slightly herbal fruit gives this wine an Old World bouquet. Juicy cherry, raspberry and olive flavors work the palate, followed by an acidic, drying finish that lasts for quite a while. Lean and zesty; this has definite merits.
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