Winery - Solabal
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Seems like Solabal let its reserva-level grapes get a little too soft before picking. The wine has color and potential, but the nose is a little flat and syrupy. The palate delivers ripe dark fruit flavors but also a touch of medicinality. Balance can be fleeting and this wine doesn’t have it all the way.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Starts out with roasted, stewy, beefy aromas and not much brightness. The palate is measured and healthy, with dry raspberry, currant and medicinal plum flavors. It shows oak, earth, leather, acidity and some burn. In a nutshell, it’s a good, standard, respectable Rioja that will complement almost any food.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dark, ripe and handsome. Those are the basics on this showy wine. Aromas of leather, shoe polish and char darken up the berry fruit, while flavors of blackberry and plum vie with oak-based mocha. Plenty of length and potential on the finish, but also some hard oak that needs more time to get absorbed. Best in 2009–2010.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Crusty, dry, peppery aromas give this a serious, inviting nose. There isn’t any candy or overt oak, so the balance is commendable. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry and chocolate cover the sweet, dry and creamy portions of the spectrum, and the finish is long and tastes of mocha and dried fruits. Very easy to like.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Solabal captures the essence of Rioja reserva with this fairly oaked, fruity wine. The palate is tight and demanding, with proper acid-to-tannin balance. Flavors of wild raspberry and plum are lively, while the finish shows some creaminess, tobacco and warmth. Drink now and over the next two years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Ripe blackberry with dill and vanilla suggest “classic” Rioja, although it’s probably more modern than that. The wine features a full body, thick tannins, roasted berry flavors, molasses and a bit of chocolate. Maybe it’s a touch baked and overripe, but it’s definitely solid and generous. Drink now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Mineral, dark spices, licorice and earthy cherry aromas form a solid, attractive bouquet. The palate is easygoing and chunky, but well built and structured. Flavors of toast and vanilla sit atop standard raspberry and plum, while the finish is dry and oaky, but clean and long.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Light and perfumed, with aromatics of lavender and flower petals. Standard-fare but healthy red berry and pepper dominate the palate, followed by a simple finish with some spice and bitterness. Lean and defined, and every bit the opposite of complicated.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Condensed leather and spice aromas are up front, while oak and fruit sit in the bouquet’s second row. With raspberry and plum flavors balanced by dry spice and vanilla notes, there’s complexity to the palate. Overall it’s a nicely balanced wine with the full allotment of oak character. Not a boutique wine at 25,000 cases.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dry and smooth, with balsam and cedar aromas wrapped around controlled fruit scents and toast. The wine is ripe and balanced, with hickory flavors adding a barbecued angle to the steady palate. Firm, structured and tasting of clove and woodspice on the finish. Drink now through 2011.
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