It’s been a cold and miserable day so I chose a Marques de Caceres Rioja Reserva 2000 to warm and cheer me up.
It’s a rich, velvety garnet colour, with excellent legs.
It smells of warm, rich vanilla oak with spices and rich black fruits. It’s like a warm and comforting oaky blanket.
It’s dry with good acidity and still a reasonable hit of soft ripe tannins. It feels full in the mouth and at 13.5% alcohol it has an alcohol heat that balances well with the cooked blackberry and raspberry flavours.
This is a lovely bottle of wine for a wet and windy winter’s evening, and worth the price tag.