2001 Spain

This is a powerhouse! With layer after layer of rich, ripe black cherry, damson and blueberry fruit, it is bold and intense with masses of glorious cassis concentration. This is an unreserved and incredibly thick-textured wine that seems to improves with every sip. Drink 2014-2020+.
(Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager)

The years when the Ardanza Reserva gains the suffix Especial are rare indeed; in living memory there have been only three; 1964, 1978 and now 2001. These are deemed, explicitly as it turns out, to be extremely special years and it should come as no surprise that the 2001, even by Ardanza’s high standards, is out-standing.

As usual, this is a blend of 80% of Tempranillo and 20% of Garnacha, the latter high in comparison with the other members of the Rioja Alta portfolio, but lending the characteristic ripe and voluptuous notes which have long made this wine a favourite. The 2001 gives a little extra…extra balancing mineral acidity from the quality of the vintage and extra fine tannins from the 36 months of ageing, both adding further dimensions of excellence.

Tobacco, leather and spice vie for attention with the traditional and not entirely helpful strawberry and cream descriptor, rounded of by deeper more resonant notes to underline the seriousness of intent as the plot unfolds after the early seduction scene.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

The Gran Reserva has a magical nose, which is Burgundian in its elegance, but packed with aromas of damson, soft blackberry, liquorice, hung meats and rosewater. The palate is silky-smooth, with good body and freshness, a mineral edge and a finish redolent of smoked bacon. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, and aged extensively in both French and American oak, the 2001 Imperial is all that one would expect from this great House in this great vintage. Disarmingly approachable, or so it seems, the wine’s full complexity becomes evident on the palate as it is savoured. Drink 2010-2016.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Viña Tondonia, located in the heart of the Rioja Alta region, is one of the most famous names in all of Spain, its reputation built on a superb terroir of alluvial clay and limestone and a gentle sloping aspect close to the Ebro River. The superlative 2001 vintage has yielded a Reserva of huge charm, wonderful complexity and un-nerving potential.

The wine is made from three quarters Tempranillo with the balance shared evenly between Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. It has been aged for 6 years in American oak, with racking taking place twice every year. A traditional Rioja par excellence, the 2001, marries fruit and spice, charcuterie, vanillin and earthy richness; a cornucopia of quality in other words and one which will continue to get better and better.
Simon Field MW, Fine Wine Buyer

Bodegas R. López de Heredia is one of the wine world’s great treasures. Founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, the bodega was built close to the railway station at Haro, in Rioja, its location geographically symbolic for proximity of access to the ideas of Bordeaux and practically useful for transportation of both grapes and wines. The quality of the wines is such that they have maintained a plateau of perfection for years.

Decanter World Wine Awards 2015 – Regional Trophy Winner - Red Rioja Gran Reserva over £15
890 Gran Reserva is a more robust, darker and concentrated version of their other great red, the 904 Gran Reserva.  Named after the date of the creation of La Roja Alta (1890), this 2001 vintage has been lovingly cared for over the past 13 years. Over six years of maturation in 100% New American oak, is followed by some seven years in bottle at the Bodega. Finally released when deemed to be approaching maturity. The oldest vines from the estate are chosen to produce this wine, with a limited production of only 2,600 cases.

Dense colour and a tight, youthful, still slightly oaky nose, precocious in deference to the reputation of the vintage. The palate is encyclopaedic, everything perfectly poised with blackberry and sloes to the fore and a backdrop of leather and tobacco. The tannins are still dense, but velvety of texture, the alcohol persuasive but not overbearing. A terrific wine, with huge potential.
Simon Field MW, Fine Wine Buyer

A perfect ambassador for new-wave Rioja from a memorable recent vintage. There are truffles and wild herbs on the nose and a full, richly textured palate with excellent length. A wine for keeping.

"Price aside, there is no question that the 2001 Aurus, an 85% Tempranillo/15% Graciano blend, is a profound offering. It possesses a fabulously complex nose of black fruits intermixed with truffles, licorice, smoky oak, and flowers. Voluptuously-textured with super concentration,and a finish that lasts nearly a minute, this monumental Rioja should drink well young, yet last for 15 years." 95/100 pts (Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - June 2005)

I was one of a privileged few who attended a tutored tasting in the Pickering Cellar where Manu Muga indoctrinated us in his wine making philosophy. He simultaneously recounted the extraordinary family history which has resulted in his exalted position as wine maker at this superb Bodega. As ever with wine makers of genuine pedigree, the emphasis is on terroir, harnessing nature’s bounty and allowing these elements to express themselves with minimal interference from the hand of man...if only world leaders could follow a similar philosophy!

I digress, the 2001 Prado Enea is, even within the spectrum of wines from this heavyweight producer, a special one. The nose is vibrant and sweet with a red fruit character; raspberries and cherries are followed up by the vanilla and spice notes imparted by the French and Hungarian oak in which it was aged.  The palate can be summed up in two words; richness and finesse. One for the cellar or the table, but savour it on a special occasion.
Nicholas Stewart, Buying Department