The 1883 Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva is medium ruby-colored revealing almost no age in its appearance. Youthful aromas of earth, mineral, dried fruit, and exotic spices lead to a lengthy, seamless finish that goes on and on. Marques de Riscal is one of Rioja’s legendary estates. Here tradition and quality go hand in hand despite the Bodega’s enormous production and a few minor tweaks to update the style. It was my privilege in May 2010 to participate in a vertical tasting of Marques de Riscal Gran Reservas dating back to 1870 at the Bodega. The corks from the ancient vintages were removed with Port tongs to prevent any contamination of the wine. Shaw-Smith Importers, FL