The ancient wines begin with the 1964 Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva from a vintage widely recognized as a great one in Rioja. The wine was made from 100% Tempranillo. Deep cherry red in color, it offers up a splendid perfume of mature dried fruit aromas and other savories. Silky and elegant on the palate, it displays ample ripe, complex, lingering flavors and a seamless finish. 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