The 1999 Gran Reserva is the same blend as the Reserva. Dark ruby-colored, it delivers notes of cedar, earth, leather, and brettanomyces. This leads to a wine consisting of more structure than fruit but the flavors are enticing, aided by the effects of bottle age. Drink this old-style wine over the next several years while the fruit holds. Bodegas Ramon Bilbao was founded by Ramon Bilbao Murga in 1924. Bilbao, in addition to his focus on Tempranillo, was one of Spain’s pioneers in the art of aging wine. In addition to the wines reviewed below, in 2007 Bilbao (no longer family-owned) introduced a line of value priced wines called “Volteo”. Several of those are noted in the Best Buy chart at the end of this report.Importer: Quintessential Wines, Napa, CA; www.quintessentialwines.com

This tough red offers raisin, tobacco and light earthy notes. Fresh acidity keeps it lively, but stays austere. 8,333 cases made.??–TM??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add

There’s no denying the wine’s core strengths, which start with the bouquet’s campfire and prune qualities and extend onto the palate, where peppy raspberry and plum flavors take over. This is a complete, stylish Rioja that’s about halfway through the aging process. It’s still juicy and agile, with licorice and raisin notes adding some sweetness. Drink now–2016.——M.S.(4/1/2008)—— 90