The Confesor line is the single-vineyard bottling mixing Tempranillo with some 15% Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha from an old plot on a 2.5 hectare slope in the village of Albelda de Iregua at 695 meters altitude. This 2008 Confesor was fermented in oak vats and underwent 15 months of aging in brand new French and American (20%) oak barrels. The nose is ripe and on the edge of overripeness, with notes of baked apples, faint violets, earthy aromas (beetroot) and hints of wet fur and Chinese ink. The palate feels a bit flabby with grainy tannins and lack of flavors, ending dry. If you own one of the 3,000 bottles produced, drink it soon.

The 2005 Confesor is a single vineyard wine, from old vines in a 2.5-hectare plot calle El Vallejuelo in Albelda de Iregua. It is 85% Tempranillo with the balancing 15% made up of the other traditional red grapes from Rioja – Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented in oak vats and aged for 15 months in new wood. It has a very perfumed nose of exotic woods, Asian and sweet spices, tobacco leaves, iron and blood that make it more Rioja than its siblings, with some lactic notes. The medium to full-bodied palate has juicy fruit and plenty of chocolate-oak flavors with a slightly drying finish. This big, powerful wine has the concentration of very old vines but it still needs some more time in bottle. It is a limited cuvee of 3,000 bottles. Drink 2016-2020. I found the Vinicola Real portfolio a little inconsistent with some ripe and too oaky wines. The reds, especially, seemed all very ripe and I found them a little confusing, showing notes of oxidation at first and then getting fresher with air. I tasted the wines twice and followed their evolution once the bottle was opened. Imported by Grapes Of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (571) 642-0343; www.grapesofspain.com