The red 2009 Gran Reserva has some traces of classical Rioja and "old wine" character, despite being surprisingly youthful for a wine that is already ten years old. The wine is quite dark and represents the style of warm and dry vintage quite faithfully. The wine is powerful but has very good harmony, and the tannins are fine, round and mostly resolved; there is very good balance and harmony. It finishes dry and clean, with a long lingering aftertaste.

The 2008 Gran Reserva had a slightly shorter élevage than the average Gran Reserva here, perhaps because it was a cooler, more challenging vintage. There is a slight reduction here, so decanting in advance might not be a bad idea. The palate shows a little more austere, with some pointy tannins and an earthy feeling. This is not as polished and elegant as other vintages, but it's certainly a wine of character, slightly rustic, but true to its origin and vintage. It was bottled in early 2011. Some 7,200 bottles were produced.

Very balsamic, serious and subtle, the young looking 2007 Gran Reserva is backward, closed and presenting like a wine for the future. As Fernando Remírez de Ganuza explained to me last year when I tasted the 2006 (he has only produced a handful of Gran Reserva as it was a category that was close to dying for a while), he used 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 5% skins and pulp of white grapes (Viura and Malvasia). This is a truly modern version of the most classical of all styles with notes of camphor and balsamic woods, earthy notes of forest floor and graphite making the nose more mineral than fruit-driven. The palate is austere to extremes and shows a chalky minerality that sticks to your teeth and ultra-fine tannins countered by moderate acidity. The wine was aged in new oak barrels (80% French and 20% American) for 39 months and bottled in August 2011. One to forget in the cellar. It should make a great bottle of classical Rioja. 7,500 bottles.

The 2006 Gran Reserva is produced from 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 5% skins and pulp of white grapes (Viura and Malvasia) from vineyards averaging 60 years of age. The grapes are hand-harvested into 12-kilo boxes, which are cooled for 24 hours in cold chambers to 4-6o C before being put through a sorting table where only the top half of the bunches make it through. The destemmed grapes are then fermented in French oak vats and the wine transferred to new oak barrels (80% French and 20% American) for malolactic and aging for 37 months. The wine feels very serious and terroir-driven with earthy and balsamic notes, ripe black fruit and even some hints of red fruit (hooray!), a little austere, with freshness and elegance. It’s only starting to develop some bouquet aromas of hung game, incense and leather. The medium-bodied palate reveals a very tasty and supple wine, very precise and balanced, with great freshness, especially for a warm vintage. The tannins are there, but they are very fine-grained and well-integrated with the fruit. A great Gran Reserva in the making. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. It could be drunk now, but should gain in complexity with time in bottle and age slowly for a long time. Drink 2014-2026. Fernando Remirez de Ganuza, who never stops inventing things (a sorting table that washes the grapes, four wheels to rotate one barrel and stir the lees), only had three new wines to show this year. But I also had a mini-vertical of the as yet unreleased white Reserva (but two vintages have already been reviewed here!) which has a much more classical profile than any of his other wines. I’m looking forward to the wines coming onto the market and following their evolution, as I think the 2010 is great and should develop beautifully. The first vintage to be released will be 2008, but only 1,800 bottles exist. I had an interesting conversation with Ganuza and he reminded me of one thing I always say about Burgundy: the most important thing is the producer. When I say that, most people look at me and say: “How can you say that? Burgundy is the essence of terroir, the place on earth where the concept has been most studied, best understood and defined!” It is indeed, and I completely agree, but the vineyard, the Grand Cru has the potential to produce world class wines, but it’s up to the producer to realize that potential – or kill it! That’s why, yes, the vineyards, the terroir are extremely important, but human intervention is key. This is all because one of Fernando’s points was that people say “Wine is produced in the vineyard,” and that’s not really true. The vineyard gives you the raw material, the potential, but someone at the winery has to realize that potential and there, every small detail counts and makes a difference. Anyway, going back to Remirez de Ganuza, the two reds that I tasted were superb. Imported by Fine States from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767

The Gran Reserva spends 39 months in French oak and one American. The 2005 Gran Reserva has a deep inky purple/black hue. The nose is very opulent and pure with macerated black cherries, kirsch with a touch of peppermint. The palate is full-bodied and very pure with dense, saturated dark cherry, wild strawberry, a dash of white pepper and dark chocolate. The oak is firmly in the driving seat on the silky smooth finish with tantalizing blood orange and spice on the aftertaste. Limited to 2,400 bottles due to be released in 2013, this is certainly an impressive Rioja worthy of long-term maturation. Drink 2018-2030+ Fernando Remirez de Ganuza needs no introduction. In some ways, he reminds me of Gerard Perse of Chateau Pavie in terms of his determination, unwillingness to compromise and singular vision. Looks-wise, they could be brothers. Fernando has already won acclaim for his wines that are created in his state-of-the-art facility in the village of Samaniego. The picturesque medieval buildings that surround a small manicured garden and a natural spring belie a winery where no expense is spared. Fernando has an almost obsessive intolerance towards cleanliness and hygiene. All that was missing was a doormat to clean your shoes as you enter the vat-room. He famously uses just the “shoulder” part of grape bunches for his top wines, since he believes they have more intensity than the bottom. These wines are crafted in a modern fashion and you can taste the effort that has gone into them. Yet at the same time, there is part of me that would like Fernando to take risks and be wary of not over-analyzing the wines, which can detract from their personality and risk making them over-polished and generic. Perfectionism is an admirable virtue to aspire to, but imperfections can make something more interesting to experience. The Vina Coqueta comes from 41-year-old vines is 5.5-hectare namesake vineyard, a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano and 2% Garnacha that is blended with the skins of the white grapes, then raised for two years in barrel (90% French and 10% American). The Reserva is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 5% the skins of Viura and Malvasia that are added during fermentation and 10% of Graciano, no younger than 40-years in age. It is raised in 95% French and 5% American oak for approximately 25 months. The Trasnocho is made from the same fruit as the Reserva, but is pressed gently through a water-filled bag inserted into the vat and left to inflate overnight. It is then raised entirely in French new oak. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates from Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767