2009 Conde de Hervias Rioja

VIN94 (100% new French oak) Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Expansive aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, potpourri, vanilla and spicecake, along with a bright mineral nuance. Juicy, concentrated and seamless on the palate, offering deeply concentrated yet lively black raspberry, boysenberry, star anise, cola and lavender pastille flavors that betray no rough edges. Fine-grained, well-knit tannins build slowly on an extremely long, floral-driven finish that echoes the blue fruit and mineral notes. As high-end Rioja goes this wine delivers serious bang for the buck.