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These are custom cuvées made specifically for importer Fran Kysela. Palacio del Burgo is a large estate, even for Rioja, with over 494 acres of vines. All three of these inexpensive offerings are impressive and merit serious interest from thrifty consumers. The most complex as well as the most expensive of this trio is the 2009 Reserva. Made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Grenache and 5% Carignan, it exhibits a dark plum/ruby color and a sweet bouquet of loamy soil, tobacco leaf, red and blackcurrants and cherries intermixed with a hint of licorice. This medium-bodied, lush, complex 2009 smells good, tastes good, and finishes impressively. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years. - Robert Parker"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (November 2014), 90 pts
(85% tempranillo, 10% garnacha and 5% mazuelo): Brilliant ruby. Ripe blackberry and cherry-vanilla on the nose, with a subtle tobacco undertone. Lively red and dark berry preserve flavors show very good depth and a seamless texture. Surprisingly energetic for this ripe vintage, with a bright spicy quality adding bite and focus to the long, gently tannic finish. Fans of old-school Rioja should check this one out as it delivers serious bang for the peseta, as the old-timers would say. - Josh Raynolds"
The 2010 Palacio del Burgo Reserva, a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% Carignan, shows plenty of licorice, new saddle leather, pepper and blackcurrant fruit. It is medium-bodied and luscious, with a subtle dosage of toasty oak. Drink it over the next 2-3 years."
"Raspberry aromas are a touch candied, wiry and suggest a twist of orange peel. Chunky and with hard tannins, this tastes of cherry, cassis and baking spices. It holds firm on the finish, with warmth and a note of brown sugar."
Deep ruby. Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe dark berries, vanilla and mocha. Smooth, broad and sweet, displaying intense blackberry and boysenberry flavors and a repeating vanilla note. Juicy acidity provides focus and lift to the long, sweet, gently tannic finish, with a sexy floral pastille quality lingering.- Josh Raynolds"
Plum, blood orange, black olive, toast and mineral notes mingle in this tight, bright red. Juicy acidity keeps this lively, while firm tannins impart focus. Drink now through 2025.—T.M."
"Brilliant ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced cherry and red berries on the fragrant nose, along with hints of cracked pepper, vanilla and woodsmoke. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering lively cherry and raspberry flavors that become sweeter on the back half. In a forward, seamless style, finishing with very good clarity and supple framing tannins. - Josh Raynolds"