The 2004 Aurus is not quite as large-scaled as the 2005 but makes up for it with elegance. This stylish wine has a splendid perfume of sandalwood, incense, truffle, Asian spices, lavender, and black cherry leading to an already complex, spicy, savory wine with superb volume and mouth-coating flavors. Give it another 4 years of cellaring and drink it through 2034. Collectors will discuss the merits of 2004 and 2005 for many years to come. 98 Points, Jay Miller for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, # 189, Jun 2010
"The 2004 Aurus is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano from 60-year-old vineyards with tiny yields. It was barrel fermented and aged in 100% new French oak. A saturated purple, the wine is currently more reticent than the Calvario aromatically although the same elements are present. The wine is still a baby, with lots of fat, sweet, layered, mouth-filling fruit, plenty of structure, and a pure, super-long finish. It merits as much as a decade of bottle age and should still be drinking well two decades from now. Kudos to Finca Allende for a magnificent set of 2004 Riojas!" 96 points - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Issue 169, Feb 2007
"One half of the wine is lush and opulent, the other juicy, fresh and pulsing with the essence of old-vines Rioja fruit. So for every note of molasses, burnt toast, chocolate or baked berry pie, there’s a twinge of acidity, a spike of tannin and a dollop of earthy terroir. Tempranillo with 15% Graciano. 500 cases made." 94 points - Wine Enthusiast, September 1, 2007 | 
