A very structured and gorgeous Rioja with blackberry, cherry, cedar and spice aromas and flavors. Hints of toasted oak underneath. Granite, too. Medium-bodied, yet the structure builds on the palate, giving superb length and power. Give it three to five years to come together, and beyond.
97 points, James Suckling (Apr 2023)
A small step up over the Vina Real Gran Reserva Especial, with slightly more breadth and richness (but maybe not the precision), the 2017 Imperial Gran Reserva is based on 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and the rest Mazuelo that spent two years in oak, with just under 5,000 cases produced. Its deep plum/purple hue is followed by a brilliant array of ripe black cherries, cassis, iron, candied violets, and vanilla oak. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Rioja with the juicy, lively, fresher acidity of the vintage, plenty of ripeness, and finely polished tannins, while more Bordeaux-like smoky tobacco and lead pencil notes develop with air. This beauty deserves another 3-4 years in the cellar and will evolve for at least two decades.
96 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Aug 2024)
A bit coiled upon opening, this opens slowly in the glass, revealing beautiful nuance, fragrant herbal details and savoury complexity underneath the broody restraint. Top notes of vanilla, charred oak, camphor and preserved cherry. Fresh and exact on the palate, with dark chocolate and coffee beans lining the muscular tannins. Very long finish, supported by a firm acid backbone. 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, fermented in small oak vats with malolactic in concrete, then aged in new and second-use oak barrels, 70% French plus American.
96 points, Ines Salpico, Decanter (Dec 2024)
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