Valenciso Reserva Mixed Vintage Case (2001,2008, 2011)

This mixed case was only marketed by Valenciso in mid-2021 and contains 6 bottles from three vintages , namely 2001, 2008 and 2011. The bottles are in an original wooden box from Valenciso and according to the winemaker are the 3 vintages that Valencisio is famous for. made and just perfect to try side by side (taste vertically) and see what happens with aging. The wines come exclusively from the cellars of Compania Bodeguera de Valenciso and only a very limited number of these mixed vintage cases have been put on the market.

The Valenciso Reserva is a 100% pure Tempranillo from the calcareous soils around Haro from the Rioja Alta. Compañía Bodeguera de Valenciso consciously opts for quality over quantity, so aggressive pruning takes place (yield only 38hl per hectare). This unique project in Rioja Alta had only one goal in the beginning; making one wine from only tempranillo and then marketing an excellent Rioja Reserva. The wines are characterized by a very long maturation. Even the malolactic fermentation lasted until the summer following the harvest. The wine was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels, a third of which was new oak. The wine has subtle and elegant notes of red and black fruits, cedarwood, nutmeg and vanilla. The most striking feature here is the balance, something Valenciso is very good at. en producing classically proportioned wines with the right amount of fruit, acidity and wood.

Valenciso Reserva 2001 - 90/100

"The 2001 Valenciso Reserva is an outstanding, fairly priced effort representative of that great vintage in Rioja. Deeply colored, it offers a beautiful nose of scorched earth, tobacco, vanilla, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. It combines a velvety, almost Burgundian, palate feel with superb depth, ripe flavors, and enough structure to evolve for several more years. It should easily last for a decade"

Valenciso Reserve 2008 - 93/100

This wine is, year in, year out, among the best in its category. I'm talking about the red 2008 Valenciso Reserva, an explosive, aromatic, perfumed Tempranillo that mixes the more common strawberries, raspberries and cherries with more unusual violets and subtle spices with plenty of nuances and changing details, elegant and complex, starting to develop some tertiary characteristics. Perhaps some aromas are derived from the fact that the uncrushed grapes fermented in cement vats, a process that can sometimes can provoke intense aromatics. Also, the malolactic was very slow and did not finish until the spring/summer. The palate is lush, full and round, with sophisticated glossy tannins and good acidity. Add to this the effect of the 17 months in French oak that brought some spicy flavors, but that did not dry the wine at all. A beauty.

Valenciso Reserve 2011 - 93/100

I was quite pleasantly surprised by the 2011 Reserva, a wine from an extremely warm year when ripe and excessively developed wines abound. This 2011 seems to have improved with bottle age, and its elegant and balanced side definitely wins over the ripeness of the year. The oak feels very integrated and the palate feels terribly balanced. A great 2011.