2009 Artadi, Vina Pison Reserva, Rioja

I had a glorious bottle of the 2009 Viña El Pisón, a wine I had not drunk for a while, and I thought it was worth sharing the experience because we do not provide enough notes of mature wines that people might drink. The wine is powerful and from a different winemaking era, and it shows it. But with the wines from great terroirs, despite what you do to them, after a decade, the terroir shows. And it does here. The wine is full-bodied and has reminiscences of an élevage in generous new oak, but time has polished the tannins and has blended the flavors of black fruit and spices with earthy notes and makes the wine come through as nicely balanced; there is harmony and complexity. This is in no danger of falling apart anytime soon and should continue developing in bottle for a while.