2008 Artadi, Pagos Viejos, Rioja

The 2008 Pagos de Viejas was selected from three of the estate’s finest and most elevated sites with all of the vines over 75 years of age. The wine was aged for 18 months in new French oak. Deeply colored, it offers up a superb nose of pain grille, pencil lead, Asian spices, incense, and assorted black fruits. Rich, layered, and beautifully proportioned, this lengthy effort will evolve for 5-7 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2028+. In addition to the two new releases listed above, I received samples of the various components of the 2009 Vina El Pison. Inky purple, dense and rich, it will surely be a contender for a perfect score. But that is a story for next year. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA

Ruby-red. Cherry-vanilla, black raspberry and candied flowers on the intensely perfumed nose. Plush and expansive, with hefty dark berry and bitter cherry flavors, along with suggestions of cola and mocha. A spicy note adds bite to the finish, which is firmed by supple, harmonious tannins. Very successful for this difficult, uneven vintage.