Novaites or B’more folk, interest in splitting a case out? Otherwise I’ll consider a smaller purchase …

As a Spanish wine fanatic, this is a fantastic deal, and one you’d only see from Spain. Two decades aged wine for $20??? GTFO. 2001 is the winner, but 2000 was pretty good too. Riscal is an older, larger producer. Consistent quality. We drink their reservas pretty regularly.

Any idea when those tasting notes are from? For wines with nice age on them it would really help.
But these are probably right in my wheelhouse. Splits?

@pjmartin @mrn1@chipgreen I just grabbed a case because I’m not sure how many cases are available. This case offer has 4 btls of the 2000 and 8 btls of the 2001 so splits would be 3 btls at the same ratio! Let me know your thoughts! I guess this is my 1st & last online Black Friday purchase this year!

If anyone wants to opt-out, then we can look at other options.

2001 Marquis De Riscal 150th Aniversario Gran Reserva, Rioja Alavesa Spain

Happy black Friday all, may you all find the bargains you seek! I am a virgin lab rat and happy to join the pack:)

When the bottle arrived I was anxious to see what it was. My first impression was wow, they’re giving a newbie a top quality wine to report on, an old Rioja from a very well known producer. I had heard of Marquis De Riscal but didn’t know about them so I did a quick Google to see they are famous, quite old and highly regarded producer of Rioja which further piqued my interest.

I waited until about 10pm on Thanksgiving night to get busy. I hadn’t had anything to drink with my turkey day meal (I know what the hell is wrong with me!) and was ready for some sipping. When pulling up the cork, only about half of it came out on the corkscrew, my first reaction was “oh no, it’s corked”

After a quick sniff it wasn’t. I dealt with fishing out the remainder of the cork and poured a glass. A very deep burgundy coloring, I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture. Rookie mistake, boo me!

The very prominent nose was heavy on dark berries and tobacco spice – the kind of nose where I say, “this one is big and full bodied”. It has a silky smooth mouth feel, a muted palette of black cherry and dark berries. The long finish of strong tannins, almost slightly acidic. I’d guess the ABV is more than the 14% on the bottle as I felt it warming my insides as it went down, in a good way!

After about 40 minutes in the glass, the nose was less powerful and more refined. That wonderful silky mouthfeel remained, the dark berries melded with some earthy tones for a well-blended, mellow elegant palate. The long finish remained but far more muted.

My guess is that some restaurant group or distributor had a decent size quantity of this and wanted to move it before it lost its best drinking years and this is where Casemates entered stage left (I’m a lefty in case any of you were wondering why I picked stage left).

Overall it may be just a tad past its prime or heading in that direction, I say this as it doesn’t have some of the powerful palate notes that Rioja’s typically have, at least in my humble experience or I got too drunk to remember my experiences, also a possibility! Either way, it’s an elegant and pleasurable drink from a top producer that Rioja fans will savor especially at this $20 fantastic price point. I wholeheartedly recommend you pick some up with the caveat that you drink sooner rather than later.

Ahhh crap! WOW! Really guys!? You’re killing me!

I’m in for a case!

Am I going to regret not getting this? It’s 50/50 with me and experiencing a Tempranillo that I enjoy.

Dangit casemates… temp is one of the other halfs favorite styles… now you throw up a bottle from when she was still in high school… and yep had to grab the 3 pack.

/giphy humble-distinguished-shark

Marques de Riscal - Rioja Gran Reserva 2000

Long time buyer, first time Rat; I can NOT believe my luck of being chosen for this deal. A huge thanks to Alice for this special treat. Riojas aren’t common here on CM, let alone a bottle of anything with this kind of age on it.

I was greeted by Brown, who commented on my keen preparedness for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The irony of my complete ignorance as to the contents of the delivery humored only me, I suppose. Expecting a nice rich new world Cab or CdP as a Black Friday treat, my ignorance led to excitement as I opened up the box to find a 20 year old bottle from one of the biggest names in aged Rioja!

The bottle was chilled around 40F when it hit my countertop in the morning, so I let it come up to temp (~65F) over the course of the day. Roasted wild pheasant, harvested just the week before, was to be an ideal pairing with this powerhouse red.

The cork disintegrated upon removal, leading to questions about storage and the vitality of the contents within, but I was able to fully extract without further issue and verify that the wine was intact. Visually, the wine presented super dark, inky, and mostly opaque with just a thin ruby red twilight around the edge of the glass. Initial aromas were earthy, herbaceous, and smokey. A quick pour, for science, tasted bright and complex, mineral laced, oaky, with big balsamic notes. After decanting for an hour or so, the acidity smoothes out slightly and tannins are gentle and well balanced. The complexity remains regardless, along with very well balanced acidity, tannins, and earthy fruit. The next evening: Aroma still strong balsamic, but the wine has opened well; more minerals, and a bit more sweet jammy fruit notes. I liked this wine a lot, but can see how the dryness and the richness might put off a more casual drinker.

This particular bottle has made the most of it’s 20 years of life, and is showing off the benefits of an artful producer of aged wines. It was interesting to read tasting reviews on the internet that were published 10+ years ago when the wine was far from new, but still had a ways to go on it’s journey. I would say that this wine is drinking well right now, could maybe survive another 3-5, and would be a solid offering with a rich holiday meal. I know I often have a hard time storing anything for 20 years, so here is an incredible opportunity to snag a case (for a great price, imo) with the hard work already put in.

Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving, 'Mates!

/giphy neglectful-pesky-level

/giphy vertical affectionate koala

All out of 3 packs so…

had to buy a case.

/giphy puzzled-open-rattlesnake

Anyone in the Atlanta GA area interested in a split?

Anyone in SF interested in a split? I am down for 3 or 4 or maybe 6 bottles but not a whole case.

I was hired to do some work in Spain as a consultant. I ended up staying in this winery’s hotel. Wine and the room were unbelievable. I remember calling Jana telling her how wonderful it was and that I wished she was with me. Based on the lab rat reports, I’m in for a case. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dang - I’d have been in for a 3-pack but didn’t order fast enough.

Anyone in the Boston area up to split or divide a case? Wanted the 3 pack but that is all gone

trying to get more 3 packs. but might be tough.

Did anyone in Denver pick this up before the sellout and want to split a set or two?

Gonna be a long remainder of Friday, unless @WineDavid49 finds Black Rabbit somewhere.

So much for a “24 hour sale”, under 14 hours; not bad.

Bought a case for my kids born in 2000 and 2001, with the caveat that they drink one bottle every 5-6 years, leaving the last for their 50th birthday. I’ll be hanging out with worms, but at least I planned ahead for their 50th!

Is anyone having trouble with their shipment notification for this offer? My package appears to be lost in the UPS ether.

Any recommendations on what corkscrew to use for these bottles?

Anyone, other than the Rats, pull corks yet on these?

Crumble, Crumble. Yummy Juice!

I was quite concerned when I opened this 2001 bottle, but after a two hour decant it is quite delicious!