1999 Rioja Vinas de Gain
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
If this wine were inserted in a blind tasting of 1999 grand cru red Burgundies, many tasters would think it was a Musigny, a wine that sells for $200-$500 a bottle. But this Musigny look-alike is priced at a mere $18. It is made from 100% Tempranillo harvested at yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare (much less than many grand cru red Burgundy vineyards), with a 14-month upbringing in French oak (similar to most grand cru red Burgundies). It boasts a deep, opaque ruby color in addition to gorgeously well-delineated aromas of spring flowers, sweet black cherries, raspberries, and minerals. The wine is elegant, medium-bodied, lush, sweet, and well-balanced with purity, graciousness, and vibrancy. This impeccably made Rioja will drink well for a decade. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
Critic scores
Robert Parker
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.