Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva 1995:
A nose of smoke, wood, purple flowers and big, plush fruits. This wine smells like a BBQ pit. It takes a long time before anything but smoked meats, BBQ spices and scorched earth play anything but a supporting role. When they do (about three hours!) the wine becomes really enticing. Loaded with black fruits, vanilla, melted cherries, black licorice and toasted wood, this wine should live forever. Right now- I would avoid this wine for another ten years. 95 points
Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2001:
Black, deep purple in color, with an exotic nose. Graphite, charcoal, raspberries, kirsch, tobacco leaf and glycerin are all here. Huge, but somehow balanced. Espresso, vanilla, melted chocolate, dried cherries and wild blueberries hang in background, giving this wine some added depth. This wine punches you in the mouth . . . but, as my grandmother used to say, “as long as it does it with a velvet glove” . . . well this wine does. Smooth and intoxicating, with a lengthy finish. A wine that will last for a long time. 97 points
Artadi Vina El Pison 2005:
Blue and black fruits, black truffles, pure vanilla, ground spices and violets stand out in the beginning. Later the wine becomes two-faced: incredibly perfumed- like a combination of a store that sells Salumi, fresh seasonal berries and a Southern US smokehouse. At the same time the wine is off-the-charts elegant- packed with decadent, luxurious berry fruits stacked on top on sweet, milky chocolate and ground espresso. Funny, as complex and enjoyable as this wine is . . . its no '04! But you should try it! 98 points