Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real Rioja Reserva 1994

A deeply Burgundian Rioja that opens with raspberry, leather, smoked game, and dried herbs — an expressive, layered nose. Fruit-saturated on entry, with redcurrant, plum, and blackberry showing genuine ripeness and a pleasing sweetness. Solid structural backbone runs beneath, and the finish arrives with dusty, substantial tannins and real length. Worth noting that all bodega reservas and gran reservas now begin élevage with a year in new oak. Stands clearly ahead of the '95 today.