La Rioja Alta Baron de Ona Reserva 1994

Dark, healthy red with plenty of life in it. The nose is generous, ripe dark fruit threaded through with smoke, roasted nuts, cinnamon, coffee and cracked pepper. Oak sits back here more than in La Rioja Alta's other bottlings, giving the fruit room to come forward. On the palate it's full and vinous with good acid snap, though the mid-palate thins out a touch relative to what the nose promises. Tannins are still angular and prominent, not yet cushioned by enough fruit to fully absorb them, this needs time to come together. Picked later for greater ripeness, Baron de Oña typically hits around 13% alcohol, giving it a rounder, riper character that distinguishes it from the leaner 12–12.5% range of La Rioja Alta's other wines.