La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1998

Deep garnet shading into amber at the rim. The nose is fully evolved, dried cherry, rose petal, pipe tobacco and vanilla bean, with an earthy, spiced core that speaks to 25 years of careful cellaring. On the tongue, bitter cherry and redcurrant meet mocha and sweet oak in seamless integration, carried by tannins that have softened to near-imperceptible. The finish is long and faintly floral. There's real substance beneath the graceful exterior, this is drinking beautifully now, but another decade won't hurt.