La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva 2003

Sun-ripened and generous, as the 2003 vintage promised. Dried cherry, plum skin and rose oil on the nose, with vanilla-laced oak and a faint curl of woodsmoke underneath. Rich and open-handed on the tongue, dark berry, spiced cherry and licorice fill out a full-bodied frame, with a touch of candied violet adding some lift. Chewy but accommodating tannins keep things grounded through a sweet-fruited, unhurried finish. Pull the cork with braised lamb this winter.