Grapes of Spain

Score	Publication	Review	Copy
90	Vinous Media	(all stainless steel) Vivid ruby. Fresh cherry and blueberry aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied rose and cracked pepper. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering lively dark fruit flavors that deepen slowly on the back half. Dusty tannins lend shape to a long, incisive finish that leaves a subtly sweet blue fruit note behind. "Rioja Looks Back and Ahead" - February 21, 2019
89	View from the Cellar	The 2016 Rioja “Campellares” from Bodegas San Pedro Apostol is produced from vines in excess of fifty years of age, but the wine is raised entirely in stainless steel tanks and made for early accessibility. The 2016 offers up a fine bouquet of black cherries, cassis, a nice dollop of Rioja spices, a good base of soil and a touch of cigar wrapper in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and tangy, with a good core, just a bit of backend tannin and fine focus and grip on the nascently complex finish. This is the bodegas’ entry level bottling and it isvery well made, but I keep thinking fifty year-old vines deserve some extended aging in older American casks! This is a veritable steal at twelve dollars a bottle here in the US. 2018-2025. Issue #75 – May/June 2018