Hermanos Pecina 2017 Rioja Reserva

"Just opaque garnet with the faintest trace of brick appearing on the rim. The 2017 Rioja Reserva from Hermanos Pecina very slowly unfurls a nose of utter classicism: sweet fresh and baked cherry with dried strawberry fruit mingles with nuances of dry earth, unsmoked cigars, mineral salts, orange peel, and dried mint. Around this melange wreathe the hallmarks of the Great Tradition of Rioja, the classical ‘dry cellar’ incense and camphor notes that I find so compelling. There is a sense of depth here that only gradually emerges with time. The palate is beguiling, utterly silken yet with a refreshing finish that arrives with dried citrus peels and toasted spices; there is a very delicate line of acidity that, too, refreshes. Sweet red fruits including cherry and cranberry, baking spices, earthen nuances, and balsam herbs on the long and ethereally framed finish. Fine." — David