Glorioso Rioja Reserva 2009

Browsing the wine racks at Costco, I came across Glorioso Rioja Reserva 2009. There were several signs that this would be a great wine to try. The wine is 6 years old and the label says that it was aged 24 months in French Oak. The wine has 14.5% alcohol and Wine Spectator has rated it 91 points. Costco sells this wine for $13.99. With that knowledge, I bought a bottle but I should have bought several. I hope there are some left on my next trip.

Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain. Rioja wines are categorized as Rioja, Rioja Crianza, Rioja Reserva or Rioja Gran Reserva. In that order, the wines have increasing required aging times. A Rioja Reserva wine must be aged 3 years with at least one of the years aged in oak. Gloriosa Rioja Reserva exceeds that criteria and is 100% Tempranillo grapes.

The wine is a beautiful deep ruby red color. The bouquet has a hint of leather along with the dark berry aroma. This wine had to aerate about 45 minutes but then had a complex flavor of dark berries with a little red licorice. The long finish had ample tannins to accompany a roast or steak. All in all this is a terrific red wine worth more than the Costco price.

SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points.

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