The 1987 Rioja “Monte Real” Gran Reserva is a beautiful wine that is now wide open and drinking with great style, but as the notes on older vintages of this iconic Rioja bottling will attest, it is still at the start of its journey. The utterly classic nose wafts from the glass in a mix of cherries, blood orange, gamebirds, spicy soil tones, incipient autumnal shadings, cloves and coconutty American oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and tangy, with a fine core of fruit, modest tannins, outstanding focus and grip and a very long, velvety and vibrant finish. Beautiful juice. 92+