If you love the smell of Rioja then you are going to love this wine. Dusty, dark red fruits and toasty, spicy oak that are backed by subtle savory notes and a hint of forest floor; this wine has an incredibly inviting nose. I love the way that tradition Rioja smells. This wine is all about fruit and oak, ripe fruit with just a hint of tartness and spicy, toasty, almost freshly cut oak and the magic that happens when they two spend years together. Quick side note, Beronia was one of the first wineries to mix American and French oak together, American oak staves and French oak tops. On the palate this wine delivers Reserva, it has that extra something. This has the complexity that exceeds its price point by a large margin. Dark cherry fruit with a hint of blue fruits, it is still fresh after all that time in oak. There is a mix of sweet spice, fine earthiness, leather, a whiff of savory spice, all of which backs and enhances the fruit. It has good texture and great balance, every component is integrated and working together. Elegant with a nice finish, this is a crazy good deal.

Old School Rioja to its core. Blackberry compote, shortbread, buttered toast, sawdust, mocha, black tea, sweet cream and cinnamon all pour of of the glass on the nose and are all found on the palate in spades as well. Easy to drink, but with great acidity this can age for a decade plus. Decadent and delicious. A fun tomato leaf finish tones the hedonism down a notch towards the end, but only enough to beg the next sip.