11/05/05 EL Coto 2001 Rioja DOC 頭款西班牙紅酒嚐試

El Coto, 2001 Rosado, La Rioja
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2001
Appellation: La Rioja, Rioja, Spain
WN: 89
Price: $8.69
Dealer: Costco

Content Info:
Tempranillo 100% from Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa.

Background Story:
Rioja分為西部的Rioja Alta、北部的Rioja Alavesa以及東部的Rioja Baja 等三個區域, Rioja Alavesa 氣候則略微涼爽，特別適合品質優異的Tempranillo 品種生長.
(Cited from Beekman Wines & Liquors)
El Coto de Rioja vinified its first grapes in 1970, and the first bottling was released in 1975. The bodega is now the number-one wine brand in Spain and is one of the top-selling Spanish wines throughout Europe. El Coto owns nearly 70,000 American oak barrels which they use for eight years. The winery was completely overhauled in 1996 with state-of-the-art equipment. El Coto’s vineyards are northwest-facing on mostly ferric clay soil in Cenicero (Rioja Alta) next to the east bank of the river Najerilla. Additional grapes come from selected vineyard owners from the Rioja Alavesa. All facilities at the bodega are humidity and temperature controlled so that both the oak cask and bottle aging processes take place in optimal conditions. Rioja Crianza must be aged in oak for a minimum of 12 months. Reservas require 24 months.

Official Comment:
Red ruby colour, harmonic, well balanced, with vanilla and oak hints. Soft and long in the mouth, shows a fantastic fruit concentration combining the subtle strawberry aromas so typical of the Rioja Tempranillo with the notorious vanilla bouquet of the American oak.

WN Comment:
"Pale, rusty, salmon. Fresh nose of cherry-strawberry. Lively, delicious flavors of cherry and strawberry fruit, spicy cinnamon and lemon; nice mouth-feel with a clean, dry, mineral-laced finish. A serious, full-flavored yet lovely wine and a fine example of a classically styled"

>Personal Comment:
Sight: Youngthful ruby red.
Nose: Very fresh berry and citrus aromas. It makes me feel that it is a very young wine. Before it goes into my month, vanilla flavor with slightly oaky run out together.
Taste: This wine tastes dry and gives me the refreshing feeling. It provides me the idea how Tempranillo tastes like. A very interesting experience. Try it once!! Cheers!
心中並未期待著飲用Rioja不會有任何不同於Cabernet的口感, 覺果卻蠻令我驚訝, 倒入酒杯中則呈現非常年輕的紅寶石色, 一股活力充沛的感覺打從心中湧出, 而那香味更充斥著年輕水果的動感, 香草, 莓果, 和柑橘類的果香陣陣傳來, 入口後則是很清楚的澀, 似乎是有點兒粗礦, 讓我不禁覺得這款酒是不是餐酒, 但時間慢慢地證明, 回甘的滋味逐漸地擴散到每一吋味蕾, 真的感到有點驚喜.

這款酒有著很年輕的感受, 讓我想像著薄酒萊新酒是不是就是這樣子的呢?



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