Vintages
Drink, hold, or be careful.
Last fifteen years. Floor-staff calls, not scores. A modest year from a good grower beats a legend year from a lazy one.
- Drink
Open it. Waiting rarely helps.
- Hold
Too young for the typical bottle. Cellar it.
- Careful
Uneven or weak. Buy a grower, not the year — or drink up what you have.
Tempranillo, oak, time
Rioja
The label already did some aging for you. Crianza is a now wine; Gran Reserva is a then wine.
Calls are for Reserva. Crianza: drink almost everything here. Gran Reserva from a strong year can still be holding.
| Year | Call | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hold | In tank. Ignore the year until it’s bottled. |
| 2024 | Careful | Mixed season. Wait for Crianzas from houses you trust. |
| 2023 | Hold | Too young even for Crianza on most shelves. |
| 2022 | Hold | Hot. Will be ripe; not yet. |
| 2021 | Hold | Good bones. Reserva still sleeping. |
| 2020 | Drink | Crianza is the pour. Reserva can wait a little. |
| 2019 | Hold | One of the stronger recent years. Reserva: keep. |
| 2018 | Drink | Atlantic, fresh, open. |
| 2017 | Careful | Frost cut the crop. Survivors: drink, don’t hoard. |
| 2016 | Drink | Complete and now giving. |
| 2015 | Drink | Ripe. Reserva is in the window. |
| 2014 | Drink | Lighter. Don’t cellar further. |
| 2013 | Careful | Cool and wet. Drink up. |
| 2012 | Drink | Ready, savory, traditional houses especially. |
| 2011 | Drink | Warm. Gran Reserva still handsome; Reserva drink. |