Criadores de Rioja, Anciano No. 3 | NV

A perfect example of why you shouldn't judge a wine by its label, I recently tasted a line-up of eight entry-level Rioja wines. While I wanted to desperately like the other wines with their more sleek and modern labels, I couldn't deny the fact that Anciano No. 3 was more complete, and delicious (I even preferred it to the No. 7 Reserva bottling). A unique multi-vintage wine, this is 100% Tempranillo from several vineyards in the Rioja Alta region that have a respectable average altitude of 400 meters. Aged for six months in American oak, the fruit is abundant, yet soft, with fresh cherries, strawberries, and plums. There's no saw-dusty, American oak finish. It's refined, over rustic, offering plenty of pleasure for this price point. ~Allegra A