VinoBuy: Ravishing Rioja
I'm going to reprint a writeup I did on this wine back in March, when I thought I had sold through all of the bottles of ONE OF THE BEST WINES I'VE HAD IN THE LAST TEN YEARS! All caps really aren't my thing...kind of like shouting at you. But if ever a wine deserved to be shouted about it is this unbelievable Rioja. I took a bottle out into the "wild" on our recent 4th of July camping trip and poured it for others. It once again simply stunned me. And now I am thrilled to lay my hands on 15 more wooden six packs. It isn't cheap, but is totally worth splurging on a bottle or six. You will be astounded by this sensual, even sexy Spanish tinto, I promise!
2001 BODEGAS LUIS CANAS Rioja
Reserva "Seleccion de la Familia"
$34.95 bottle...$180.00 six pack (in wood boxes!)
This was the bonus-bonus in last Friday's tasting and when I tasted it at the end of the evening I liked it quite a bit, but as usual after a 13 hour day my palate wasn't at its sharpest. I had almost a full bottle left so I took it home and stuck it in the fridge to keep it fresh. We had some friends over for paella Sunday night so it seemed the perfect time to pull it out. So I did. And the swooning commenced! I don't geek out on too many wines, but as I was letting this sit in my glass, taking sips (okay, more like gulps) I was absolutely blown away by how good this is. This really is one of the best Spanish wines I've had in the last ten years. The quality and character of the fruit is simply astounding. 2001 was a great, classic year in Rioja. The Rioja vintage as a whole was rated at 93 points by The Wine Spectator. This Cañas 2001 was also given 93 points by The Wine Advocate, who raved: "Dark ruby-colored, the enticing aromatics include cedar, spice cabinet, mineral, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to an evolved, complex, ripe Rioja with superb intensity and depth. It has a long, pure finish and should continue to evolve for several more years. Drink it through 2020."