1995 El Pison Riserva
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Tasting notes
I had a bottle of the 1995 Viña El Pisón, one of the first unicorns/icons of modern Rioja, that got the highest rating ever from the one-and-only Bob Parker. I had bought a case on release—and that was highly regarded—but didn't have any bottles left, and it's been many years since I last had it. So, it was great to see Carlos López de Lacalle show up with a bottle when I met him last. We drank it slowly over dinner, as it was the only wine (for a change). The wine is really very good, and it's evolving nicely; it's still dark and dense, energetic and lively but has developed an unexpected note of Brett that I had not seen to this day. It has developed tertiary aromas, and the palate seems to have resolved some of the tannins, but it should have a few more years of life ahead of it.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 1995 El Pison is beginning to reveal a bit of age in its appearance. Earth, minerals, tobacco, smoke, balsamic, and black cherry lead to a succulent, concentrated, persistent wine with great depth and concentration. Long and seamless in the finish, it has at least 20 more years of prime drinking ahead. Jay Miller, eRobertParker.com # 189 Jun 2010
The 1995 El Pison is beginning to reveal a bit of age in its appearance. Earth, minerals, tobacco, smoke, balsamic, and black cherry lead to a succulent, concentrated, persistent wine with great depth and concentration. Long and seamless in the finish, it has at least 20 more years of prime drinking ahead. ||No visit to Rioja would be complete without a visit to Artadi and maestro Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. Artadi’s most recent releases are the 2007s which were reviewed in Issue 183. On this occasion, we sampled the promising 2009s from barrel in addition to the 4 vintages of the flagship Vina El Pison (all of which have been previously reviewed, the 1995 and 1998 by Robert Parker). The El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. eRobertParker.com.June, 2010
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.