Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva, Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España (CVNE) 1994

The 1994 Imperial Gran Reserva is another stellar young vintage of this bottling, and it will be a great pleasure to compare the evolution of the 1994 and 1995 versions of Imperial over the coming three or four decades. The 1994 offers up a more black fruity bouquet than the ’95, jumping from the glass in a superb blend of dark berries, cassis, Rioja spice tones, a beautifully complex base of soil, coffee, cigar smoke and a touch of spicy wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, young and rock solid at the core, with well-measured, suave tannins, lovely focus and nascent complexity and excellent grip on the very long and intensely flavored finish. A beautiful Imperial in the making. (Drink between 2018-2050)