88 2001 Marques de Riscal Rioja - Reserva 10/06/06 ($15)
Color: Medium deep ruby. (3.0) Bouquet: Rich cassis and tart raspberry with spicy cedar and excellent acidity. (3.0) Body: A middleweight with rich fruit, excellent acidity, maybe a bit too much and some tannin. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet with a subtle, Bordeaux-like terroir. Not particularly complex, but very tasty. (3.0) Finish: Parallels flavor with excellent acidity giving length, but a little bitterness and acid bite, as well as dry tannin with black pepper. (2.0)
Overall: Very good Bordeaux style for an excellent price. Much better than the 2000 and meets the expectations of this fine vintage. It has the structure to improve over the next few years.