Finca La Emperatriz Reserva 2010
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Wine with a bright ruby color, medium to high depth of color. Intense aromas of ageing, cocoa, cigar box and orange peel, over the persistent background of black fruits typical of Tempranillo. Refined and silky on the palate, with soft yet powerful tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I think the 2010 Finca la Emperatriz Reserva could summarize what a textbook Rioja Reserva should be, combining the best of the traditional and modern styles. It's mostly Tempranillo with 3% Garnacha, 2% Viura (white) and 1% Graciano fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak barrels (mostly American) for 23 months. It has the spicy, smoky notes with bright red fruit hinting on blood oranges and signs of developing more complexity and nuances. The medium-bodied palate features grainy tannins, good freshness and length. I see that I liked the 2008, and I think this continues the same line, perhaps fine-tuning the élevage could take this wine a step higher. Keep it up! 5
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James Suckling
Lots of dried berry, rose and slate aromas follow through to a full body, firm tannins and a long and chewy finish. 94% tempranillo, 3% garnacha, 2% viura and 1% graciano.
Other Vintages
2012-
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
The project is today managed by brothers Eduardo and Victor Hernáiz, although the origins of the estate go way back to the 19th century. At that time, under the ownership of Eugenia de Montijo, the Empress of France, the estate was already producing excellent wines.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.