Wine By Bok - 9.25/10 Stars
Bodegas Riojanas is a grand old names of Rioja, they have been producing wines since 1890. They produce really classic wines, I would put them firmly in the Rioja Old School territory. The wine is mainly made by Tempranillo, although they did not specify, I suspect they have some Garnacha blended as well. If there’s a region that can age wines better than any other regions, it’ll have to be Rioja wines, I have tasted Spanish wines in the ‘40s and ‘50s, they are just as good as ‘60s or ‘70s Bordeaux or Italian wines. I’m very sure Monte Real wines can age very well if you choose to keep it for 30 to 50 years. The bouquet presented a very classic style of strong oak with some chocolate and coconut. Not surprisingly, they are aged in American new oak barrels. To be qualified as a Gran Reserva, the wine has to be aged for 2+ years in the barrel and another 3 years in bottles, thus unsurprisingly, the content is also very oak driven, vanilla is very prominent, along with some leather. Very backward style, the style itself is telling me the wine is very age-worthy, so you should keep it as many years as possible.
Wine Enthusiast - 93 points
Attractive aromas of mocha, vanilla, wood grain and healthy plum and red-berry fruits come in front of a creamy rich palate that some might say is a touch fat. Deep plum, cherry, cassis, vanilla and chocolate flavors are equally rich on a long finish with savory berry and vanilla-cream flavors. (11/2018)
John Gilman - 93 points
The 2010 Monte Real Gran Reserva is a bit riper in style than the utterly classical 2011, and hence is a bit more monolithic in profile at the present time. The bouquet offers up plenty of depth and pure, ripe fruit, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, a bit of dark soil, gentle notes of bitter chocolate, cedar and a bit of coconutty American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite primary, with lovely plushness on the attack, a rock solid core, ripe, well-integrated tannins and fine focus and balance on the long, youthful finish. The 2010 vintage in Rioja has the higher reputation, due to its greater ripeness than 2011, but my gut feeling is that the latter vintage will produce the more complex wines over the long haul. That said, this is still a very good wine and will appeal more to those that like a bit more powerful style of Rioja. (4/2020)
Specifications
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Vintage | 2010 |
| Grape | Tempranillo |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bok Rating | 9.25/10 Stars |
| ABV | 14% |
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