Bookdwarf and I have been drinking a series of moderately priced Rioja from my new favorite liquor store, Downtown Wine and Spirits in Somerville, MA. (Note that the Flash animation wait message is “Getting Loaded…” and that they give a great case discount on full and half-cases).
The Rioja contestants:
Lan Rioja 1998, $10: Friendly, warm, good value. Tannic but not harsh.
El Coto Rioja 2001, $11: The most well-rounded of the group, and the one that made us decide to go try a bunch more Rioja. Earthy, not fruity or sweet, but still easy to drink. We picked up a couple bottles of this one.
Palaciego Rioja 1999, $12: Rioja in general is full-bodied and earthy, and most of the ones we’ve tried also have somewhat harsh tannins and rough edges. This is much smoother and silkier than the rest in the group.
Cerro Añon Rioja 2001, $14: Big, smoky, and not at all sweet or fruity. Bookdwarf liked it more than I did, but both of us agreed that it was overpriced.
Cortijo III Rioja 2003, $10: I was immediately attracted by the bright orange label, and it turns out that this is one of the featured selections at Best Cellars as well. However, we didn’t really like it. Bookdwarf’s notes say “Nothing special, not even that good a deal. 5.5/10”
Darien Rioja 2002, $10: This one confused me. It was a little too wood-and-mineral flavored, and so acidic I was almost tempted to say it was spoiled. Perhaps we got a bad bottle? Or maybe it needs to be left in the dark for a couple years? I can’t tell. My guess is that we got a bottle that had been improperly stored.
Rioja-style Spanish wines that are not technically Rioja:
Lacatus I vino de mesa, (n.v.) $8: Not actually a Rioja, because it’s not 100% Tempranillo grapes, but very much in the same style. Definitely rough around the edges but not harsh, and quite full-bodied and a great deal. The other Lacatus wines (Lacatus II is a white table wine, and there’s also a Cava) are also great deals.
Estío vino de mesa 2003, $9: 70% Montrastell, 30% Tempranillo, great bargain. Smoother than the Lacatus and many of the other less-expensive Riojas.
By comparison, two bottles of completely different varieties:
Francis Coppola Rosso Shiraz 2003, $14: more expensive than all but one of the Shiraz bottles we bought, and completely opposite all of them: almost absurdly fruity, and pretty sweet.
Mont-Pelier Merlot 2002, $8: OK. Easy to drink, medium-bodied, not too sweet, definitely a good deal if not a great wine.
Secretly Ironic 