The UnCorker

2004 Finca Allende Rioja

From time to time you’ll hear people compare Tempranillo to Pinot Noir, a comparison that almost never stands up to scrutiny- with the 2004 Finca Allende Rioja, the comparison stands up. 100% Tempranillo aged in new and used French oak, this doesn’t taste like Pinot, but like good Pinot, this wine is packed with dense fruit, dark rather then light, has a smoky, earthy aromatic complexity, leather and mint, and with all this denseness and complexity, it has a lightness that dances on the palate and keeps you reaching for the glass. This is modernist Rioja, very drinkable at this tender young age, french oak and no designation on the bottle telling us that its a crianza, which it is-Great to drink now with roast or grilled meat, definitly be cool to lay a few of these down and watch their evolvution. Available for $20-$25, a definite deal.