We had this last night with rack of lamb.

Tasted at 2 hours:
The wine was opaque purple with an absolutely magnificent nose of cherries and chocolate. Unfortunately the nose promised more than the wine delivered. On the palate, the wine was a little sharp and tannic with some subdued flavors of dark fruit. Very disappointing considering Parker's 92+ glowing review two years ago. 88

Tasted again at 3 hours:
It opened a little more. This needs at least another year, maybe 5. It's not an expensive wine, but I won't be buying any more. I have one left which I will hold for at least three years. I'm hoping it's just closed now. 89

Just one more sip.

...

"I love gatherings.....but I don't like people"

I paid $20.

Just one more sip.

pumpinhead,

Are you sure you were drinking the Selecion Especial and not the Rivola?

For what it is worth, the first time I had this wine (nearly a year ago) was the best I've tasted it. I'm not certain if it is closed down of what has happened in the past 9 months, but I'm not as thrilled with it as I first was.

a

I have 12 bottles of this wine. The first 6 bottles I bought them at The wine Bank in San Diego @ $19.99 . The last 6 bottles I bought them at The Wine Exchange @ $9.99.

I have not tried this vintage yet, but I have liked other vintages.
Saludos,

Whiner, how long are you planning to wait for the next one?

Just one more sip.

It is very probable that this wine is not closed but already over the hill. The lower end Retuerta wines are not made for aging (some bad mouths say, neither their ultraexpensive bottlings ), you should drink them soon after release. The 1999 Rivola has already lost its fruit and shows very poorly these days.

Anche Dio è di-vino

[This message was edited by Marc on Dec 10, 2003 at 07:55 AM.]

whiner15,

Yes it was the Seleccion Especial and not the Rivola. It was a close out type of thing at the Wine Bank in downtown San Diego. What a bargain!

I agree also that this wine has closed down a bit. I thought that this was just my unsophisticated palette. According to the manager of the store from which I purchased the wine, the wine has a long life ahead of it. Let's hope so, because I just bought a case of it.

"I love gatherings.....but I don't like people"

I had this last June at a Spanish wine tasting and thought it showed very well that night. My notes are below... Maybe the discrepancy is due to bottle variation because IU've had other vintages that I've been told good things about in the past and they always fell flat for me.... Also, I remember feeling I got a good price on it at the time (I paid $22), so $12/btl sounds like a really great deal.

1999 Abadía Retuerta “Seleccion Especial”
I’ve had this wine from various vintages over the past several years because the RP shelf-talkers always make it sound great. Still, I’ve always walked away feeling a bit let down. This time? Well, in the glass, it was deep, totally opaque nearly black purple color. Aromas of raspberry and blackberries and anise and violets filled the glass. On the palate, it was medium- to full-bodied, with similar flavors to the nose – maybe a hint of roasted espresso and vanilla. Well balanced and grounded in a firmly tannic structure with good acids. An excellent bottle of wine that went beautifully with the Cabrales and Garrotxa. 91+ points. Paid $22/btl.

Board-O,

Very interesting. I opened a '96 El Palomar tonight with high expectations. The nose is fabulous, the texture is great, the flavor is "insignificant". What a let down. Based on the nose, I thought I was in for one great glass of wine. I keep looking in the bottle expecting the flavor to come out... but there's just not much there. Big disappointment: 88 points.

TM

Parker's drinking window on this extends til 2016. I don't think it was over the hill.

Just one more sip.

We had this wine again last night. It's a very opaque dark purple with a moderate strength nose of flowers, cherries, and wet earth. On the palate, the wine is still quite tannic and astringent with plummy flavors of dark fruit and baked apples. This still needs time but I have my doubts that it'll ever evolve into anything of beauty. Parker gave this a 92+. I give it an 88.

Thanks for the updated notes on this wine. I haven't tried it for two years, but still have 3 bottles. Next is planned for '07, and now fell better hearing your latest notes.