1996 Pagos Viejos

The dark ruby/purple-colored 1996 Pagos Viejos (400 six packs available for the United States) is a fabulous Rioja. It boasts a complex bouquet of lead pencil, red as well as black currants, spice box, cedar, and tobacco. Made from low yields, the wine displays a gorgeous mid-palate, great depth and purity, and a finish that lingers for nearly 40 seconds. Drink this spectacular effort over the next 15-25 years. Aug 2000, www.robertparker.com

Full ruby, not quite as saturated as the Pisón): Exotic, almost candied aromas of cassis, blackberry, bitter chocolate, black licorice and spicy oak. Fuller, sweeter, more opulent than the last sample, and perhaps more expressive today. Huge, dense and powerful, with a creamy old-vines texture. This is almost, but not quite, too much. Denser and sweeter than the Pisón, finishing with sweeter tannins and a flavor of bitter chocolate. Extremely impressive and a wine likely to have broad appeal, yet the Pisón conveys a stronger sense of vineyard character.