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Mile High's Wine of the Week: January 22nd
Ramon Bilbao Rioja Gran Reserva 2005
Regular Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $21.99
Sale End: 1/25/2015
Score: 92 Points Wine Spectator
Ramon Bilbao Rioja Gran Reserva 2005

Where else in the world can you get perfectly aged red wine at reasonable prices directly from the winery’s own cellar? As far as we know, nowhere other than Spain. This week we have a dynamite bottle of Tempranillo from one of our favorite producers, Ramon Bilbao. The 2005 Gran Reserva was released late last year when the cellar masters at the bodega determined that it was ready to deliver their idea of perfectly aged Rioja. Pull the cork on a bottle and you’ll quickly see just what this beauty is all about. Polished and elegant, the nose bursts with characterful scents of cedar, fennel pollen, vanilla, toasty oak, crushed strawberries, and rosemary stems. The palate is taught and refined with no exposed gaps. Instead each facet of the wine’s flavor profile is seamlessly integrated providing a rich tapestry of both fruit and non-fruit tastes ranging from black plum and freshly pitted red cherries to cracked allspice berries and fractured granite. Decant this bottle then pair it up with an elegantly prepared meal and you’ll feel like you’ve hit the lottery!
On to the Tasting Notes:
Ramon Bilbao is a fantastic example of the renaissance that Spanish winemaking has undergone over the last decade or so. With perfectly situated ancient vineyards and modern winemaking facilities their reds are as complex, interesting, ageworthy, and stylish as just about any in the world. And yet their prices are, at least in my view, fairly modest. The ‘05 Gran Reserva is a polished and refined bottle of aged red wine that was kept in the winery’s own cellar until it was ready to be released. Often times when you see aged wine available in retail stores at good prices it’s because some distributor or importer couldn’t sell it in a timely fashion and then ended up discounting it to get rid of it. But it likely sat in some hot dusty warehouse for a year or two before it made its way to the shelves. That isn’t the case with the Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva. This one has been properly cellared and is ready for action.

I popped a bottle early in the morning and poured a generous tasting glass then left it to breathe for about an hour before sitting down to write this review. When I returned the nose was awash with inviting scents of classic Rioja. Dusty cherries mingled with cedar, sawdust, strong coffee, and anise. I even got hints of sweet violets and freshly baked sugar cookies. It was quite a nose, and one that I felt did a fine job of introducing the wine. The palate was taught and displayed a sense of underlying tension between the fruity entry and the earthy finish. It’s wasn’t austere but it certainly wasn’t one of those big California fruit bombs. The entry delivered appealing notes of ripe red cherries and macerated strawberries at first. Then it slowly transitioned into blood orange, crushed raspberries, and redcurrants. As the wine made its way through the finish it really got interesting with wonderful minerality that seemed to touch every facet of my palate. It had a touch of nicely integrated spice as well as some cedar and unsweetened chocolate too.
Food Pairing:
The 2005 Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva is such a sleek and attractive wine that I think you want to be careful not to pair it with anything that is going to get in its way. So instead I’d have you consider doing a simple dish like roast beef tenderloin medallions with braised carrots, new potatoes, and brussels sprouts seasoned with a touch of wine and some fennel pollen.
You MUST mention this special or print it out to receive the price on the above wine.
This price expires 1/25/2015 at 6pm and is limited to in-store quantities.
No rain checks given. Call (303) 936-0272 to reserve bottles with a credit card.

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