2001 Calvario, Finca Allende, Rioja, Spain

Single vineyard. Scented. Burgundian. Very dense colour. Nicely savoury. Very sweet, then chewy.

Ready to drink

From a single vineyard planted in 1945.

Good deep ruby. Inky aromas of cassis and bitter chocolate, with a suggestion of baked fruits. Thick, dense and hugely concentrated, with a saline quality. As creamy, unctuous and super ripe as this is, it's also lively and sharply delineated. A massive, seamless Rioja that finishes with huge, ripe, toothcoating tannins. Definitely not your father's Rioja.

The blockbuster 2001 Calvario is a single vineyard Rioja produced from 90% Tempranillo, 8% Grenache, and 2% Graciano, all from vines planted in 1945. Aged in new French oak for 14 months and bottled unfiltered, it is a sensational effort revealing an inky/purple colour along with gorgeously complex aromas of cedar, blackberries, creme de cassis, scorched earth, minerals, and smoky new oak. This full-throttle, seriously endowed effort coats the palate and nearly stains the teeth. Unevolved and rich but impeccably balanced, even elegant given its total symmetry/harmony, it should gracefully hit its prime in 2-4 years and age for the following 12-15.

Ready to drink

Thanks to the quality of the vintage and the additional bottle age, the 2001 Calvario delivers the finest aromatics of the series. It is approachable now but still evolving. This complete, complex, lengthy wine should continue to drink well through 2026. Allende’s Calvario cuvee is typically 90% old-vine Tempranillo and the balance Garnacha and Graciano sourced from the 1945-planted vineyard of the same name. The wine is aged in new French oak for 16 months and bottled without filtration.

Drink 2010 - 2026