The 2021 Rioja “Reserva” from Marqués de Murrieta is made this year from a cépages of eighty-six percent tempranillo, eight percent graciano, four percent mazuelo and two percent garnacha. The wine was aged for twenty-six months in American oak casks prior to assemblage. It comes in at 14.3 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a simply outstanding aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a beautiful base of chalky soil tones, a dollop of Rioja spice tones, woodsmoke and a refined framing of American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure, full-bodied and nicely ripe, with a stunning core of fruit, superb soil undertow and grip, ripe, buried tannins and great length and grip on the very well balanced finish. There is just a whisper of backend heat here from the wine’s octane, but it is very minimal and will not adversely affect how the wine ages. 2037-2085.

The 2020 Rioja “Reserva” from Marqués de Murrieta is just a touch lower in octane than the superb 2021 version, as this vintage the wine comes in at an even thirteen percent alcohol. The wine is crafted in this vintage from a blend of eighty-two percent tempranillo, eight percent graciano, seven percent mazuelo and three percent garnacha. The wine’s élevage in cask was twenty-one months in this vintage, with the barrels again all made of American oak. The wine’s aromatic constellation is utterly refined, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, black raspberries, Cuban cigar wrapper, coffee bean, a complex base of soil, refined Rioja spice tones and a beautiful foundation of American oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, precise and superbly complex, with a lovely core of fruit, great soil inflection and grip, fine-grained tannins and a very, very long, seamlessly balanced finish. This does not quite have the same mid-palate volume as the excellent 2021 Reserva, but it is a touch better balanced and more elegant wine. It is a great and utterly classic Rioja in the making. 2035-2085.

With fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, The Pio Cesare 2021 Barolo Ornato is deeper, darker and more powerful than the Mosconi. This wine shows aromas of blackberry and plum with smoky cigar, campfire ash and toasted spice. The texture is rich and all-encompassing. The wine shows good structure and freshness to close.

With fruit from the village of Treiso, the Pio Cesare 2021 Barbaresco Il Bricco has a defined mineral character of dusty chalk that lifts up above blackberry and dried blueberry. There are background hints of lilac, dried iris root, mint and garden herb. What sets this wine apart, however, are those elegantly chalky mineral nuances that sit nicely against powdery tannins.

A distinctive white, with fleshy mango, peach and apricot flavors at the core, plus notes of candied ginger, lemon curd and candied kumquat. Floral details, herbal accents and a drizzle of honey linger on the finish. Drink now.