($18, San Francisco Wine Exchange):  I tasted this wine about two months ago at a large tasting of Rioja and then shared a bottle at dinner just recently.  Among its peers at the tasting, it fell more into the “traditional” than “modern” style.  That is, although it had plenty of fruit, it conveyed more non-fruit flavors of leather and spice rather than ripeness and power.  Balanced and complex, it explains the justified popularity of Rioja.  At dinner, it was just yummy. 91 Michael Apstein Aug 3, 2010