Bodegas Franco Espanolas, a Rioja winery dating back to 1890, recently released a three-pack of old Gran Reserva wines, including vintages from 1999, 2005, and 2007. The three-pack costs $125, but rarity of the ’99 is making it tough to come by.

We did however get a look at both the ’05 and ’07, which are blends of tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, and mazuelo, aged 24 to 36 months depending on the vintage in American oak barrels followed by a minimum of 36 months in bottle.

You can find them separately. Let’s take a look.

2005 Rioja Bordon Gran Reserva – Well aged, and starting to fade. This wine showcases a balsamic character up front, then offers notes of tart cherry, dusky dried herbs, and mushroom. The finish shows the wine on its way downhill, those heavy balsamic notes leading to a somewhat astringent finale. There’s some life left here, but not much. C+ / $25

2007 Rioja Bordon Gran Reserva – A much more rounded and balanced wine, showing the initial traces of balsamic but still offering plenty of fruit in the form of cherry and raspberry. The body layers in some cocoa powder and roasted nut notes, finishing with a return to those light balsamic notes and a twist of ground black pepper, plus well-integrated oak notes. B+ / $20

riojabordon.francoespanolas.com

2007 Rioja Bordon Gran Reserva

$20

8.5

Rating

8.5/10