2004 Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rioja.
38 Bottles of Ringboree
Yes, 38. I don't usually give anything a score that high, unless there's a good reason. And the good reason is usually that I've found something unexpected and delightful in the wine.
This one had an aroma of freshly tanned leather, like that leather mailbag that you just got mail-order from south america, or the wonderful hand-stitched pouch that my brother brought me from Paraguay, or a brand-new leather jacket. Yeah, that smell. Pretty amazing. That, by itself, earned it the high score.
But it was also delightful to drink, with flavors of blackberries, freshly turned earth, and freshly cut grass. Amazing. Amazing by itself, and amazing with home-made fajitas.
I think we paid about $16 for this.