Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero 2004

Opaque purple/red.

Packed nose - earth, figs, spice and, quite unusual for RdD, citrus. Great, multi-dimensional nose. Not as suave as Villacreces, but much more complex.

Great concentration in the mouth too. Really packed with grainy black fruit and spice flavors. Oak here is barely noticeable as such. Chewy and long. Loaded, but slightly rustic.

Same old story - textural seamlessness/simplicity vs. complexity/rusticity.


Day 3 - This simply has a great deal more raw material than the Villacreces, which relies on sexy barrels to do the "smoke and mirrors" thing. It is interesting to note the discrepancy in scores from the independent critics :

Josh Raynolds (Tanzer/International Wine Cellar) both wines 90/100

Jay Miller (Parker/Wine Advocate) Villacreces 95/100, Condado 91/100

I'd give Condado at least a 2 point advantage.

$25