Artadi "Pagos Viejos" Rioja 1998

Red.

Great charcoal/ember, clay/earth and hazelnut nose. Hint of spicy ketchup.

Refined, low-key flavors - citrus/earth/potato skin. Middle-weight. Spicy ketchup action in the finish, too. Moderate, slightly chewy tannin.

Day 3 - Spicy ketchup and embers front and center aromatically. A floral note too. Hazelnut and earth in the background. More expansive in the mouth, though. Flavors very similar to Day 1. Refined and powerful. Not to mention packed. This will continue to unwind for several more years, and should drink well beyond 2015.

Day 5 - Melded, sumptuous, refined nose. No hugeness here. All kinds of stuff - ketchup/toasted nut/menthol/meat drippings. Just stupid. Citrus/ketchup still the main feature in the mouth. Very lively, acid still drives the moderately tannic structure.

$50