Artadi "Pagos Viejos" Rioja 2003

Red/purple.

Great nose of melted brown sugar/butter, savory meat/nuts. Deep, killer aromatics, black fruit underneath.

Round, plush entry. Citrus skin lift/structure takes over fairly quickly. From the mid-palate on this becomes an intensely- flavored, finely-structured wine that could use several more years in the bottle.

No sense of over-ripeness here. Just more volume. RFG.

Day 3 - Citrus nose now (lemon flesh reminds me of Aubert's Ritchie Chard), savory oak action as a nuance. Still round/plush in the mouth. Oddly more giving texturally than it is aromatically. At least initially. Then major citrus/tannin synergy clamps down, but does not kill, the finish.

Day 6 - Nose now back to day 1 - brown sugar/butter, toasted nut. Ketchup/citrus/spice cadence in the mouth.
More give than day 3, but citrus still features in the finish, with zest "chew" binding the front teeth.

This is wildly interesting and well-worth buying and cellaring for at least 5 more years. Should drink well through 2018.

$50