The 2015 Colección Parcelas de Garnacha was sourced from different vineyards that were fermented separately in small oak vats. The wine matured in new and second use 500-liter French oak barrels for 18 months. It started quite closed and a little reductive, and it took some time in the glass to open up. It developed into a characterful wine, ripe without excess and a little wild, more in a Rhône style than like other examples from Rioja. It’s a little heady and with a meaty touch, and I like it very much. It has 15% alcohol and a warm and generous profile, but the alcohol is not noticeable and it’s nicely balanced by good acidity. This comes mostly from higher-altitude vineyards in Tudelilla, in the Carbonera zone. 1,200 bottles were filled in May 2017.

Brilliant ruby-red. Ripe red berry and floral scents are enlivened by white pepper and smoky minerals. Juicy and open-knit, offering appealingly sweet raspberry and cherry compote flavors that tighten up slowly in the middle.

A velvety texture carries exuberant flavors of cherry, berry, vanilla and spice in this seductive red. Well-integrated tannins and bright acidity keep this focused. Made in a modern style, leaning toward sweetness, but remaining fresh and appealing. Drink now through 2022.

Featured in Wine Spectator Insider April 1, 2015 Edition.

Lots of concentrated fruit verging on jammy. Full body, very fruity… Drink or hold.

Shows riper with hints of Mediterranean herbs (think esparto grass) and the subtle aromas of the grape seems to have vanished with the ripeness, leaving you with notes of dark plums and hints of raisins. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins that are still a little edgy.

Heavy prune and raisin aromas are perfumed and rich, but arguably a bit overripe. Matching the nose, this feels thick, saturated and grapy. Flavors of black plum and blueberry finish chunky, with muscularity but also a rubbery flavor note.

Fragrant aromas of kirsch and cranberry. On the palate it reveals pure dark red berry fruit flavors of moderate intensity, with hints of earth. it has a subtle dose of toasted oak and dry gripping tannins on the finish.

A luxurious garnacha, this wine’s smoky scent brings to mind grilled strawberries. It’s not at all jammy, though it is fat, its silken sweetness balanced by a crush of pink peppercorn spice and firm acidity. Match its red glow to roast squab stuffed with fruit.

The 2010 Coleccion Vivanco Parcelas de Garnacha is aged in a mixture of 225- and 500-liter barrels to respect the fruit, and it stoked my interest with its dark color, unlike most Garnachas, but then it shows the textbook aromas of the variety, red fruits, cherries, strawberries and raspberries, flowers and a touch of smoked peat. The palate is soft and elegant, yet full of power, with fine-grained tannins, heady flavors of cherries in liqueur and a long aftertaste. A power Garnacha. Drink 2014-2018.

The plush texture carries generous flavors of brandied cherry, licorice and vanilla, supported by moderate tannins and just enough acidity for liveliness. Drink now through 2018

The 2008 Collecion Vivanco Parcelas de Garnacha was fermented with native yeasts, went through malolactic in new 500-liter French oak where it remained for 18 months. Fragrant black cherries, floral notes, and exotic spices lead to a racy, elegant, incipiently complex red that will deliver pleasure through 2020.

The 2007 Colección Vivanco Garnacha is opaque purple with an expressive nose of cedar, leather, Asian spices, balsamic, and black cherry. Mouth-filling, balanced, and savory, it has plenty of succulent fruit and a lengthy, pure finish. It can be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years.

Powerful and raisiny on the nose, with asphalt, char and cassis. The palate is saturated and sweet, with flavors of black raisin, plum and blackberry. Staunch on the finish, with licorice and blackness. Solid, strong Garnacha. Drink now through 2012.