2001 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial, Bodegas Urbina

Mature Rioja doesn't get much better than this. The 'museum release' of Urbina’s Gran Reserva is a brilliant wine, with so much going on – dark berries to the fore at first, with secondary aromas gradually emerging – fruitcake, with clove, spice and woodsmoke. Extensive ageing in American oak adds subtle roasted coffee notes. An immensely stylish and characterful wine – very polished indeed, and hailing from a fine vintage. Irresistible now, but could go for another 5-10 years.

"A limited-edition library release of the 2001 Bodegas Urbina Rioja Gran Reserva Especial, a gorgeous wine of serious quality named by Tim as 'Wine of the Year 2025' in the Gran Reserva category in his 2025 Rioja Special Report. A 100 per cent Tempranillo that spent 30 months in French and American oak and five years in bottle, it's wonderfully on song, with the softest of tannins, sweet, ripe cherries and plums, savoury truffle and teasing spice on the finish. It's bottles like this that make me and those naughty boys drink so much. (Presented in wooden case of six bottles, complete with 'butler's friend' opener.)"
Jonathan Ray, The Spectator Magazine (tasted October 2025).