A very structured and gorgeous Rioja with blackberry, cherry, cedar and spice aromas and flavors. Hints of toasted oak underneath. Granite, too. Medium-bodied, yet the structure builds on the palate, giving superb length and power. Give it three to five years to come together, and beyond.

The 2017 Imperial Gran Reserva is open and ready for business. Perfumed and enticing with aromas of dried herbs and warming nutmeg spice, cocoa-dusted red cherries, and orange rind. Juicy, refreshing acidity brings purpose and energy on the palate, with firmly structured, small-grained tannins supporting a concentrated core of ripe red cherry and raspberry fruit. Long and fruit-driven finish with a twist of ferrous savouriness. Approachable now and more accessible at this early stage than the 2016, but with the structure and depth of flavour to promise decades of longevity. Drinking Window: 2023-2060.

I tasted two vintages of the Gran Reserva from Haro, starting with the 2017 Imperial Gran Reserva from a warm and dry year whose yields were lowered by frost in late April and was saved by rains at the end of July. It's 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.31 grams of acidity. It fermented in small oak vats followed by malolactic in concrete and aging in French (70%) and American oak barrels for two years, during which time the wine was racked every eight months. It's evolving at a slightly faster pace and maybe it's a little lighter, but I didn't feel the heat, which is quite something. It's drinking well. 75,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020.