(the 85% tempranillo component comes from vines averaging more than 60 years of age) Good bright, deep ruby. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, plum, mocha, minerals, and smoky, nutty oak. Lush, sweet and voluptuous, but with fruit of steel. Wonderfully dense, thick but vibrant wine that mounts impressively on the back half and saturates the palate with fruits, minerals and spices. One of the longest Spanish wines of my recent tastings and a great example of this outstanding vintage. .

The 2001 Aurus has a peppermint-scented bouquet with impressive fruit concentration and seems far more backward than the 2000. It has fine balance with ripe minty dark cherry and cassis fruit and an exuberant, youthful, spicy finish that has another 15-20 year ahead of it. Wonderful! Drink now-2030. Commencing with the Allende Blanc, I was impressed by how well this ages. Predominantly Viura with a higher percentage of Malvasia in older vintages, it develops a fine waxy texture and almost dried Barsac-like personality.