Altanza Artistas Espanoles Diego Velazquez Rioja Reserve 2011 - 750ml

*There are three different labels for this bottle.  Requesting a specific one may not always be possible.

94pts James Suckling

Fresh blackberries, crushed blueberries, cedar wood, walnuts, wet earth, tobacco leaf and hints of ash and balsamic. Complex, dusty and well evolved with bright acidity and nice dryness to the fruit. Quite elegant and soft-spoken, showing elegance, subtlety and length. 4,755 bottles made for this D.D. Velazquez “La Venus del Espejo” label. Vegan. Ready now, so why wait?

90pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

I find a bit pretentious to put a masterpiece from Diego Velázquez on the label of the 2011 Artistas Españoles. It's a sleek and polished Tempranillo packed in a huge bottle, with good ripeness and a similar profile as the other wines—14% alcohol, clean, integrated oak and a polished palate with fine tannins, but really nothing special. It drinks well. 14,100 bottles.

Winemaker Notes

Deep red in color with dark purple brushstrokes in the background. The nose is determined by a palette of dark and earthy aromas, where black fruit is the protagonist, decorated with balsamic, mineral, smoked and cocoa notes. Rich and intense entry on the palate. Delicate tannins, with a long and distinguished aftertaste of plum and chocolate. A wine with structure to age.

This 6th installment of the Spanish Artists Collection is dedicated to the Baroque painter Diego Velázquez. Like the artist's gloomy style, this wine is characterized by the darkness of the black fruit and its great depth. Velázquez is considered one of the best painters in history and this wine, one of the best in our collection. The 2011 vintage was qualified by the Rioja Regulatory Council as EXCELLENT. Limited edition of 14,265 bottles.

Vegan