Rioja Viña El Pison, Bodegas Artadi 2009

I had a glorious bottle of the 2009 Viña El Pisón, a wine I had not drunk for a while, and I thought it was worth sharing the experience because we do not provide enough notes of mature wines that people might drink. The wine is powerful and from a different winemaking era, and it shows it. But with the wines from great terroirs, despite what you do to them, after a decade, the terroir shows. And it does here. The wine is full-bodied and has reminiscences of an élevage in generous new oak, but time has polished the tannins and has blended the flavors of black fruit and spices with earthy notes and makes the wine come through as nicely balanced; there is harmony and complexity. This is in no danger of falling apart anytime soon and should continue developing in bottle for a while.

The 2009 Vina El Pison is born from 67-year-old vines within a real clos rather than the fictitious ones that abound. I could be pedantic and separate it from Juan Carlos- wines under the Artadi umbrella, but like my predecessor, I will include it here. The 2009 has a fresh, floral, Margaux-like bouquet with fine delineation and intensity. The palate is full-bodied with an almost impenetrable carapace of licorice-tinged black fruits, minerals, citrus peel and a powerful, sensual finish. Perhaps impressive more than pleasurable (at the moment), this behemoth will need a decade in the cellar before it will shine. Drink 2022-2040.