CVNE, Imperial Gran Reserva, Rioja 2001

(raised for 24 months in American oak casks): Bright ruby-red; doesn't look to be 11 years old. Powerful, oak-spiced aromas of candied cherry and raspberry, with suave vanilla, mocha and floral nuances and slow-building tobacco and leather elements. Pliant, palate-staining red fruit and floral pastille flavors show impressive depth and heft, with a good lashing of sweet vanillin oak. Sweet and expansive on the gently tannic finish, which shows excellent clarity and length. This wine seems poised for a very long, graceful evolution.