1998 and 1999 Coto de Imaz Rioja Crianzas

[dananne]

Two more Spanish wines that we had while in Mexico. The 98 was preferred by both of us. However, I'm not sure how much of that was due to the circumstances. We had it dining in a gorgeous courtyard setting at our finest dinner in San Miguel. Came in at about $25 USD. (As an aside, in Mexico, the selection of wines really tends towards the Mexican producers, though there are decent Spanish wines available, some wines from Portugal, a few lesser Bordeaux, and some terrible US selections. The prices can be a bit higher, though you spend the same at a restaurant as you do in the wine shop, which was a welcome and surprising discovery.) Decanted tableside and served in very nice stemware. Very earthy, with good red berries and a full mouthfeel. Concentrated, with depth on the finish. Bueno. The 99 was one I purchased at the only real wine shop in San Miguel. We had it undecanted in the crummy stemware I ranted about in the related post today. It was nice, also, but lacked the depth of the 98. The fruit was more tart and leaned to the strawberry. The finish was a touch short. I'll look for the 98 up here, and will also look for their pretty highly regarded Reservas and Gran Reservas.