95 pts JD: #85 in Top 100 Wines, 2025. From a year when the producer lost 20% of its grapes, the 2020 Reserva Unica overcomes the adversity of the vintage in its delicate, finessed profile that belies an inherent power of concentrated black fruit. With 2% Graciano, it has precise acidity and is plenty powerful yet supple in tannins and rich red fruit. Beautifully balanced, it shows profound elegance and will be a long-lived wine for another 15-20 years.
93 pts WA: The 2020 Reserva Única comes from the COVID-19 (and mildew) year and tries to combine the primary character with the complexity of the older wines. It's mostly from one vineyard that has some Graciano (maybe 3%) that always gives the wine an aromatic and fresh kick. It comes through as very balanced. It started a little closed and shy and took time to open up in the glass. Again, the 2020 in Rioja has less body and clout than 2021, the wines are finer-boned and the tannins have some grip. This matured in a combination of French (60%) and American (40%) oak barrels for two years, but the oak is very integrated and folded into the fruit. 25,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2023.
