Finca Villacreces Nebro

The prodigious 2001 Nebro is a limited production, 100% Tempranillo cuvee. Dense purple to the rim, with an extraordinary smoky nose interwoven with hints of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, blackberries, and scorched earth, it is a heady, ripe, full-bodied offering with superb concentration, balance, and well-integrated acidity, wood, tannin, and alcohol. This is an extraordinary effort from a mythical vintage in Spain. Consume it over the next 10–15 years.

Good deep ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and graphite; showed almost Brunello-like dried fruits, chestnut and lavender with extended aeration. Penetrating and powerful, with perfectly integrated acidity intensifying the wine’s extremely rich flavors and accentuating the impression of energy in the mouth. As sweet as this is today, it’s also primary and utterly fresh, with perfectly judged oakiness. Expands and builds impressively on the back end. This was better every time I went back to it. If you can find and afford this wine, I’d give it at least four or five years in the cellar.