Modern style of extraction in great contrast to 2009- dense, suppressed, clean wood spice, sweet vanilla, toasty and robust hints of cigar box and mint-alcohol for bottled wine is 14%. There are adorable noses of creme de cassis, spring flowers, violets, roses, subtle barbecue smoke and charcoal, intense, pure fruit, dark, extraordinary purity, structure and length. Bodied, at cru level. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot; hence, some complexities and some mileage of 20+ years.
Scores are good. RP gives 96 and talks about its modern style with soul and potential. JS gives 94 and writes, 'pinpoint but rich fruit in blackcurrants, liquorice, fresh herbs, blackberry leaf and cedar. Full body, structured tannins, vibrant acidity and a long finish. It is a wonderful combination of freshness and fruit. Delicious now, but this will hold for many more years.' (edited).
What a pleasant Surprise. Bodied, rich and creamy with aromas of wildflowers, citrus and stone fruits, followed by grapefruit, lemon, apricot and pear flavours. Tones of vanilla and toasty. Textured. Long fruit unsuppressed. 'Burgundian'? Could be. It is modern and well-made. It's a DOCa Rioja, so the standards are somewhat 'assured'.
We believe this bottle will improve to a point. Also, the data specifications are impressive: the wine is fermented in 100 per cent new 225-litre French oak for 20 days and kept sur-lee until the February following harvest from 75 per cent Viura and 25 per cent Chardonnay, sourced from two parcels in Rioja Alavesa, 'Villa Lucia' and 'Villa Cardiel' at an altitude of 700 meters. Alcohol is at 13.5% despite 2022 being quite hot in Rioja.
The owner is Familia Martinez Zabala, a big company. Many good markers work for individual wineries, and Campillo has a good economy of scale and access to an expertise pool.
Scores for vintage 2022 are mainly at 90 by Spanish writers. A Gold Medal in Berlin Wine Trophy. 2019 won JS93; some other older vintages are also in the range of 92.
Corvina Blend. Dark ruby. Even fresher nose(strawberries, violets and floral) with good ripeness(candies and cinnamon). There are also tones of coffee and vanilla. Not as developed as in 2017(in terms of liquorice and spices). It is elegant and refined, still dense and more refreshing. Like 2017, the body seems light by Amarone standard, but it is full-bodied as a glass of red wine and tastes severe too. With not so much depth for now and is undoubtedly to develop even more, this 2018 displays more but like 2017, this new vintage has some ageing potential and can broaden the appeal of this iconic wine in the red-wine-biased Hong Kong market—the wine aged in oak for 24 months. Tasting is based on 1-hour full-decanting. This new vintage 2018 has an excellent score-96 from Luca Maroni. It is as good as 2017 and 2016, albeit differently, if not better.
