2004 and 2005 Rioja: Panel tasting results
This tasting of two excellent vintages almost two decades on proves that great Rioja wines are made to be enjoyed for many more years to come.
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pierre Mansour tasted 53 wines with 8 Outstanding and 37 Highly recommended.
2004 and 2005 Rioja: panel tasting scores
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 8
Highly recommended 37
Recommended 7
Commended 1
Fair 0
Poor 0
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit red wines from the 2004 and 2005 vintages only, with any Rioja classification of gran reserva, reserva, crianza or genérico permitted
We had high expectations of this tasting. It is well known that great Rioja shows its full potential after extended ageing in the bottle, and 2004 and 2005 are both excellent vintages.
The 2004 vintage is the more irregular of the two. It was the last late vintage (from the following year onwards all good vintages have been quite early, likely due to climate change), and some areas performed much better than others. Fruit selection and good vineyard siting were crucial factors, but those who worked well got top wines.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the 2004 and 2005 Rioja panel tasting
The 2005 vintage was easier – practically perfect in terms of ripeness and grape health, with no botrytis. Yields and total quantities were similar for both vintages. You would therefore expect to see a higher number of 2005s at the top in this tasting, but it was not the case. With four Outstanding wines apiece, both vintages performed very well.
Turning to drinkability, the best wines from these vintages should be starting to open up and show extra complexity only now, while those that are not up to the challenge of time will be showing signs of decline. Some wines will be at their peak now, whereas others should be giving good indications of their capacity to improve further with extended ageing.
Having been lucky enough to taste many very old Riojas, I would bet on some wines from these vintages still drinking well for many more years, a few beyond my lifetime.
These two vintages came at a time when producers were ready to reach top quality in the vineyard and in the bodega, but the wines were released during a difficult period, most of them between 2009 and 2014, when the financial crisis was hitting hard. Prices for some of them have since increased, and should climb higher with time – providing good opportunities for investment.
Modern vs. traditional
This panel tasting was also an interesting exercise in checking which of the mainstream styles would get the upper hand in the long run. Would the classic, long-ageing gran reserva wines get better overall results than the so-called modern-style Riojas, which tend to have shorter oak ageing and greater fruit intensity?
See all 53 wines from the 2004 and 2005 Rioja panel tasting
I can report that both styles did very well. They are developing in different ways – the modern styles are deep and granular, while the traditional styles are silky and complex.
When it comes to grape varieties, all of the top-scoring wines are Tempranillo or Tempranillo-based blends. We need to wait for the next decade to find the great wines made from Garnacha, Graciano and others.
It is worth pointing out that in a tasting of wines heading for the end of their second decade, there will be some bottles that aren’t in pristine condition, and these wines will therefore not perform so well.
Despite that, the overall results of this tasting were very encouraging: out of 53 samples, there were eight wines scoring 95 or above, with five more scoring 94, on the verge of the Outstanding level. Having a quarter of the wines tasted performing so well is testament to the overall high quality across these two vintages.
2004 and 2005 Rioja panel tasting scores
The judges
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW is a widely published wine journalist, educator and judge. He holds a degree in agronomical engineering and a Masters in viticulture and oenology, is a national expert for Spain at the OIV organisation and a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain.
Sarah Jane Evans MW is a Decanter contributing editor and Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. Her latest book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is set for release in early 2024.
Pierre Mansour is director of wine at The Wine Society, where he has worked for 23 years. Starting out with merchant Berry Bros & Rudd, he joined The Wine Society in 2000, moved into buying after four years and has been buying The Society’s Spanish wines since 2008.
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