Javier Asensio Navarra Reserva

I purchased this bottle at a "Cellar Sell Off," and not quite sure it had been stored correctly for the years it sat idle, waiting for someone to open it up and let it breathe. I followed the suggestions of the reviewers to let it breathe for an hour. It had deep, rich blackberry fruit on the nose, color was almost opaque with a dark dense burgundy color. It was drinkable, nothing to write home about, but in the end …

On the nose: tar and pencil lead, though neither was present on the palate. As a matter of fact, on opening, there was very little palate at all. It was an almost-black, mid-weight wine, with nice body and no noticeable alcohol, but almost no flavor and no finish. After it had been open an hour or so, the dark fruit flavors filled in. Nothing extraordinary, but quite simple and nice. And still going strong after a decade.

Minimum time to open before drinking: 1 Hour.