Dinner was a rack of pork ribs, lightly seasoned and then smoked for three hours on the grill over hickory chips. I normally do a strong seasoning when fixing ribs in this manner but I was missing several ingredients for the dry rub so these were a little mild. Still, they were strong with smoked paprika (pimenton).
I opened the wine about half an hour before eating. There was very little going on here other than a medium, brick red color. The wine as closed and not offering much so I decanted half of the bottle and gave the wine already in my glass some serious swirling. Finally I got the dry, Spanish earth aromas that appeals to me in Rioja. The tart red fruit was next to show up. The flavors were clear and precise but were in the 'just ripe' range. There was no intent to make a dark, extracted monster here. Great body and high acidity.
This was very much a middle weight wine as far as the body and the ripeness level. The longer it was open the better it got. By the end of the meal it was showing its best with hints of spice and and fruit and that sense of earth. Good wine and fairly priced.
Marques de Grinon Rioja Reserva, Coleccion Personal. 13% alcohol and $24.
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