Viñedos de Páganos Rioja El Puntido Gran Reserva 2013

97 points Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate): "The 2013 El Puntido Gran Reserva started very shy and closed; it took time to open up to slowly unfurl the more tertiary notes, despite its youth. It reveals great complexity and nuance. It's a triumph over the adverse conditions of a challenging year like 2013, a year with a lot of rain and a cold summer with lots of cloudy days when people thought the grapes were not going to ripen. It has a classical nose with notes of cherries in liqueur, cigar ash, decayed leaves and truffles with the spiciness from the 28 months in new French oak barrels and a lactic touch. The palate is polished, sleek and elegant. In 2018, they changed the fermentation vessels from stainless steel to concrete, but we'll have to wait a few years to see that... 5,000 bottles produced. It has been in bottle since March 2016. It should be long lived and make old bones. Drink: 2023-2040. (Feb 2025)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "[$120 list] There's an elegance to this richly detailed red, with its fine-grained tannins and creamy texture well-meshed with a mix of baked blackberry, plum sauce, ground coffee and graphite notes. Firms up a bit on the fresh finish but shows fine length and expression, with lingering, fragrant hints of sassafras root, white pepper and sweet tobacco. Drink now through 2038. (5/31/25)"