The 2009 Mazuelo de la Quinta Cruz is one of Rioja’s rare pure Mazuelos from a single parcel. Aged in American and French Allier oak over eight months, it has a lush bouquet with notes of blueberry, cassis and blood orange. The palate is well-balanced with a fleshy, inviting entry. There are layers of precocious licorice-tinged dark cherry fruit that lead you all the way to the sumptuous finish with exclamation marks of orange chocolate. Drink now-2018. Located in the village of Briones in Rioja Alta, Bodegas Miguel Merino offer exemplary modern Rioja wine sourced from their own Tempranillo vines planted between 1931 and 1963 at an altitude of 550 meters above sea level. The Tempranillo vines are augmented by small plots of Mazuelo and Graciano that are occasionally bottled separately. The wine is then matured in a combination of new American, French and Hungarian oak. Importer: T. Edward Wines, New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504