The 2005 Altos de Lanzaga has already been positively reviewed by my predecessor and I back that up all the way. Sourced from a single, propitious parcel of 70-year-old vines, it has a raspberry, wild strawberry and crushed stone-scented bouquet armed with exquisite delineation and purity, unfurling with each swirl of the glass. The palate has firm grip on the entry, but the acidity lends it immense poise and freshness with notes of dark cherry, balsamic and a touch of marmalade on the tense finish. Rioja wine does not get much better than this?unless it happens to be its 2007 or 2009 counterparts! Drink now-2020.