2011 Bodegas Tobia Oscar Tobia Rioja Gran Reserva Spain 750 ml

“There’s so much complexity and balance for the money here,” Master Sommelier Sur Lucero said when he pulled out Bodegas Tobía’s 2011 Gran Reserva. His audience was a patio full of Napa insiders who don’t even blink at triple-digit-priced reds, and who had some of their vinous favorites in tow. But after the glasses were drained, this beautifully mature library treasure, with its sophistication and earthy complexity, was the talk of the party.

Try as they might, those insiders—who know every local release and tiny-production passion project—couldn’t find this decade-aged library gem online. That's because you can hardly get this 2011 Gran Reserva from Spanish retailers, let alone here in the US. 

That’s in part because of the in-demand 2011 vintage. The Control Board of DOCa Rioja grades their own vintages hard. They’ve only labeled 15 vintages as “Excellent” (their top rating) since 1925, and 2011 was one of them. That makes it a coveted year among Rioja lovers, which explains why you need a connection to get your hands on this wine. 

Fortunately, our importer friend got his foot in the door as Bodegas Tobía was releasing their 2011 from the library, and his first call was to us. After experiencing the wine’s grace and savory power, we claimed every bottle we could.

From vines up to 100 years old in three prime Rioja Alta sites, the estate uses nothing but free-run juice, (obtained without pressing the grapes) which is considered the highest-quality juice, with excellent freshness and clarity of flavor. This isn’t a common practice because it yields significantly less wine. And when estates do it, they often offset that scarcity by raising prices. 

From that pristine juice, Bodegas Tobía crafted 22 barrels of a beautifully integrated Gran Reserva, boasting the depth and spicy nuance that can only come from a decade in the cellar. In their 2019 review, Vinous called it “suave” and “seamless on the palate,” suggesting that it could evolve even further with more cellar time.

If you want to experience Gran Reserva greatness, honed by a commitment to purity and scrupulous winemaking, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity than this one.

Perfectly-aged Gran Reservas of this caliber rarely come at today’s $26 price simply because of how expensive and time-consuming it is to make them. There’s the cost of aging this wine for two years in French and Hungarian oak, and two more years in bottle. And we still haven’t gotten to the six additional years of aging this wine received in the estate’s cool cellars, developing layers of spice and savoriness. 

All that adds up to an elegant and perfectly polished wine, full of spiced red cherry, black plum, cranberry, and sandalwood aromas, complemented by tones of chocolate, coconut, tobacco, and leather. The palate delivers layers of savory herbs over a long and satisfying finish. It’s complex and subtle, a wine to contemplate in silence, or pour for guests alongside paella. 

After a decade of age, this stellar wine sings with the glory of an outstanding vintage and will delight any time you decide to pop a bottle. Given its unmistakable Gran Reserva seductiveness and open-anytime price, we expect that will be often.