I’m keeping this brief because there’s no need to meet our typical word count when a mature rarity such as today’s is priced so attractively low. At just $49, El Coto’s 1988 Reserva is an extremely rare and absurdly affordable opportunity to acquire a flawlessly stored Rioja classic.

We offered the first parcel of this exact wine back in 2021, and after recently learning more had been unearthed by a private collector in Spain, we lunged at the second opportunity. Coto Mayor has all the evolving hallmarks one could ask for in a 35-year-old Rioja: dried plum, sweet-sour interplay, vintage leather, tobacco, sandalwood; it’s savory perfection in a glass. Today’s parcel just arrived stateside—in perfect condition—and is ready to blow you away. It’s a bulletproof, no-brainer purchase. A quick sellout is imminent.

Although Bodega El Coto was founded in 1970, their size and prominence today is truly staggering. They’re the leading brand for Crianza and Reserva categories, and they farm hundreds of hectares throughout Rioja’s famous sub-zones. Those culled to craft today’s Coto Mayor come from the granddaddy of them all: Finca Los Almendros in Rioja Alavesa, which currently stands as the largest vineyard in the entire region. 

Despite a massive annual production, they produce resolutely classic Riojas, ones built for decades of evolution, as evidenced by today’s 1988 Reserva. It’s largely Tempranillo, with a small percentage of the local Graciano variety, that is aged in new and used American oak for 24 months. Upon bottling, the wine was allowed to mature for 18 more months prior to its release. This old parcel spent the majority of its life with a private collector in Northern Spain, and it just arrived in America as I write this (December 20th, 2022).

We’re always thrilled to uncork cellar-stored beauties but some demand far more respect and awe than others: Despite being a ripe old age, today’s 1988 Coto Mayor Reserva is priced impossibly low—and it’s drinking beautifully. After pouring into Bordeaux stems and allowing five minutes to open up in the glass, a sublime two-hour sensory performance begins in the form of dried plum and cherry, redcurrant, clove, sandalwood, coconut husk, cedar, vintage leather, dried rose petal, charred earth, dried sage, smoke, and a hint of wild game. 

The palate is fine-grained and medium-bodied, introducing itself with modest waves of savory, red-fruited layers, kitchen spices, and Rioja’s signature sweet-sour interplay. It’s a perfect example of how top-class Tempranillo from a bonafide benchmark evolves over time. Savor it now and over the next five years. Cheers to this incredible, delightfully affordable, library-release gem!