The Wine Society

[02] The Society's Rioja Crianza

     

Description

This traditionally styled Rioja is soft and mellow, with good concentration and length for a wine of this price.
This wine finished 2nd in The Great Society Wines Vote 2010 and 2nd in The High Society Tastings Top 10.

Save to my Wish List

Product Code
SP3501
Product Type
Red Wine
Origin
Rioja
Style
Medium Bodied
Dominant Grape
Tempranillo
Closure Type
cork, colmate
Availability
In Stock
Price
£6.95 per bottle
£83.00 per case of 12
     
[02] The Society's Rioja Crianza
Wine Basket
0 items, total £0.00

Only Wine Society Members can add wines to the Wine Basket

Quick Order
 
 
If you like this, these are worth trying
Las Campanas Crianza Navarra 2004
"A blend of 80% tempranillo and 20% cabernet sauvignon aged in American oak barricas until soft and round" ...more...
£5.75 per bottle (£69.00 per case of 12)
Save £9.00
Save to my Wish List
Navajas Crianza Rioja 2005
"Navajas is a family-run estate situated just outside the small town of Navarrete in La Rioja Alta Antonio Navajas makes" ...more...
£8.50 per bottle (£102.00 per case of 12)
Save to my Wish List


Members' Reviews
"I visited Bodegas Palacio some years ago and was bowled over by the quality of the wines,which was matched by the beauty of the region and the warmth and generosity of the owners. I can assure members that this wine is made with care and passion and continues to be one of my favourite wines. If you like smooth yet complex wines with a background note of vanilla and oak then this wine is for you."
Mr Peter Laggan (20-Jan-2010)
"I have been ordering this wine since I joined the Society 6 years ago and it has never let me down. I will certainly continue ordering it."
Mrs Susan Ritson (30-Dec-2009)
"Delicious. Full of fruity flavours and a good finish. Will order more."
Mr Ian M Porter (01-Dec-2009)
"An unexceptional ordinary wine."
Mr David Walker (18-Nov-2009)
"Good wine with poultry/game. Not too heavy and was also good with the cheese that followed. "
Mr Gordon Burgess (16-Nov-2009)
"We greatly enjoyed this wine. It is full-bodied with great 'nose' and taste."
Dr Peter Sonksen (15-Nov-2009)
"Very nice easy drinking Rioja, and very good value."
Mrs Frances Lonsdale (14-Nov-2009)
"On the recommendation of Sebastian Payne in the summer wines magazine we had the Crianza at our daughter's wedding. It was highly praised by everyone and as testimony to that it all went. It is very easy to drink and has a great depth of flavour for such a reasonably priced wine. I obviously liked it as I have recently ordered another case. I would recommend it very highly indeed. "
Dr C P Taylor (13-Nov-2009)
"It's consistently very good; the winemaker crafts a classic old world wine of very high quality. The quality is such, that my friends often think that its a much more expensive wine. Sometimes they compare the balance and finesse with clarets £15 +, for instance. This is a regular treat in our house, year after year. Please don't tell everyone!"
Mr Paul Wright (12-Nov-2009)
"We have found it to be superb value, as popular with our 30yr old children as with our older friends, who all seem amazed that it is such a bargain. Compared with loads of overrated, overpriced Riojas on the market, we find it as good as those to be found in Spain for about 15 -20 Euros a bottle. Not overoaky, no nasty sour notes, it has a lovely nose and fulfills its promise nicely."
Mrs Katharine Coleman (11-Nov-2009)
"Rioja as it should be. Oak and vanilla make for an excellent food wine, especially roast lamb. Anyone who enjoys 'Old World' wines will appreciate this but may require a bit of perseverance if you are a 'New World' fan."
Mr Robert Harvey (11-Nov-2009)
"A really lovely wine! My wife and I enjoyed it immensely. Excellent value for money."
Mr Martin Plaut (11-Nov-2009)
"This Rioja has you grinning from ear to ear with enjoyment. For the length of a bottle, life is considerably better. Rich, deep and achingly tasty. Keep it quiet or they'll all want some."
Mr Jonny McPherson (06-Nov-2009)
"One of the many pleasures in wine drinking is discovering a new bottle of wine that gives you a new taste or aroma that you haven't experienced before. But, sometimes, just sometimes, there is nothing better than uncorking a bottle that you are already familiar with and you know will provide you with guaranteed drinking pleasure. The Wine Society Rioja is just such a bottle. It simply oozes quality, providing that familiar aromatic combination of vanilla and leather that only Rioja Crianza seems to display. The contents seem to disappear far too quickly whether drunk on it's own or with a meal. A true delight."
Mr James Fallon (14-Oct-2009)
"This is my favourite of the Society's wines. It is exactly how a Rioja should be and would put those priced at £30 or more to shame."
Mr David Emes (28-Sep-2009)
"I served the 2005 to accompany a Moroccan lamb dish recently and all guests, some of whom were Wine Society members, were of the view that this very pleasing wine complimented the food brilliantly."
Mr Christopher J Davies (24-Sep-2009)
"Limpid brick red, with an elegant, restrained but rich Tempranillo nose and a hint of oak. Its medium weight belies the ripeness and richness of the fruit and the long, soft, tannic finish. Crianzas are often not this rich, nor indeed so delicious."
Mr Justin Crawford (01-Sep-2009)
"This is a lovely wine and the description on the bottle is justified, although I could not detect the "leather" aroma. The wine is exceptionally smooth and full of a fruity after taste, filling the mouth. Just right for me. My friends also commented on its excellence."
Dr William G Fleming (31-Aug-2009)
"I am a dedicated drinker of wines from the Rioja district and particularly like the unique Spanish classification which lets us know readily the time aged in oak with the influence this has on the flavour of the wine. The 2005 harvest was a good one and I particularly like the Crianza wines. I find this one particularly enjoyable as the Society's Riojas invariably are and it is pleasant with almost any dish but particularly with lamb or venison. A good buy and excellent value for money."
John M Campbell Esq (25-Aug-2009)
"An excellent wine. Everything you would expect from a top-class Crianza."
Harmer C J Parr (19-Aug-2009)
"We are enjoying the full flavour of the above wine and so are our friends. It is excellent."
A Keith Bennett (19-Aug-2009)
"Proper Rioja Crianza. Soft fruit with vanilla overtones. If you can get a better example for the price, I'd like to know about it!"
Dr Ross Worthington (18-Aug-2009)
"Very good and a decent price."
Mr David A Lansdowne (18-Aug-2009)
"I have been buying the Society's Rioja for many years and it is consistently one of my favourite red wines to drink both at dinner, with most meat dishes or with cheese and occasionally for a glass or two on its own. It has a remarkable depth and breadth of flavours with hints of tobacco and chocolate and a lingering "warmth" in the mouth."
Mr Ronald H Kemp (16-Aug-2009)
"I have recently purchased the Society's Rioja Crianza 2005, and indeed have purchased the wine several times in the past. It is a firm favourite of mine - just as a Rioja should be - an enticing aroma, softened tannins.and a full fruity palate. The presentation of the wine is also excellent. The "black" bottle with red and gold label is classic. Very upmarket looking and a bargain at the price. My husband and I stayed at Boedgas Palacio a few years ago. The bed and breakfast was excellent, as was the tour of the winery. We were told at that time the wine was only sold to Harrods. Laguardia is a most attractive village perched high on a hill with marvellous views of the Rioja Alavesa region. Well worth a visit."
Mrs Shirley Bridges (13-Aug-2009)
"A "safe, reliable, typical, Rioja". There are better wines on the Society's lists, and there are cheaper wines that are just as enjoyable, but if you keep upwards of, say, 60 bottles at home, most people would like to be able to pull up a Rioja from time to time. This one ticks more boxes than any other."
Mr John L Southall (12-Aug-2009)
"Buy a bottle and open it straightaway and it's an unsubtle brash fruity wine. However keep it for a few months before opening and it's smooth and complex and is enjoyable with or without food."
Mr A Fitzhugh (10-Aug-2009)
"My purchase was of a case of the 2005. Soft and rounded it provides a good accompaniment to a range of dishes."
Mr V John Legg (10-Aug-2009)
"I am very fond of Rioja and found this very smooth and excellent value for money."
Mr Patrick Williams (10-Aug-2009)
"A very reliable, good value, wine. The most versatile red we have found, that can be enjoyed in any situation."
Mr Jonathan Sharkey (10-Aug-2009)
"Having just returned from two weeks in France I opened my first bottle of The Society's Rioja Crianza to have a different experience. It was not only different but it was excellent. It is a powerful wine but with some maturity and very enjoyable. I thought that it would be OK when the driver who delivered it said he thought it was very good!"
Mr R T Fox (10-Aug-2009)
"Every cork that has been pulled has revealed a special favour of wine. We drank each bottle with first expectation and quickly followed with heady pleasure. Only three left in the rack so I'm on-line checking the stock."
Mr Paul Baker (07-Aug-2009)
"An excellent wine for the price. Pleasantly luscious and rich."
Mr Anthony J Fisher (07-Aug-2009)
"An elegant and refined style of Rioja, but with length and depth. Some vanilla and spicy notes no doubt resulting from the period of maturation in oak, but not suffering the sickly sweet effect that American oak can sometimes have. To use a musical analogy, more like a Mozart concerto than a Mahler symphony!"
Mr James S Robertson (07-Aug-2009)
"This is a good example of a well-priced rioja offering excellent value for money. The tempranillo grape is evident, there is a slight sweetness plus a medium body, making this an easy drinking wine. Is better than many more expensive supermarket offerings."
Mr Roger Geoffrey Cocks (07-Aug-2009)
"This is one our regular buys. We like Rioja because of its depth of flavour, raspberry fruits and easy drinking qualities, and we have always thought that the Society's Rioja Crianza has been a reliably great example of this wine. We would recommend this to anyone as good quality, reliable wine that goes well with a variety of meals."
Mr Graham A McCusker (07-Aug-2009)
"A big mouthful of a wine - very pleasant and just too easy too drink."
Mr Peter J Jackson (07-Aug-2009)
"We had this at an outdoors party - more buffet than barbecue - and it was highly praised by all of those that tried it."
Mr Karl Wills (07-Aug-2009)
"A very nice, smooth wine for everyday drinking."
Ian Melvin Esq (07-Aug-2009)
"We offered this wine at a dinner party after having finished our last bottle of a very good Crozes Hermitage which everyone had enjoyed, and thinking that it would be acceptable but only as a second best. However, everyone thought the Rioja was even better and were delighted by its fruitiness."
Mr Peter H Mallinson (07-Aug-2009)
"I buy this every year as it is consistently good & value for money."
Mr David A Cunliffe (06-Aug-2009)
"This is a nice smooth wine which conveys all the best aspects of the Region. I have bought this several times over the years and the quality has remained constant. It is probably best drunk with red meat, but it is just as pleasant drunk with tasty fish. If you can decant and let it breath for a few hours you will reap the benefit."
Mr John Herrington (06-Aug-2009)
"I am not a person who can describe a wine by reference to other tastes. For me this Rioja is acceptable but not brilliant. I would not recommend it."
Mr Norman Measey (06-Aug-2009)
"An eminently quaffable wine, medium bodied, smooth and floral - excellent both on its own and with food (equally good with meaty fish - monkfish, for example). Outstanding value for money."
Mr Robert Gower MA FRCO (06-Aug-2009)
"Although I would not claim to be an expert, I have consistently found the Society's Rioja Crianza to be delicious, reliable and good value. It has never let me down."
Mr Richard Lewis (06-Aug-2009)
"Excellent value for money!"
Mr J B Rolph (06-Aug-2009)
"I am a person who lived in Spain for about 25 years and I can say that this wine is an excellent example of a very classy Rioja at a more than reasonable price. Regrettably, for health reasons, I now live in the U.K."
Mr Raymond F Salter (06-Aug-2009)
"There is one thing my wife and I agree on, we both think The Society's Rioja Crianza is excellent. I cannot think how many years we have been drinking it, but we have used it for two weddings as well as it being our everyday drink."
Mr R G E Chappell (06-Aug-2009)
"Have always had some of the Society's Rioja in stock as it has, over the years, been a consistent good quality Rioja at a sensible price."
Mr Robert S Legget (06-Aug-2009)
"I do not consider myself as a wine connoisseur but manage to consume a fair amount. I have watched Jilly Goolden in the good old days and Oz more recently with the motoring moron. I have to admit that the scent of a wine has never hit me until I had a glass of this Rioja. I put my nose into the glass and it was a really definite perfume. The perfume was equally matched by the taste. I have been a member of the Society for nearly ten years, spent a small fortune on the Society's wine and to date have never been disappointed with any bottle save one. That was a pink in a mixed case but I guess it was just not to my taste and I suppose that there was nothing wrong with the wine. The cat had a small gulp with her milk and she seemed to enjoy it. Caught several mice that day."
Mr Nicholas Taylder (06-Aug-2009)
"Rich and robust though this wine is I am sorry to report that at least 2 bottles of my case have been "headache material"."
Mr John Loyd (06-Aug-2009)
"Excellent light and very flavoursome wine, goes very well with seafood especially Paella with lots of prawns, mussels and scollops. Recommend with pasta too, a great addition to any cellar!"
John D W Portway (05-Aug-2009)
"OK but not exceptional."
Mr Christopher J Yelloly (05-Aug-2009)
"This is really a fine wine. My wife and I enjoy Rioja and we have found over the years, trying a whole range of wines from the Rioja area that the Society's Rioja Crianza is an excellent valued wine and it lives up to its good reputation; not as expensive as some Riojas but its value to an ordinary Member like ourselves, is in its depth of flavour and its overall consistency, that the Society has been able to maintain over many years; this we believe is very important. We can certainly recommend this wine to other Members."
John N Slee-Smith Esq (05-Aug-2009)
"First rate!"
Mr Guy Hodgson (05-Aug-2009)
"Was disappointed as first 2 bottles were both oxidised so never got to taste the wine. Returned the case. Interested to hear if others had any oxidised bottles. Note from The Wine Society: Mr McClintock returned the remainder of his case to The Society and received a refund. If you believe that a wine purchased from The Society is faulty, please call Member Services on 01438 741177."
Mr David McClintock (05-Aug-2009)
"I have found this wine consistently enjoyable, sunny and rich in flavour, delightful to drink alone [my husband doesn't drink wine] as well as with friends. Sophisticated or not, but very important for me, a bottle of Rioja Crianza open for nearly a week does not lose its quality!"
Mrs Rosemary A Hopkins (05-Aug-2009)
"We love this wine and buy it all the time. We know that it is reliable and will go with many of our favourite dishes."
Mr David Eden (05-Aug-2009)
"A good tasting well rounded Rioja at a price which allows you to have another glass"
Mr Matthew George (05-Aug-2009)
"Were one not to know the price, this wine could have cost twice as much, Enjoyable and good value."
Mr Hamish Orr-Ewing (05-Aug-2009)
"Well balanced, although for me it improves by opening and decanting to air at least six hours prior to serving. It will probably improve over a couple of years, so half the order has been cellared. It suits most meats, preferably with a strongish sauce. Good with most cheeses, apart from very strong ones."
Dr Roger Buckett (05-Aug-2009)
"Stunning quality for the price, should be every members house red."
Mr Richard Hewson (05-Aug-2009)
"A consistent wine, smooth and mellow but with firm flavour and no hint of spice."
Mr David A Ingham (05-Aug-2009)
"We enjoyed this very much. A good depth of flavour and a characteristic Rioja without excessive oak. For the price this is excellent value, a good selection for the Society's list."
Mr Thomas Darbyshire (05-Aug-2009)
"Crianza is the youngest category of ageing for Spanish wine which is aged for two years, with at least six months in an oak barrel. This Rioja is from an excellent Bodega and is left in oak for 12 months which gives it that lovely mellow softness to the tannins. It is a real banker to have on the wine rack, it can be uncorked and drunk straight away, because the first one you lovingly opened to take the air will be devoured by your guests in no time at all. I find this wine is just as good the next day but rarely lasts longer than that!"
Mr Glyn Parsons (05-Aug-2009)
"In 2007 by chance we found a Bodega at Laguardia to stay. Whilst tasting a 2001 Reserva I mentioned that I was a member of the Wine Society -- the reply was 'Toby Morrhalll was here yesterday' !! Naturally we have taken an interest in the Riojas from this Bodega. A very enjoyable Crianza."
Captain John C Judge RN (05-Aug-2009)
"This wine is wonderful value for money, you could easily add at least £5.00 and still think it worth the money. It has good balance and a nice length. A star buy in my opinion."
Mr Thomas R Gibson (05-Aug-2009)
"To my palate I find this Rioja very robust and very pleasant to drink either on its own or with red meat. I have in fact recommended it to friends and relations who when sharing a bottle with all say how good it is."
Mr Anthony Blackett (05-Aug-2009)
"I am no connoisseur, but I am a steady consumer of wine! And after a recent promotion by the Society, I arranged to get a tasting case. The Rioja Crianza 2005 struck me immediately as being a lovely mouthful, beautifully balanced mellow fruitiness. I gave it 10 out of 10, and was pleased to find that it was very reasonably priced. I hope they have some left."
Mr Martin Chaffer (05-Aug-2009)
"Rioja is one of my wife's favourite wines and The Society's Rioja Crianza offers a really good example of the wine for a modest outlay. We have since ordered more and shall continue to do so. We do find The Society's range of wines (with the occasional dip into the Exhibition range!) very good value indeed."
Mr Roger Guy (05-Aug-2009)
"Having bought a case of this wine on 'special offer' I have no hesitation in saying that it is a very palatable and a great bargain, but I have to ration myself otherwise it would all be gone in five minutes! Added problem is keeping my sons' hands off it ! I'll be back for more in due course."
Dr Kenneth M McFadyean (05-Aug-2009)
"This wine is consistently of a high standard, I have bought many cases over the years and have never been disappointed, neither will you be if you like a good Rioja."
Christopher R Nicholls Esq (05-Aug-2009)
"Perfectly pleasant but nothing special. I don't think I would order a whole case again."
Dr Susan Blackmore (05-Aug-2009)
"I have bought this wine on a number of occasions and we find it extremely palatable for everyday use - it 'goes' with most foods and everyone is always extremely complimentary about it."
Brigadier Adrian R Freer OBE (05-Aug-2009)
"Absolutely delicious everyday red. I prefer white wine but have a case of this to take to people as a present and they are all much impressed. Occasionally I will open a bottle and drink it myself as it is so fruity and smooth. An essential wine to have in stock at a bargain price. "
Mrs Amanda Royce (05-Aug-2009)
"Delighted with this wine and have just reordered - i knew i had ordered well with the first glass - the wine has a comfortable full flavour but without the heaviness sometimes found in Rioja - first bottle disappeared in no time! It's exceptional value for a good quality wine, very drinkable on its own or with a variety of cheeses, red meats and roasted chicken."
Mr Rodney N H Moulton (05-Aug-2009)
"Good fruit balanced by possibly a slight excess of acidity.. Smooth tannin."
Mr Brian Wooding (05-Aug-2009)
"Good value. Very enjoyable typical Rioja."
Mr Michael A Roche (05-Aug-2009)

About SSL Certificates