The ultra-classical and polished 2010 Reserva has aromas of cherries in liqueur with some development notes of forest floor and brick dust with a touch of leather. The palate is quite light and sleek, with resolved tannins and clean flavors. It feels a little light for a vintage like 2010, when I expected more weight. 100,000 bottles produced.

The 2009 Reserva felt a little shy. It's the classic blend of Tempranillo from Rioja Alta with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo; it was aged in barrel for 26 months. It is polished and feels older than it is, with an evolved color and nose, developed and tertiary, not too intense. The palate is soft and polished. Time to drink up. 100,000 bottles produced.

The 2007 Reserva has an evolved color and a nose dominated by tertiary aromas, balsamic, notes of incense and tea leaves, cured meat, paprika, brick dust and a lactic touch. Together it is quite recognizable and pleasant. The palate is sleek, polished and quite evolved with fully resolved tannins. I'd drink this sooner rather than later. Somehow 36 months feels too long time in oak. 100,000 bottles produced.

The 2006 Reserva is based on 85% Tempranillo aged for 26 months in American oak and three years in bottle. It has a light peppermint bouquet with notes of small black cherry and a dash of soy. The palate is medium bodied with a sweet, coconut infused entry. There is generous sweet red berry fruit laced with leather that informs its candied, unashamedly commercial finish. Drink now. Straight after my marathon tasting at Finca Allende, I headed towards the much larger winery of Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta just outside Haro. This traditional bodega was founded in 1895 by Felix Martinez Lacuesta and subsequently outgrew its original facilities. In 2009 they completed construction of their own impressive, tailor-made winery that became operative the following year. Tasting through their portfolio, I found the Crianza and Reserva wines a little conservative for my liking: competent and commercially sound, yet needing greater expression of personality and place. But they do come with a wallet-friendly price tag. More interesting are their special releases that are imbued with more elegance and complexity. Importer: various US importers including Serendipity Wines (Texas), www.serendipitywines.com; Dionysis Imports, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 550-2250; Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 863-1753; and Spain Wine Collection, Congers, NY, www.spainwinecollection.com

The 2005 Reserva is quite a jump from the Crianza showing a lot more stuffing in a classic profile of leather, tea leaves, paprika and iron aromas and a polished palate with resolved tannins and good balance. This is easy to drink and is in line with the house style. Drink 2014-2018. Martinez Lacuesta is one of the classical names from Haro, which was created in 1895 and now, 118 years later, is a one-million-bottle operation still run by the same family. Some stray bottles from (extremely) old vintages can be found in shops or restaurants and are well worth drinking (I’m thinking of a superb 1928 here). On top of their current (mostly) classical wines that are quite consistent if not terribly exciting, they also produce delicious vermouth, which after all is nothing but aromatized wine. Various American importers: Serendipity Wines (Texas), Dionysis Wines (Washington), Arborways Imports (Mass.) and Spanish Wine Collection (New York).