Sadly, this was badly corked. A shame as it was my last bottle.
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This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 10% Graciano, and 5% Manuelo from Spain. It is a modern, delicious take on Rioja. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, espresso, and baking spices. Full bodied. Very nice texture. It has lots of black raspberries, some black cherries with underlying spice. There is some warmth to it. Drinking great now, it should drink well for another decade. This drinks great on its own and will work great with heavier meat dishes. Think steak or brisket.
Seems like a pretty modern take on Rioja. Ruby in color. The nose has cherries, slight dust, and a bit of black cherries. On the palate, this is drinking well. Cherries, black cherries with medium tannins. Nice finish. Easy drinking but also a bit of depth. This will please with or without food. This retails for around $20 which is a great value.
I used to drink a lot of this wine and earlier vintages back in the day. Its been a while, but when a friend popped the cork, it was fun. Still a great wine. Ruby in color. The nose is earthy with slight barnyard. Cherries, slight dill, and slighter vanilla. On the palate, cherry fruit with a bit of cherry cough drops. Good acidity. Very food friendly. Softer texture. Nice depth. Seems to be drinking at or near peak but no hurry.
Sadly, this was horribly corked (TCA). The note is included to see if this is a random episode or something others should be aware of.
This is a Spanish wine made from Tinto Fino which is the local name from Tempranillo. It was good to try another bottle as the first was badly corked. This was very nice if a bit young. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cherries, black cherries, dust and cedar. On the palate, this has medium tannins. Bold cherry flavor with underlying char. Good balance. Nice finish. It should continue to evolve for the next five years or so and be good for at least a decade after that. It will go well with foods on the grill.
