This popular Tempranillo is nicely aged, as Riojas should be, with a nose of plums, earth, cassis and light spice. It’s perfectly mature right now with integrated fruit, smooth tannins and a spicy bite from the sweet oak. A bit rustic on the finish, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Lifted aromas of fresh citrus and tropical hints precede a palate of lemon and lychee, pineapple and passion fruit, all wrapped in juicy acidity with a clear, bright finish.
This bouquet of this Grenache blend reminds me of the herbs that grow wild on the hills in the Midi mingled with aromas of chocolate and blackberries. Its opulent texture fills the mouth with sweet blackberry fruit that lingers on the palate for an unconscionable time.
Pale silvery-yellow with sparse bubbles. Faint nose of pear and apple. Fizzier on the palate than it looks in the glass, tasting of lemon and melons with a slight sweetness. Good party wine. Drink up.
Clear, very deep garnet. Mature nose of black cherry jam and stewed plums with a bit of “barnyard.” Full-bodied and very fruity (more cherry jam). The fruit, high alcohol and tannins are in lovely balance now, so drink up.
This good value red blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec opens nicely in the glass to lifted red and black fruit. Good mouthfeel and solid fruit acid balance with approachable tannins and good length, cherries and spice to close.
Dense purple-black in colour with a spicy, cedary, blackcurrant bouquet; full-bodied, dry and concentrated flavours of cassis, plum and mocha chocolate finishing on a pencil-lead note. A keeper.