Paired with smothered beef short ribs
This garnet colored Tempranillo is aged for 18 months in American Oak and then 2 years in the bottle.
I didn’t get an oak scent, more of a smoky mesquite scent. My dining companion got tobacco/tobacco leaf.
It tastes like it smells, so while dry on the tongue it still hints at fruit flavors. Maybe a current or cassis. Oddly, it’s not as heavy bodied as the scent would suggest.
The short ribs were a bit more like my grandmother’s pot roast, but good. Unfortunately, they flattened the wine flavor for me. The sweet potatoes both sweetened and dried the wine.
Surprisingly, the wine is not acidic.
Final Thoughts
After having quite a few Texas Tempranillos it was interesting to go back to what the rep described as “old world flavor.” I made a note that the sweet potatoes convinced me this was definitely not a Texas Tempranillo. Not sure what I meant by that – but my guess would be that the longer aging process impacts the wine – whereas the ones in Texas aren’t usually aged that long. (They’re too good, you have to drink them.)
I rated this as a Thursday wine, even though the third course during the wine dinner is usually only a Wednesday wine. And after checking the prices, its a bit closer to a Friday price wise – so go ahead and treat yourself – it’s almost Friday!
NOTE: This wine was tried during the September wine dinner at Randy’s Steakhouse.
