External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2005
1998
N.V.
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.1 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 208 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by whudock on 11/4/2019 & rated 84 points: flat and one dimensional. Past its prime. (1366 views) | | | Tasted by Quarked on 8/2/2017 & rated 90 points: This wine was stored horribly -- in the bottom of my office file cabinet for 4 years, forgotten under some papers. But this evening it really drank beautifully, especially considering its past. Could have mistaken it for an entry-level Priorat, with nice purity of fruit (raspberries), a hint of tannins, and a long finish. Not what I expected! (2732 views) | | | Tasted by Baylorwine on 2/2/2017 & rated 90 points: This was a fun well made wine. Not sure it will last much longer before the downturn but drinking great now. Slowly improved over 4 days. (3041 views) | | | Tasted by whudock on 9/29/2016 & rated 89 points: solid qpr. good fruit and spice. held up well to Moroccan lamb (3349 views) | | | Tasted by chcook on 6/6/2016: Big and heavy compared to previous vintages. (3629 views) | | | Tasted by Barry Raterink on 6/6/2016 & rated 90 points: What a great value wine - fruity, well balanced, held up for a few hours, with a touch more acid this wine would be really good. (2710 views) | | | Tasted by RobertVitello on 3/21/2016 & rated 89 points: Very nice garnacha with a fresh, cherry flavor that bubbles through the underlying layer of raisins that first greets the palate. Flavorful with a long, appealing finish. Very versatile: we drank it with some Brie and then went on to drink it against pan-fried haddock--of all things, but I intend to open bottles to serve with lamb on Easter Sunday with which it should pair at least equally well. There's a thread of sweetness through this otherwise dry wine that plays well with savory accompaniments. (1774 views) | | | Tasted by Altonplace on 10/15/2015: Solid wine has reached end of life. After aeration for 30 minutes the flavor flattened near zip. (1937 views) | | | Tasted by Baylorwine on 8/9/2015 & rated 91 points: Serious Value here. Had with gyros and was extremely happy. Full bodied Southfield but lightweight thanks to acidity. Each taste was fun. (1746 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 4/19/2015 & rated 89 points: Needs 45-60 minutes to open up. Went great with smoked pork. (1861 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 3/29/2015 & rated 88 points: Very dark purple color, definitely in its drinking window. Gets better as it progresses to the back of the palate. Medium finish. (1955 views) | | | Tasted by pepmi on 11/25/2014 & rated 85 points: The world is awash in enjoyable, everyday $10 wines. So much so, that it makes sense to buy a variety of these wines rather than stock up on one in particular. Often, everyday wines have a monotonous character and become boring -- ruining the notion that these "cellar defenders" are the go to bottles during the week. Instead you tire of them and leave them to rot in the cellar racks. Thats exactly what happened with this '10 Espelt. I wish I had bought 3 rather than 12.
True, the wine is dense and deep purple in the glass and offers an abundance of lively "new worldly" blackberry fruit. It's lush and forward but with a finish that shows a bit too much heat for my taste. One might guess its a Californian Syrah which might appeal to some. Worth a shot but not twelve. (2635 views) | | | Tasted by cuffthis on 8/30/2014 & rated 90 points: Medium purple in color, this wine revealed black currant, raspberry, espresso and spices on the nose. The mouth feel brought gobs of juicy dark fruits and added notes of cinnamon and forest floor. The finish was medium in length with the dark fruits and juicy fruit elements coming on strong.
Purchased for $11US, this is one of the best values on the market today for a wine of this quality. The intense fruits and sot tannins make this an easy drinking, thoroughly enjoyable Spanish red.
An Eric Solomon Selection. Imported by European Cellars, LLC, Charlotte, NC. (2661 views) | | | Tasted by Quendil on 8/21/2014 & rated 90 points: Excellent. Almost jammy dark fruit (plum, perhaps) on the palate, with gentle oak. Slight vanilla on the finish, low astringency. (2582 views) | | | Tasted by MadisonWIneGuy on 8/5/2014 & rated 88 points: Cherry, black raspberry, dry, balanced acidity, a little dustiness. Quite tasty, blows the Tres Picos Borsao away. 88 pts. (2250 views) | | | Tasted by pkatz on 8/3/2014 & rated 91 points: Consistent with previous notes. (2347 views) | | | Tasted by jcosindc on 7/26/2014 & rated 90 points: Excellent QPR for a medium bodied red with smoky fruit flavor. (1724 views) | | | Tasted by Decanthor on 7/19/2014 & rated 87 points: After a year and half this wine has not improved at all. I tried a sip on PnP then again after 45 minutes of air. Better, but there is still no chance of this reaching WA 92. I loved it when a family member took his first sip and said "this is ok." That about sums it up. It is well made, with a Rhone-like palate that is much better than the nose. However, there is nothing that makes it distinctive or complex. It served its role as an appetizer wine with our cheese and ham. (1447 views) | | | Tasted by ehodin on 5/24/2014 & rated 87 points: A bit overpowering tannins, with little real interest (1764 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 4/4/2014 & rated 91 points: Had one for the first time in over a year, and the time has served it well. Good fruit and the structure showed up on the back end without overpowering the taste. Great quality for the price! (2136 views) | | | Tasted by calodo2011 on 3/26/2014 & rated 88 points: Clean, juicy, Luden's cough drop-esque flavor, slight minerality, fun - perfect for a huge Taco Bus lunch! (2140 views) | | | Tasted by Alekos on 3/9/2014 & rated 86 points: Decent but nothing special. (2295 views) | | | Tasted by MadisonWIneGuy on 2/8/2014 & rated 87 points: Nose: Floral, cherry, spice, licorice/anise.
Palate: Sour cherry, licorice, a little cinnamon? spice, dustiness, full mouth-feel, and a decent length. Solid wine, 1 left in the cellar. 87-88 pts. (2131 views) | | | Tasted by Hershey in CA on 1/23/2014 & rated 90 points: Tight and complex out of the bottle, it opens up after about an hour in the glass. Layers of minerality, dark fruits, chocolate to start, with smoke and bacon like flavors filling in with some time. Great value, I imagine this will hold up fine for a couple years in the cellar. (1406 views) | | | Tasted by scott w on 1/12/2014 & rated 87 points: last bottle, really great qpr, glad I bought some of the 12's. Cherry blackberry balancing acid and a touch of tannin. (2411 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Espelt Producer website
Importer Eric Solomon's pg, likely a BETTER info source for the U.S. marketGarnachaWikipedia: In Spain, Grenache is known as Garnacha and given the likely history of the grape this is most likely the grape's original name. There are several clonal varieties of Garnacha with the thin-skinned, dark colored Garnacha Tinta (sometimes spelled Tinto) being the most common. Another variety, known as Garnacha Peluda or "Hairy Grenache" due to the soft softly hairy texture on the underside of the vine's leaves is also found in Spain, mostly in Borja and Cariñena (Aragón). Compared to its more widely planted cousin, it produces wines lower in alcohol and higher in acidity that show spicy and savory notes more readily as they age.[11] Widely planted in northeastern and central Spain, Garnacha was long considered a "workhorse" grape of low quality suitable for blending. In the late 20th century, the success of the Garnacha based wines from Priorat in Catalonia (as well as the emerging international attention given to the New World Rhone Rangers) sparked a re-evaluation of this "workhorse" variety. Today it is the third most widely planted red grape variety in Spain (behind Tempranillo and Bobal) with more than 203,300 acres (82,300 ha) and is seen in both varietal wines and blends.[3]
Garnacha plays a major role in the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC/DOQ) wines of Rioja and Priorat and the Denominación de Origen (DO) wines of Navarra and all southern Aragonese and southern Catalonian appellations, plus the mountainous areas just southwest of Madrid: Méntrida and Cebreros. In Rioja the grape is planted mostly in the warmer Rioja Baja region located in the eastern expanse of the wine region. Usually blended with Tempranillo, Garnacha provides juicy fruitiness and added body. In recent years, modern Rioja producers have been increasing the amount of Garnacha used in the blend in order to produce earlier maturing and more approachable Riojas in their youth. Garnacha is also used in the pale colored rosados of Rioja.[3] The vine has a long history in the Navarra region where it has been the dominant red grape variety with nearly 54% of the region's vineyard planted with Garnacha. Compared to neighboring Rioja, the Garnacha-based blends of Navarra are lighter and fruitier, meant for earlier consumption.[5]Old Vines Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes (Wikipedia)Spain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.Catalunya Map on weinlagen-infoEmpordà Empordà DO Official Site |
|
