Spanish Temperanillo

• 2006 Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Medium dark center. Cedar/pine nose. Full, ripe black fruit entry, then brambly, high acidity to follow. Finish is attenuated by the acidity and drying wood tannins.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2008 Bodegas Ramon Bilbao Rioja Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Medium red, lightening edge. Piney, green aromatics. Medium weight, bright red fruit, some VA, briary licorice notes sneak in at the end. Wood base is not overdone.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Viña Sastre (Bodegas Hermanos Sastre) Ribera del Duero Pago de Santa Cruz

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Deep ruby. All herbs and menthol. Lush first impression, heady style, blackberry fruit. Powerful acids, baking spices, very oaky base. Overall comes across as syrupy and too sweet.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Alfredo Maestro Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Castrillo de Duero

  Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León

  Dark and deeply extracted looking. A bit of funk. Smooth, lush and modern. Ripe blueberry fruit, hot, woody finish. This just has an odd sweet (upfront)/sour (back end) juxtaposition.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Bodega Numanthia Toro Termes

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  Thick and dark. Spicy aromatics. Full bodied, alcoholic heat, white pepper and blackberry confit. Sappy without defining structure. Its power is fueled by high alcohol rather than by concentration of fruit.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Medium center, lighter edge. Pretty, high toned perfume. Lighter weight than anything else in the flight. Subtle, delicate fruit is balanced by soil and acidity with a small hint of neutral wood at the end. What a relief to try something more classic after the more cartoonish, outsized wines.

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

To each his own taste, but I thought that the vinification of most of these reds had gone entirely off the rails, aiming for soupiness and maximal extraction rather than emphasizing the delicate beauty of this grape. Granted, however, that this was a very limited sample.