A five grape blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Carignan, and 5% for each of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, which sounds like a Priorat but actually comes from Costa Brava in Spain. Though 15 years old, still opaque to the edge, and sturdily held up its flavors when kept in the refrigerator for a week after being opened. Raspberry is the primary fruit flavor from nose to finish. The best part of the wine is the swallow that is long, fruity, dry, and well structured by ample acidity and tannin.
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From a note, before I began using CT. Great bouquet, smells like a baker's kitchen. Fine, powery-tannins coat the entire palate and linger for a good while. Excellent, extended finish. The Garnacha really excelled in the blend.
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Underrated!!!! Outstanding Spanish mix. The Grenache stands out beautifully. Aereated with Vinturi and had the best aroma of all the wines from around the world in our party. Will buy again.
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Decanted for 4+hrs in closed decanter. Seems appropriate based on other CT notes, and prior experience. Good, and would repeat. However other recent Spanish Grenacha or Syrah blends at the same $25 price point seem to offer more.
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RUSSK Didn't take to this wine immediately. It started hot and almost medicinal (nearly 15% alc) with a thin mouthfeel, both of which I attribute to the Grenache. Had some non-syrupy sweetness. Seemed like a Rhone wine. But after a 3hr decant, it got better. Some of the alc blew off and the wine picked up some elegance. Nose pleasant, but mild. Tanins, a bit grippy in the end. Would not buy more. Would decant what I have for a few hrs, b/f drinking.
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Color dark red in the glass with lots of black tones, medium body. Faint bouquet of dark undefined fruits, tar, cedar, and licorice. On the palate this reminded me of port, only lighter in terms of body and lower alcohol. The fruit is black plum, bits of prune and raisin, dark chocolate, and minerally earth. The dark fruits taste mildly oxidized despite no decant/fresh pour, and combined with fairly low acidity makes me think that this bottle purchased directly from the wine shop is on the other side of its peak. The tannins are integrated and soft, and the finish of dark fruit, graphite and earth is shorter than expected. Overall, this was a big disappointment; the flavors, texture and complexity clearly did not aspire to the pro note and score of 93. Value is mediocre at 23 given this experience was not better than other Spanish multi-varietal blends costing half as much. I wonder if well-cellared bottles have evolved better.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Spanish Reds (Anna's House): Decanted 5 hours. Medium purple. Nose of red fruits, charcoal, mineral, On the palate this has settled down with five hours decanting. Spices, floral, cinnamon, and cherry. While the nose and palate don't match up well the palate makes up for the lack of balance. I like the wine but it is not a mind blowing effort.
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Good Nose. Spice box and crushed cinnamon and cherry. Nutmeg. First taste out of the bottle is fleshy and acidic. Finish is promising. Will try after letting it breath for a couple of hours - 89-91 pts This is a wine to have with food.
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Nice dark ruby color, Showing dark cherry, dark chocolate, mineral, and Graphite notes throughout, with firm fleshy tannins holding it all together. Good balance and Finishes up nice and clean. - JD92
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This was fine, and nothing more. 89 points would be the high mark. There was good color, aroma was a bit candied with tobacco, smoke, and iron like notes. On the palate there was an over ripeness to the fruit. The minerals came through. This was a little off putting as there was this very rich sweet fruit, not heavy just rich, and then there was this ferrous quality. These qualities clashed. The length was fine. The wine was just fine.
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The color is showing some age. Nose certainly with dark berries, some spice and cedar. Good structrure with the tannins integrated fairly nicely. Decent finish. Good wine.
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Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Delicia's comment says it all "Wow, that is good juice." Dark Chocolate and espresso aromas interminlge with back fruits. Mineral notes on the palate are accented by hints of underlying cedar. Each glass was a different experience. Dinner @ Baywolf.
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Definitely doesn't have the umph to be a 94 pt. wine, I'm suprised. Jammy as everyone said, and that is really all I can find. It is a little mineraly and if I try real hard there is a hint of cedar. Completely lacking the complexity of a 94 pt. wine.
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This one is much better than the last. It’s got a beautiful curranty nose on initial observation, but as it blooms, it takes on woody notes such as cedar and tobacco. There is fig and dried fruit such as plum. Also in play is chocolate. It has somewhat of a deep ruby color. Very good length and nice mineral complexity.
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Very port like, light , but very port like. Scents of cedar, tobacco, flowers, and currants. The finish was short. It was also very mineral. I liked it, but didn’t love it. 94 points? No. More like 89-90. It could have been poorly handled during shipment, but since other’s have stated basically what I just did, Parker must have gotten a cherry picked bottle!
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Ellen preferred it unaerated, I liked it aerated w Vinturi aerator. The aerated version showed a more aromatic finish. It is very good, a bit heavy, but an enjoyable wine.
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Dense, concentrated, jammy brute. Some glycerin, but little complexity on the nose and the palate. No discernible finish. Pleasant to drink alone and with steak, but certainly not a 94 in my book.
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It opened over about an hour and a half like a kitten maturing into a tiger. And I had been quite fond of the kitten. The bouquet was minerally with faint but ripe lillies. And the wine presents a cycling mouthfull that plays itself out like a complex, bitter-sweet tug-of-war. Forward but sophisticated; a dark stain on the midpalate; and a profile (but not a flavor) of an atomic espresso. Risks being a bit too much.
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Spain (Farpointe Cellar): A lovely nose of cedar, raspberry, spice, and some floral notes. The palate was full of red and black fruit, mixed with graphite and spice. The finish was great.
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On the nose somewhat portlike notes of jammy roasted fruit, licorice, brandy, caramel and vanilla. Rich, jammy, a bit hot, low in acidity and not terribly tannic. Finishes moderately long and quite sweet. Way way too ripe, lacking depth, in no book in no place should this be scored a 94 (which I think was the WA score). Not bad wine, and not as bad as the 2003 Numanthia, but overripe and overdone and with no depth or complexity.
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Tasted January 10, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of melted black licorice, mixed berries and red plums. Flavors of mixed berries, licorice and just a touch of minerality on the finish. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink now with a decant or hold over the mid-term at a minimum.
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Fine Wines of Spain (The Landmark Hotel, London NW1): 50% Grenache, 35% Carignan, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Tempranillo and 5% Shiraz. Ruby in colour this is a very full-bodied wine. The nose is gamey with hints of raspberry and blackberry fruit. The palate is huge and I found aniseed characters and dense fruit. Also a favourite of Robert Parker who awarded the 2001 vintage 94 points.
Tasted during the "Fine Wine of Spain" session (run by John Radford) at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter.
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10/27/2018 - Mossrose wrote: 92 Points
A five grape blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Carignan, and 5% for each of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, which sounds like a Priorat but actually comes from Costa Brava in Spain. Though 15 years old, still opaque to the edge, and sturdily held up its flavors when kept in the refrigerator for a week after being opened. Raspberry is the primary fruit flavor from nose to finish. The best part of the wine is the swallow that is long, fruity, dry, and well structured by ample acidity and tannin.
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10/29/2017 - tfesmgk Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was really good especially for its age. Long and dark. It still has distinct tannins. Very impressed.
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3/25/2017 - ctjared Likes this wine:
this can certainly go longer. needs air though to open up. if you like cdp, this is up your alley
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4/6/2014 - ctjared wrote:
Grenache is not so interesting to me anymore.
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5/9/2013 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
From a note, before I began using CT. Great bouquet, smells like a baker's kitchen. Fine, powery-tannins coat the entire palate and linger for a good while. Excellent, extended finish. The Garnacha really excelled in the blend.
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10/15/2012 - ctjared wrote:
FAR better then I remember the first bottle. Complex, spicy, dark fruit, big mouth feel and long finish.
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2/16/2012 - bonedoc wrote: 92 Points
This is a nice blend, can taste all components, balanced w good fruit and acidity. Drink up!
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9/22/2011 - ctjared wrote:
Very interesting wine. After some air it really is very nice.
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9/19/2010 - Pancho G. wrote: 95 Points
Underrated!!!! Outstanding Spanish mix. The Grenache stands out beautifully. Aereated with Vinturi and had the best aroma of all the wines from around the world in our party. Will buy again.
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7/19/2010 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 4+hrs in closed decanter. Seems appropriate based on other CT notes, and prior experience. Good, and would repeat. However other recent Spanish Grenacha or Syrah blends at the same $25 price point seem to offer more.
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5/28/2010 - RussK wrote: 90 Points
RUSSK Didn't take to this wine immediately. It started hot and almost medicinal (nearly 15% alc) with a thin mouthfeel, both of which I attribute to the Grenache. Had some non-syrupy sweetness. Seemed like a Rhone wine. But after a 3hr decant, it got better. Some of the alc blew off and the wine picked up some elegance. Nose pleasant, but mild. Tanins, a bit grippy in the end. Would not buy more. Would decant what I have for a few hrs, b/f drinking.
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5/11/2010 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Still quite good.
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4/5/2010 - Vinacull wrote: 86 Points
Color dark red in the glass with lots of black tones, medium body. Faint bouquet of dark undefined fruits, tar, cedar, and licorice. On the palate this reminded me of port, only lighter in terms of body and lower alcohol. The fruit is black plum, bits of prune and raisin, dark chocolate, and minerally earth. The dark fruits taste mildly oxidized despite no decant/fresh pour, and combined with fairly low acidity makes me think that this bottle purchased directly from the wine shop is on the other side of its peak. The tannins are integrated and soft, and the finish of dark fruit, graphite and earth is shorter than expected. Overall, this was a big disappointment; the flavors, texture and complexity clearly did not aspire to the pro note and score of 93. Value is mediocre at 23 given this experience was not better than other Spanish multi-varietal blends costing half as much. I wonder if well-cellared bottles have evolved better.
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2/27/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Spanish Reds (Anna's House): Decanted 5 hours. Medium purple. Nose of red fruits, charcoal, mineral, On the palate this has settled down with five hours decanting. Spices, floral, cinnamon, and cherry. While the nose and palate don't match up well the palate makes up for the lack of balance. I like the wine but it is not a mind blowing effort.
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2/22/2010 - Venturifan wrote:
Good Nose. Spice box and crushed cinnamon and cherry. Nutmeg. First taste out of the bottle is fleshy and acidic. Finish is promising. Will try after letting it breath for a couple of hours - 89-91 pts This is a wine to have with food.
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11/17/2009 - pbjosh wrote: 70 Points
Big and goopy, overextracted, bitter, hot, raisined, showing no character, simply bad grapegrowing and winemaking. Basically no redeeming qualities.
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7/13/2009 - amateurwino wrote: 90 Points
Oxidative, porty nose; good palate.
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4/15/2009 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 92 Points
Nice dark ruby color, Showing dark cherry, dark chocolate, mineral, and Graphite notes throughout, with firm fleshy tannins holding it all together. Good balance and Finishes up nice and clean. - JD92
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10/30/2008 - slippytoad wrote: 91 Points
Tasted better than the previous bottles, probably because of that extra year on this bottle
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10/30/2008 - SUN-J wrote: 89 Points
Solid wine although a bit pruny.
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7/13/2008 - mebydef wrote: 89 Points
This was fine, and nothing more. 89 points would be the high mark. There was good color, aroma was a bit candied with tobacco, smoke, and iron like notes. On the palate there was an over ripeness to the fruit. The minerals came through. This was a little off putting as there was this very rich sweet fruit, not heavy just rich, and then there was this ferrous quality. These qualities clashed. The length was fine. The wine was just fine.
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5/9/2008 - Snookboy wrote: 91 Points
The color is showing some age. Nose certainly with dark berries, some spice and cedar. Good structrure with the tannins integrated fairly nicely. Decent finish. Good wine.
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3/28/2008 - DesMarteau wrote: 90 Points
Thick...cherry, tannins. Needs a lot of air. Much better after 2 hours. cherry, spice, earth, cinnamon....good drink
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1/26/2008 - Snookboy wrote: 89 Points
Dark ruby/garnet. Berries and licorice. Is a bit hot on the finish. Not bad.
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12/20/2007 - cseanb1 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Delicia's comment says it all "Wow, that is good juice." Dark Chocolate and espresso aromas interminlge with back fruits. Mineral notes on the palate are accented by hints of underlying cedar. Each glass was a different experience. Dinner @ Baywolf.
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12/4/2007 - BlueDevil wrote: 90 Points
Definitely doesn't have the umph to be a 94 pt. wine, I'm suprised. Jammy as everyone said, and that is really all I can find. It is a little mineraly and if I try real hard there is a hint of cedar. Completely lacking the complexity of a 94 pt. wine.
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11/18/2007 - slippytoad wrote: 91 Points
Smooth with copious red fruit
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9/23/2007 - mebydef wrote: 92 Points
This one is much better than the last. It’s got a beautiful curranty nose on initial observation, but as it blooms, it takes on woody notes such as cedar and tobacco. There is fig and dried fruit such as plum. Also in play is chocolate. It has somewhat of a deep ruby color. Very good length and nice mineral complexity.
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7/29/2007 - mebydef wrote: 89 Points
Very port like, light , but very port like. Scents of cedar, tobacco, flowers, and currants. The finish was short. It was also very mineral. I liked it, but didn’t love it. 94 points? No. More like 89-90. It could have been poorly handled during shipment, but since other’s have stated basically what I just did, Parker must have gotten a cherry picked bottle!
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7/28/2007 - gordoyflaca wrote: 94 Points
nice, pure, sweet red fruit and raspberry, clean. A touch of mocha and minerals.
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7/16/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Ellen preferred it unaerated, I liked it aerated w Vinturi aerator. The aerated version showed a more aromatic finish. It is very good, a bit heavy, but an enjoyable wine.
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7/15/2007 - aof wrote: 90 Points
Dense, concentrated, jammy brute. Some glycerin, but little complexity on the nose and the palate. No discernible finish. Pleasant to drink alone and with steak, but certainly not a 94 in my book.
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4/22/2007 - Rollerball wrote: 93 Points
It opened over about an hour and a half like a kitten maturing into a tiger. And I had been quite fond of the kitten. The bouquet was minerally with faint but ripe lillies. And the wine presents a cycling mouthfull that plays itself out like a complex, bitter-sweet tug-of-war. Forward but sophisticated; a dark stain on the midpalate; and a profile (but not a flavor) of an atomic espresso. Risks being a bit too much.
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3/27/2007 - stevewine wrote: 92 Points
still a little early wait until 9/2007
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3/24/2007 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
Spain (Farpointe Cellar): A lovely nose of cedar, raspberry, spice, and some floral notes. The palate was full of red and black fruit, mixed with graphite and spice. The finish was great.
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3/9/2007 - pbjosh wrote: 82 Points
On the nose somewhat portlike notes of jammy roasted fruit, licorice, brandy, caramel and vanilla. Rich, jammy, a bit hot, low in acidity and not terribly tannic. Finishes moderately long and quite sweet. Way way too ripe, lacking depth, in no book in no place should this be scored a 94 (which I think was the WA score). Not bad wine, and not as bad as the 2003 Numanthia, but overripe and overdone and with no depth or complexity.
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1/10/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
Dallas Offline - Spanish Wines (De Tapas, Addison, TX): WIML92+?,WA94,NOWS
Tasted January 10, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of melted black licorice, mixed berries and red plums. Flavors of mixed berries, licorice and just a touch of minerality on the finish. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink now with a decant or hold over the mid-term at a minimum.
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1/10/2007 - win wrote: 88 Points
Spain, etc., with MB (De Tapas Restaurant, Dallas, Texas): Deep red, very modern, with jammy aromas. Somewhat sweet wine, with raspberries and blueberries prevalent. Almost over the top, like some Australian Shiraz.
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12/1/2006 - archer752000 wrote: 92 Points
Wonderfully balanced wine with solid core of dark fruits wrapped in smoky tannins.
Powerful, yet elegant.
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11/18/2006 - jamieirving wrote: 82 Points
Fine Wines of Spain (The Landmark Hotel, London NW1): 50% Grenache, 35% Carignan, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Tempranillo and 5% Shiraz. Ruby in colour this is a very full-bodied wine. The nose is gamey with hints of raspberry and blackberry fruit. The palate is huge and I found aniseed characters and dense fruit. Also a favourite of Robert Parker who awarded the 2001 vintage 94 points.
Tasted during the "Fine Wine of Spain" session (run by John Radford) at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter.
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