This is still quite purple/black, but isn't completely opaque. Beautiful nose of creme de cassis and blackberry pie with herbal shadings and smoke. Great palate, this is silky but retains a good tug of tannin and acidity. Fully mature, but fresh and inviting, this shows no signs of old age! 92
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Fresh sappy cherry fruit, tannins have calmed down, still seems youthful, subtle vanilla, just a hint of warmth on the finish from its 14.7% alcohol. Best served slightly cooler than room temperature. Glad I still have a few more of these.
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Bouquet of anise and vanilla and crushed berries, with flavors of tart cherry and plum on the palate. Full bodied with tamed tannins. Medium to long length and plesant finish. Yummy!
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Hocharomatischer, rauchig-fruchtiger Ribera mit Massen an feinem Tannin, kräftiger Säure und sehr langem Abgang; gehaltvoll, trotzdem ausgewogen; nicht allzu komplex, lecker!
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Enticing with plum and licorice flavors and a minerality component to its complexity. Firm tannins and good concentration. Still needs more time to unfold.
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Great fruit and wonderful complexity. Paired perfect with grilled pork tenderloin and broccoli rabe sandwiches. So much better than last bottle I had last November.
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Dark opaque in color, with blackberry nose, notable acidity and alcohol not well integrated with somewhat musty dark fruit, followed by intense espresso bean coffee, chocolate flavor. Not well integrated so rough ride, with moderately long finish, but I liked the intensity that emerged, but likely to put off many with its roughness
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Opaque purple with black fruits, floral hints, and some pungent earth aromas. Palate has moderate tannins which are balanced out by the fruit. A touch hot on the back due to the alcohol and seems just a bit out of sorts. Overall not bad, but there are better examples of Ribera wine for similar prices.
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I really was not crazy about this the last time I had it, about 2 years ago. It improved quite a bit in that time. I would have recommended drinking it now, but the fact that it held up so well (and maybe even improved) all the way to day 4, makes me think that it might even be worth sitting on this for a few more years.
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Somewhat disappointed with this. Very one dimensional. I think the oak is masking any complexity this wine offers. If blind tasted I would have never guessed Spain. Don't get me wrong, this is a big, full bodied wine that many people will enjoy. It's just not what I signed up for. A "pass" at $23.
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I must have gotten a bad bottle, because I popped one open last night and it was totally disjointed, hot, and lacking good fruit. Didn't seem corked, however. I loved the last one, so I'll just chalk this up to bottle variation.
Edit: After a day being open on the counter, a lot of the disjointed flavors seemed to dissipate and I'd now rate the wine an 87-88.
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At first PnP, and consumed over 3 nights. Similar profile as before, yet showed slightly better this time around. Picked up notes of baked cherry pie, and kept improving in each succeeding day. This could go another few years, IMHO.
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Had this over 2 of 3 nights. Aerated for 1.5 hrs. on 1st night, but this evolved nicely & improved into 3rd day. Fresh black cherry, black currant, mochaccino, cardamom, little bit of spice, and slight herbal, earthy & cigar box notes. Textured, full-bodied, good acidity, smooth tannins & moderately long finish.
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I really enjoyed this bottle. There was good depth and fruit with well integrated soft tannins with a medium/long finish. Dark fruit with some spice. Seemed to improve with every glass.
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This was a good, but not wowing Ribera. Drank well with Santa Maria style Tri-tip. Good balance and tasty. Was happy with this one- good fruit, pepper and oak. Standard A-typical good Ribera
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Definitely in a sweet spot. Tannins have smoothed out nicely. Peppery, darker fruit framed well by oak. Sure, this still has its oak and is a bit rustic, but it is a solid value and definitely one to seek out.
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Color: Nearly opaque purple at the center, fading to deep magenta at the edges.
Nose: Ripe dark fruits (blackberry, black currant, and plum), with new suede, rounded oak notes, a vitaminy minerality, and a hint of tobacco.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and very firm.
Palate: Very austere and dry, and quite tannic. The nice fruit and herb from the nose are overpowered by oak and bitter tannins, from the attack all the way to the hot, woody, astringent finish.
Maybe this wine is just way too young or needs way more air than I gave it, but I just don't see the alcohol, tannins, or oak ever coming into balance with the fruit. I also don't see any real signs of interesting secondary flavors. I'll save half of this until tomorrow in the hopes that it will settle down, but right now it's just a hot, oaky, unbalanced punch to the mouth.
Day 2: On the nose, a shadow of what it was yesterday. Flat, with faint blackberry and maybe a hint of earth. The palate is somewhat better than yesterday, starting with tart blackberry, leather, and earth, then oak on the midpalate. But the finish is still hot, the tannins still bitter, and it still feels clumsy to me. Somewhat better than yesterday, but ultimately still disappointing.
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passed thru vinturi. color nearly opaque crimson. nose is busy, with dark cassis blue and blackberry fruits framed with oak, but with hints of mocha, rosemary, green pepper and some smoke. on the palate, there is medium body, some racy spiciness reminiscent of zin, and a med long finish that turns lean from stem/skin tannin. i think that it needs some time to mellow, but i worry about the finish.
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Prior notes apply, but this bottle didn't display the same weight as before. Still full-bodied, but lighter on it's feet than I remember. That being said, it was really singing on day 2. Day 1 - 89. Day 2 - 91. I'll continue to hold my remaining bottles...
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Really good wine, but really big bitter tannins. Loads of dark fruit, some spice. Left open for 3 days and the tannins smoothed out and it was just absolutely delicious.
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This is quite oaky. Nice dark fruit, giving way to some secondary development. Mocha. A nip of heat at the finish. This is a bit difficult right now because of the oak, but the tannin is there and the underlying fruit is there. Still promising.
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Pop and pour. Totally new world in style, but the purity of fruit is georgous. Graphite and smoke compliment the dark fruit nicely...I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. I'll decant the next bottle after reading some other reviews about lovely secondary flavors.
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Four days later and still holding up well. Additional notes of crushed granite to compliment the birch and fruit. Somewhat oldworld as fruit is definitely not the centerstage of this wine. Very good, and a long ways to go.
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Hard to discern the fruit at this stage--definitely some blackberry, a little cherry, and some plum. Dances across the palate with fabulous minerality, and birch--the only wine i've come across (vintage to vintage) showing birch notes. Long finish with sticky tannins. A slight bit overoaked, but a fine wine indeed.
I'd hold this one another year or two. 90+ -JRS
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An outstanding Spanish tempranillo from the Castille y Leon region, a great QPR, highly recommend this wine. Enjoyed earlier tonight with good CT wine buddies neighborbill and sidboy and families, purchased a couple of days ago at a tasting. Appriaching a good drinking window, opened for 2-3 hours before consumption, I feel this would benefit from decanting which I did not do tonight. Big dark wine, surprisingly smooth and well balanced, long aftertaste with some black pepper and heat developing on the palate late. Nose of tar, blackberry and granite, primary flavors of balanced black pepper, red fruit, terroir, some herbal tones and cardamom.
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Spain and Portugal Tasting (Casa Roberts): Really nice. The nose was really pleasant, with fresh fruit and a hint of sweet spice. The palate showed red plum, cherry, clove, nuttiness, and nutmeg. medium (+) finish. Impressive value.
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Spain and Portugal (2033 Brandywine): Showed really well tonight. Exceptional value at under $30. Big and round. Nice coating tannins. Very nice nose of hot pepper, black pepper, red fruit and some secondary herb and earth notes. Sharp acidity on the palate with the fruits in harmony. A touch of heat creeps in at the finish, which knocks it down a peg, but this is one to keep an eye on. 91+
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2/24/2024 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:
First time with this producer. Fully mature but not over the hill. This had an animal element that reminded me of Northern Rhone Syrah.
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3/8/2022 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is still quite purple/black, but isn't completely opaque. Beautiful nose of creme de cassis and blackberry pie with herbal shadings and smoke. Great palate, this is silky but retains a good tug of tannin and acidity. Fully mature, but fresh and inviting, this shows no signs of old age! 92
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2/16/2019 - empire80 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fresh sappy cherry fruit, tannins have calmed down, still seems youthful, subtle vanilla, just a hint of warmth on the finish from its 14.7% alcohol. Best served slightly cooler than room temperature. Glad I still have a few more of these.
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9/29/2018 - Winiac wrote: 91 Points
Bouquet of anise and vanilla and crushed berries, with flavors of tart cherry and plum on the palate. Full bodied with tamed tannins. Medium to long length and plesant finish. Yummy!
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2/11/2018 - empire80 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite firm and fierce for tempranillo, I think this needs a few more years to calm down a bit.
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7/15/2017 - K&J Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quality wine.
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5/2/2017 - K&J Likes this wine: 92 Points
Unfolding nicely. About time! 11 years later. Shows the quality of this wine. See previous review 4 years ago.
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11/17/2015 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Hocharomatischer, rauchig-fruchtiger Ribera mit Massen an feinem Tannin, kräftiger Säure und sehr langem Abgang; gehaltvoll, trotzdem ausgewogen; nicht allzu komplex, lecker!
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8/22/2014 - empire80 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very young, bags of potential, needs food. Next bottle in 2 or 3 years?
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12/26/2013 - K&J Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enticing with plum and licorice flavors and a minerality component to its complexity. Firm tannins and good concentration. Still needs more time to unfold.
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11/9/2013 - csnyder612 wrote: 91 Points
Freshly turned earth, smoke, licorice, black pepper taste of plum, medium high acidity, firm but rounded tannins, medium long finish. Excellent value.
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9/27/2013 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great fruit and wonderful complexity. Paired perfect with grilled pork tenderloin and broccoli rabe sandwiches. So much better than last bottle I had last November.
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5/18/2013 - Ken63 wrote: 89 Points
Pleasant big wine but somewhat disappointing as noted in other reviews.
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5/18/2013 - Ken63 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark opaque in color, with blackberry nose, notable acidity and alcohol not well integrated with somewhat musty dark fruit, followed by intense espresso bean coffee, chocolate flavor. Not well integrated so rough ride, with moderately long finish, but I liked the intensity that emerged, but likely to put off many with its roughness
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5/7/2013 - jnewman77 wrote:
Opaque purple with black fruits, floral hints, and some pungent earth aromas. Palate has moderate tannins which are balanced out by the fruit. A touch hot on the back due to the alcohol and seems just a bit out of sorts. Overall not bad, but there are better examples of Ribera wine for similar prices.
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12/18/2012 - Dar3 wrote: 91 Points
I really was not crazy about this the last time I had it, about 2 years ago. It improved quite a bit in that time. I would have recommended drinking it now, but the fact that it held up so well (and maybe even improved) all the way to day 4, makes me think that it might even be worth sitting on this for a few more years.
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10/31/2012 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 88 Points
Somewhat disappointed with this. Very one dimensional. I think the oak is masking any complexity this wine offers. If blind tasted I would have never guessed Spain. Don't get me wrong, this is a big, full bodied wine that many people will enjoy. It's just not what I signed up for. A "pass" at $23.
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10/21/2012 - defnefferson wrote: 87 Points
I must have gotten a bad bottle, because I popped one open last night and it was totally disjointed, hot, and lacking good fruit. Didn't seem corked, however. I loved the last one, so I'll just chalk this up to bottle variation.
Edit: After a day being open on the counter, a lot of the disjointed flavors seemed to dissipate and I'd now rate the wine an 87-88.
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9/27/2012 - jdp2109 wrote: 92 Points
Similar to last bottle. This wine is in a great place right now and will likely improve. Friends loved it.
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9/25/2012 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 91 Points
great wine. Again, we liked a lot.
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9/11/2012 - DRS-Inc wrote: 89 Points
At first PnP, and consumed over 3 nights. Similar profile as before, yet showed slightly better this time around. Picked up notes of baked cherry pie, and kept improving in each succeeding day. This could go another few years, IMHO.
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7/22/2012 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and poured. Excellent wine. Aromas, flavors and very good persistence. Improved over time.
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7/2/2012 - spatialiser wrote: 90 Points
Spice, vanilla, fruit - a bit of cedar, blackcurrant on plate, smooth tannins...
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5/4/2012 - DRS-Inc wrote: 88 Points
Had this over 2 of 3 nights. Aerated for 1.5 hrs. on 1st night, but this evolved nicely & improved into 3rd day. Fresh black cherry, black currant, mochaccino, cardamom, little bit of spice, and slight herbal, earthy & cigar box notes. Textured, full-bodied, good acidity, smooth tannins & moderately long finish.
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4/18/2012 - jdp2109 wrote: 91 Points
I really enjoyed this bottle. There was good depth and fruit with well integrated soft tannins with a medium/long finish. Dark fruit with some spice. Seemed to improve with every glass.
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1/31/2012 - VinoPKM wrote: 89 Points
This was a good, but not wowing Ribera. Drank well with Santa Maria style Tri-tip. Good balance and tasty. Was happy with this one- good fruit, pepper and oak.
Standard A-typical good Ribera
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1/8/2012 - jrobs7777 wrote: 92 Points
Definitely in a sweet spot. Tannins have smoothed out nicely. Peppery, darker fruit framed well by oak. Sure, this still has its oak and is a bit rustic, but it is a solid value and definitely one to seek out.
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11/30/2011 - JVG wrote: 84 Points
I see I'm much in the minority on this one.
Color: Nearly opaque purple at the center, fading to deep magenta at the edges.
Nose: Ripe dark fruits (blackberry, black currant, and plum), with new suede, rounded oak notes, a vitaminy minerality, and a hint of tobacco.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and very firm.
Palate: Very austere and dry, and quite tannic. The nice fruit and herb from the nose are overpowered by oak and bitter tannins, from the attack all the way to the hot, woody, astringent finish.
Maybe this wine is just way too young or needs way more air than I gave it, but I just don't see the alcohol, tannins, or oak ever coming into balance with the fruit. I also don't see any real signs of interesting secondary flavors. I'll save half of this until tomorrow in the hopes that it will settle down, but right now it's just a hot, oaky, unbalanced punch to the mouth.
Day 2: On the nose, a shadow of what it was yesterday. Flat, with faint blackberry and maybe a hint of earth. The palate is somewhat better than yesterday, starting with tart blackberry, leather, and earth, then oak on the midpalate. But the finish is still hot, the tannins still bitter, and it still feels clumsy to me. Somewhat better than yesterday, but ultimately still disappointing.
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9/22/2011 - jrobs7777 wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well. This seems to have smoothed out since our last bottle. Darker fruit and flavors. Peppery. Nice acidity.
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6/5/2011 - chcook wrote: 89 Points
notes consistent with previous.
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5/20/2011 - chcook wrote: 89 Points
passed thru vinturi. color nearly opaque crimson. nose is busy, with dark cassis blue and blackberry fruits framed with oak, but with hints of mocha, rosemary, green pepper and some smoke. on the palate, there is medium body, some racy spiciness reminiscent of zin, and a med long finish that turns lean from stem/skin tannin. i think that it needs some time to mellow, but i worry about the finish.
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4/21/2011 - Philly NQ King wrote: 90 Points
Prior notes apply, but this bottle didn't display the same weight as before. Still full-bodied, but lighter on it's feet than I remember. That being said, it was really singing on day 2. Day 1 - 89. Day 2 - 91. I'll continue to hold my remaining bottles...
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2/15/2011 - trayhumphrey Likes this wine: 88 Points
A pleasant wine. A nice nose. Burns a bit and smells sweeter than it tastes. Not a lingering finish.
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1/22/2011 - defnefferson wrote: 91 Points
Really good wine, but really big bitter tannins. Loads of dark fruit, some spice. Left open for 3 days and the tannins smoothed out and it was just absolutely delicious.
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9/8/2010 - FineWinePig wrote: 82 Points
A fairly bog standard Ribera - nothing wrong with that as I think the whole region is underrated and great value as is this wine
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7/29/2010 - jrobs7777 wrote: 90 Points
This is quite oaky. Nice dark fruit, giving way to some secondary development. Mocha. A nip of heat at the finish. This is a bit difficult right now because of the oak, but the tannin is there and the underlying fruit is there. Still promising.
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5/12/2010 - Philly NQ King wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour. Totally new world in style, but the purity of fruit is georgous. Graphite and smoke compliment the dark fruit nicely...I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. I'll decant the next bottle after reading some other reviews about lovely secondary flavors.
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2/26/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote:
Four days later and still holding up well. Additional notes of crushed granite to compliment the birch and fruit. Somewhat oldworld as fruit is definitely not the centerstage of this wine. Very good, and a long ways to go.
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2/20/2010 - CdP in NYC wrote: 90 Points
Hard to discern the fruit at this stage--definitely some blackberry, a little cherry, and some plum. Dances across the palate with fabulous minerality, and birch--the only wine i've come across (vintage to vintage) showing birch notes. Long finish with sticky tannins. A slight bit overoaked, but a fine wine indeed.
I'd hold this one another year or two. 90+ -JRS
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10/23/2009 - ikkaariainen wrote: 91 Points
An outstanding Spanish tempranillo from the Castille y Leon region, a great QPR, highly recommend this wine. Enjoyed earlier tonight with good CT wine buddies neighborbill and sidboy and families, purchased a couple of days ago at a tasting. Appriaching a good drinking window, opened for 2-3 hours before consumption, I feel this would benefit from decanting which I did not do tonight. Big dark wine, surprisingly smooth and well balanced, long aftertaste with some black pepper and heat developing on the palate late. Nose of tar, blackberry and granite, primary flavors of balanced black pepper, red fruit, terroir, some herbal tones and cardamom.
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8/1/2009 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Spain and Portugal Tasting (Casa Roberts): Really nice. The nose was really pleasant, with fresh fruit and a hint of sweet spice. The palate showed red plum, cherry, clove, nuttiness, and nutmeg. medium (+) finish. Impressive value.
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8/1/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote: 91 Points
Spain and Portugal (2033 Brandywine): Showed really well tonight. Exceptional value at under $30. Big and round. Nice coating tannins. Very nice nose of hot pepper, black pepper, red fruit and some secondary herb and earth notes. Sharp acidity on the palate with the fruits in harmony. A touch of heat creeps in at the finish, which knocks it down a peg, but this is one to keep an eye on. 91+
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