2014 Sierra Norte Utiel-Requena Pasión de Bobal

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 89 points

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  3/11/2018 - zappoid wrote: 89 Points

  Good pairing is light meat with sour souce.

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  7/12/2017 - ChinaBounder wrote:

  Bobal is a grape that is getting increasing attention from winemakers. I’ve enjoyed every bottle I’ve had but have found quite a lot of variation. The best maker I’ve found so far is Clos Lojen.
  
  (http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1948995)
  
  This bottle is a decent attempt but it lacks focus, especially until it has been open for a day or so.
  
  I was most interested to read a TN by MJWSTICKINGS on the 2012. That excellent TN expressed exactly what I feel about the 2014 and so I give it here:
  
  Usually used in bulk-wine production, Bobal can make for a pretty good wine on its own, when treated well, and this expression from Bobal's home around Valencia is almost that. It doesn't start well, though, opening with a burst of confected sweetness that's like opening a bag of cheap fruit gummies, that is, with an aroma of fake cherries and berries (mixed with rubber). That overpowering aroma remains, but the wine does settle down to reveal a more complex array of elements, such as vanilla, earth, black pepper, chocolate, and red licorice, the last of which is quite prominent on the palate, while the fruit turns real with cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry leading the way. The curious aspect, though, is the acidity, which just isn't there initially, a sort of gooey flabbiness prevailing. It needs time, a few hours or a day, as well as a light chill, for the acidity to emerge and the overall structure to come together and counter-balance the sweetness. Ultimately, this is a decent curiosity, but in its fabrication, perhaps given the desire for it to be commercially appealing, I'm not sure it really captures either the varietal or the local terroir with any real authenticity. (86 Points)
  
  I think this comment is especially accurate in suggesting the bottle somehow misses the distinctness of bobal. It was an agreeable drink, but not quite what I was hoping.

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