Made in a more “modern Robert Parker” style: lots of extracted, juicy red fruits, wonderful complexity; and medium intensity. With that being said, the balance is waning, still some tannin, but acidity seems to be fading. Did not decant, but enjoyed with Chicken Enchiladas. My guess is the winemaker sacrificed fruit extract for acidity. Recommend drinking ASAP before the acidity completely disappears.
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Popped and poured. Cork was dry and stuck despite being in a damp cellar for its entire cellar time. It broke it half when pulled, however no seepage was shown.
Agreed with TN from wmccones54 earlier this year. Finish and length are medium. Nobody was impressed or disappointed with the wine, but it wasn’t out of balance either, which was my main concern with a Toro.
Drink up
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Cork disintegrated and broke into two with a Ah So Butlers Cork Screw, clearly I didn’t get it deep enough, but I ended up straining the wine into a decanter. Lots of aromatic and flavor complexity, nice earthy component, fully mature. Very good with food and can complement a variety of dishes, tonight it was chicken enchiladas. Still has structure to balance the dried and stewed fruit components; however, the acidity and power are starting to fade a bit. My guess is this is good for another 12-18 months, but I wouldn’t wait too long on this. Finish is medium right now.
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Glad I caught this one when I did, because while it's doing well right now, it was already starting to fade after about an hour open. The wood is still really in your face, but at least the fruit has mellowed to make this less monolithic and allow the acid to refresh the palate. Undrinkable on its own, but just the thing with kofta kebab and a pomegranate molasses and onion relish.
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We had this with a Spanish cheese plate on 10/20/17. It had a soft, supple and fragrant bouquet of black cherry, plum, smoke, leather, tobacco and spice aromas. The palate was smooth, soft, round and dry with flavors of black cherry, plum, leather and spice.
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I had this with Chicken Enchiladas on 1/23/17. It had a soft, round and fragrant bouquet of black cherry, plum, smoke, leather, tobacco and spice aromas. The palate was smooth, soft, round and dry with flavors of black cherry, plum, leather and spice.
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Really needed to be filtered, aerated and decanted. A very different wine after an hour in the decanter - smoother and more refined than at pop. First night, it was OK with an excellent ribeye steak, but nothing special. Drank this one slowly - the third night was best (and the end of the bottle!) with turkey taco salad with jalapenos, Hatch green chile salsa, sour cream and guacamole. I'd buy it again if I could find it.
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Dark reddish, some signs of age around the rim. Primal earthy aromas blend with ripe red fruits. Some funk, some alcohol, Quite expressive! Smells akin to grape-flavored big league chew. Mouth-filling, rich earthy flavors. Plenty of spice and dark fruit. Medium length finish. Juicy freshness with tannins integrated. The wine is in a good place right now.
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Clean fruit with a hint of spice; medium-light body, deep red/purple. Very harmonious in terms of flavor, nose, and mouth feel. Nothing hanging off the edges or distracting: single-minded!
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So I listen to much of what is said here. Last I read, this was monolithic. It's not at all. Does it have multifaceted character? Does it kiss the sky? Does it do the laundry? No. Does anything or anyone? Instead this wine provides a fruit and acid combination, that for spiced Mediterranean dishes, is hard to beat. If you were to find yourself in a small place in Barcelona or Madrid, you would be screaming about this wine. This is a full bodied, fruit forward wine with a whole lot going on. Vibrant and expressive nose, silky fruit forward and acid backed palate. Think Montepulciano (not from Tuscany). With tomatoes and sausage and hot pepper, just perfect. I think the are several more years in this. I was dancing about tonight choosing a wine, but this was staring me in the face. And am I glad.
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Decanted 30 min to open it up. Very nice, robust wine on day 1. BIG fruit, lots of structure, but very smooth though. Blackberry fruit, some earthiness, a touch of wood and a sweet vanilla finish. Funneled back into a 375ml and tried the next night...whoa, big raisiny nose. Just stewed, gloppy fruit everywhere, stinks like 2 week-old oxidized wine, and tastes about the same. Dumped the rest. Disappointing day 2 showing...don't bother saving any if you can't finish the bottle.
In both aroma and palette, the dense saturation and richness suggest the 100+ year-old vines. Berry and plum flavors are rich without being heavy. A decade in, the oak has receded, and is present more as texture than flavor. The finish is long, the flavors still fresh; at the same time, I was hoping for a bit more secondary development, but this is really all about the fruit, in the fashion of a more elegant Napa Cab. Still, this is an excellent wine, and as others have said, it's an fabulous deal at the sub-$20 Garagiste price.
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A great wine. Similar taste up front to previous reviews - a bit of smoke - but then really opened nicely. Great plum and some red fruit. Supple finish. Great value and still has some time left.
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Fantastic find for sub-$20 on Garagiste as the "Not Sure What to Say" mystery from October 2014! Ready to drink: ripe dark plum, creamy mocha, and black licorice flavors with a dense, full body, and crisp celery and vegetable aromas, underscored with plenty of balanced structure, acidity, and well integrated oak. Rich and powerful but displaying finesse. Great finish. A really great find, drinks 3-4 times its cost.
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Very good last night and mimiced the first bottle. I decided to cork it and wait a day...
Very ripe nose showing big blue fruit, graphite, dark cherry and spicey menthol with earthy undertones and a little smoke. The palette has settled into a velvety combination of dark fruit and oak with emphasis on the skin of the fruit. The texture is lush and inky with a nice long drying finish highlighting more smokey fruit and graphite. Soooo good. 8-18-8-9
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Earthy and smoky upon first opening, the plummy fruit comes on with some air and the wine becomes lighter on its feet, more supple, and more expressive. Fantastic for the Garagiste price of under $30. Still lots more life in it. Will be interesting to see how it changes over the next 2-5 years.
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Upon opening, earthy and with expressive tones of red a blue fruit. Quite concentrated and inky with a fair amount of strength and tannic presence. Good length on chewy finish. Rich and powerful, yet approachable with or without food.
It gained weight and complexity with air. Some spice comes into the fold along with a bit of graphite. The oak begins to make its presence known, but in a enjoyable way. This could be mistaken for a Napa Cab if tasted blind. It played beautifully with port glazed lamb t-bones. 8-18-8-8
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Very strong and explosive aroma of herbs, tea, dark plum and soy sauce. Intense, firm, tensive and solid body and tannin. Highly concentrated taste of dark plum, blackcurrant, blackbarry. Fruity forward style. Good depth and relatively long dark cherry like finish.
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Nose had red fruit, vanilla, floral. Palate was a little single noted with a nice finish. Some pepper and spice on the back palate. Tannins are a bit harsh and fading. Paired with spaghetti and meatballs and paired nicely. Spice more prominent with meal
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We've had two of these now, but I am putting my last two away for another year or so. It is balanced, lovely really. Needs a little more time, as it still feels a little tight even with an hour in the decanter.
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5th in a flight of 5 from Spain. In the glass: Deep ruby. On the nose: Not super fruity, but nice intense scent of red fruit & spicebox,. In the mouth: Medium mouth feel, pretty dry grip on the tongue, peppery finish. Nice temprenillo from 100 year old vines. This one will lay down for a few more years to see how it mellows out. Retail $55
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7/13/2022 - RedMenace Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still good, a noncomplex easy drinker.
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5/13/2022 - wmccone54 wrote: 89 Points
Made in a more “modern Robert Parker” style: lots of extracted, juicy red fruits, wonderful complexity; and medium intensity. With that being said, the balance is waning, still some tannin, but acidity seems to be fading. Did not decant, but enjoyed with Chicken Enchiladas. My guess is the winemaker sacrificed fruit extract for acidity. Recommend drinking ASAP before the acidity completely disappears.
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1/7/2020 - miadelt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid Rioja that has gotten better with age.
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11/9/2019 - Tony Molester wrote:
Popped and poured. Cork was dry and stuck despite being in a damp cellar for its entire cellar time. It broke it half when pulled, however no seepage was shown.
Agreed with TN from wmccones54 earlier this year. Finish and length are medium. Nobody was impressed or disappointed with the wine, but it wasn’t out of balance either, which was my main concern with a Toro.
Drink up
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6/7/2019 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
Cork disintegrated and broke into two with a Ah So Butlers Cork Screw, clearly I didn’t get it deep enough, but I ended up straining the wine into a decanter. Lots of aromatic and flavor complexity, nice earthy component, fully mature. Very good with food and can complement a variety of dishes, tonight it was chicken enchiladas. Still has structure to balance the dried and stewed fruit components; however, the acidity and power are starting to fade a bit. My guess is this is good for another 12-18 months, but I wouldn’t wait too long on this. Finish is medium right now.
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5/23/2019 - RyanStotz Likes this wine:
Glad I caught this one when I did, because while it's doing well right now, it was already starting to fade after about an hour open. The wood is still really in your face, but at least the fruit has mellowed to make this less monolithic and allow the acid to refresh the palate. Undrinkable on its own, but just the thing with kofta kebab and a pomegranate molasses and onion relish.
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3/16/2018 - OregonWiner Likes this wine:
Good!
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1/6/2018 - lelandinmichigan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Garnet hue with slight bricking forming around the rim.
Earthy rich aromas with some herbs and some light barnyard funk.
Medium body, some astringency, tickles the tongue and fills out in the mouth. Nice overall balance and has a nice clean 20 second finish.
Good wine.
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12/23/2017 - Winoist wrote: 91 Points
Tasty and really bold. I would buy it again.
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10/28/2017 - davidspieker wrote: 87 Points
After a decant due to a bad cork. Very dark ruby color. Minimal musty aroma. Dark to red cherry flavors on a lengthy and somewhat tannic finish.
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10/20/2017 - garambler Likes this wine: 90 Points
We had this with a Spanish cheese plate on 10/20/17. It had a soft, supple and fragrant bouquet of black cherry, plum, smoke, leather, tobacco and spice aromas. The palate was smooth, soft, round and dry with flavors of black cherry, plum, leather and spice.
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5/7/2017 - ravbik wrote: 88 Points
On the decline. Full bodied . Mild ripe cherries, more acid, leather and earthy notes
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1/23/2017 - garambler wrote: 89 Points
I had this with Chicken Enchiladas on 1/23/17. It had a soft, round and fragrant bouquet of black cherry, plum, smoke, leather, tobacco and spice aromas. The palate was smooth, soft, round and dry with flavors of black cherry, plum, leather and spice.
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12/4/2016 - ravbik wrote: 91 Points
Dark brooding red with earth elements and sour cherries
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12/2/2016 - Bill1100 wrote: 88 Points
I think it has peaked- time to drink up.
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11/9/2016 - miadelt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big, dark wine. Very good Toro. It is getting better with every year. Drink next 2018.
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9/24/2016 - Bill1100 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Finally come into its own. Time to drink up. Long finish. Excellent with grilled Rosemary lamb chops and sautéed spinach with farfalle pasta.
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9/20/2016 - redz wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, long finish, a little on the acidic side. I think we enjoyed it more last year, so maybe drink soon.
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7/22/2016 - drdebs Likes this wine: 90 Points
smoke, plum, and spice in this robust red. Great with Carne Asada.
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3/7/2016 - Bill1100 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really needed to be filtered, aerated and decanted. A very different wine after an hour in the decanter - smoother and more refined than at pop. First night, it was OK with an excellent ribeye steak, but nothing special. Drank this one slowly - the third night was best (and the end of the bottle!) with turkey taco salad with jalapenos, Hatch green chile salsa, sour cream and guacamole. I'd buy it again if I could find it.
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2/11/2016 - lelandinmichigan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark reddish, some signs of age around the rim.
Primal earthy aromas blend with ripe red fruits. Some funk, some alcohol, Quite expressive! Smells akin to grape-flavored big league chew.
Mouth-filling, rich earthy flavors. Plenty of spice and dark fruit. Medium length finish.
Juicy freshness with tannins integrated. The wine is in a good place right now.
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2/6/2016 - Baudelaire wrote: 90 Points
Clean fruit with a hint of spice; medium-light body, deep red/purple. Very harmonious in terms of flavor, nose, and mouth feel. Nothing hanging off the edges or distracting: single-minded!
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12/8/2015 - Ideasthatstick Likes this wine:
So I listen to much of what is said here. Last I read, this was monolithic. It's not at all. Does it have multifaceted character? Does it kiss the sky? Does it do the laundry? No. Does anything or anyone? Instead this wine provides a fruit and acid combination, that for spiced Mediterranean dishes, is hard to beat. If you were to find yourself in a small place in Barcelona or Madrid, you would be screaming about this wine. This is a full bodied, fruit forward wine with a whole lot going on. Vibrant and expressive nose, silky fruit forward and acid backed palate. Think Montepulciano (not from Tuscany). With tomatoes and sausage and hot pepper, just perfect. I think the are several more years in this. I was dancing about tonight choosing a wine, but this was staring me in the face. And am I glad.
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8/1/2015 - cadamson wrote: 86 Points
ehhhh..... Not bad by any means, but too monolithic, not saying too much. Dark fruits predominate. Finish so-so. Still a bit tasty.
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7/25/2015 - RPerro Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted 30 min to open it up. Very nice, robust wine on day 1. BIG fruit, lots of structure, but very smooth though. Blackberry fruit, some earthiness, a touch of wood and a sweet vanilla finish. Funneled back into a 375ml and tried the next night...whoa, big raisiny nose. Just stewed, gloppy fruit everywhere, stinks like 2 week-old oxidized wine, and tastes about the same. Dumped the rest. Disappointing day 2 showing...don't bother saving any if you can't finish the bottle.
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5/26/2015 - miadelt Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasty Spanish wine. Missing depth. Still young though.
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5/19/2015 - Halfeel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice smooth Toro with a fair amount of complexity. Good QPR.
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5/16/2015 - MBusk Likes this wine: 90 Points
In both aroma and palette, the dense saturation and richness suggest the 100+ year-old vines. Berry and plum flavors are rich without being heavy. A decade in, the oak has receded, and is present more as texture than flavor. The finish is long, the flavors still fresh; at the same time, I was hoping for a bit more secondary development, but this is really all about the fruit, in the fashion of a more elegant Napa Cab. Still, this is an excellent wine, and as others have said, it's an fabulous deal at the sub-$20 Garagiste price.
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5/10/2015 - mdconn Likes this wine: 89 Points
Great Spanish wine, especially for Garagiste price
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5/3/2015 - mfkantor wrote: 91 Points
A great wine. Similar taste up front to previous reviews - a bit of smoke - but then really opened nicely. Great plum and some red fruit. Supple finish. Great value and still has some time left.
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4/18/2015 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic find for sub-$20 on Garagiste as the "Not Sure What to Say" mystery from October 2014! Ready to drink: ripe dark plum, creamy mocha, and black licorice flavors with a dense, full body, and crisp celery and vegetable aromas, underscored with plenty of balanced structure, acidity, and well integrated oak. Rich and powerful but displaying finesse. Great finish. A really great find, drinks 3-4 times its cost.
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4/17/2015 - redz wrote: 92 Points
It was pitted against some spicy barbq, and came out swinging. Agree, like a ready to drink 2005 Napa cab. Delicious with short decant
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3/30/2015 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 93 Points
Very good last night and mimiced the first bottle. I decided to cork it and wait a day...
Very ripe nose showing big blue fruit, graphite, dark cherry and spicey menthol with earthy undertones and a little smoke. The palette has settled into a velvety combination of dark fruit and oak with emphasis on the skin of the fruit. The texture is lush and inky with a nice long drying finish highlighting more smokey fruit and graphite. Soooo good.
8-18-8-9
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3/1/2015 - drdebs Likes this wine: 91 Points
Earthy and smoky upon first opening, the plummy fruit comes on with some air and the wine becomes lighter on its feet, more supple, and more expressive. Fantastic for the Garagiste price of under $30. Still lots more life in it. Will be interesting to see how it changes over the next 2-5 years.
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2/28/2015 - wbanks Likes this wine: 92 Points
simply wonderful. Huge fruit coupled with sublime tannins.
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2/1/2015 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 92 Points
Upon opening, earthy and with expressive tones of red a blue fruit. Quite concentrated and inky with a fair amount of strength and tannic presence. Good length on chewy finish. Rich and powerful, yet approachable with or without food.
It gained weight and complexity with air. Some spice comes into the fold along with a bit of graphite. The oak begins to make its presence known, but in a enjoyable way. This could be mistaken for a Napa Cab if tasted blind. It played beautifully with port glazed lamb t-bones.
8-18-8-8
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1/15/2015 - RPerro Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very new-world, lots of fruit and great structure. Kirsch, dark berry, vanilla oak. Really smooth and tasty!
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1/4/2015 - bramwessel wrote:
Execrable. Possibly compromised. Try to return.
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12/1/2014 - Easter Everywhere Likes this wine:
dark, intense, tasty, still bit tannic, give time
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10/14/2014 - bwb Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasted just as good 3 days later.
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8/30/2014 - dimdic wrote: 91 Points
Very strong and explosive aroma of herbs, tea, dark plum and soy sauce. Intense, firm, tensive and solid body and tannin. Highly concentrated taste of dark plum, blackcurrant, blackbarry. Fruity forward style. Good depth and relatively long dark cherry like finish.
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7/6/2014 - ssspore Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose had red fruit, vanilla, floral. Palate was a little single noted with a nice finish. Some pepper and spice on the back palate. Tannins are a bit harsh and fading. Paired with spaghetti and meatballs and paired nicely. Spice more prominent with meal
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3/5/2014 - Strumpet101 wrote: 92 Points
We've had two of these now, but I am putting my last two away for another year or so. It is balanced, lovely really. Needs a little more time, as it still feels a little tight even with an hour in the decanter.
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12/21/2013 - Frank&Steph wrote: 90 Points
très pruneau. mais pas désagréable. un peu lourdeaux
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8/26/2013 - Elline98 wrote: 86 Points
Very balance taste.peppery
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3/16/2013 - aligaray Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great Paella wine
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5/13/2012 - SportstHER wrote: 90 Points
5th in a flight of 5 from Spain. In the glass: Deep ruby. On the nose: Not super fruity, but nice intense scent of red fruit & spicebox,. In the mouth: Medium mouth feel, pretty dry grip on the tongue, peppery finish. Nice temprenillo from 100 year old vines. This one will lay down for a few more years to see how it mellows out. Retail $55
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4/30/2012 - uncle al wrote: 89 Points
A very nice wine for the price, $29.95 at Top Hat in Miami. Smooth and medium to full bodied.
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