Decant Stop Tasting Wine Blog

This is kind of the kid brother to the big 2004 LAN Limited Edition Rioja we had last year… the quieter, more reserved kid brother.  This reminds me that Rioja is like the Chianti of Spain in that most of what is out there, in the lower price range and higher production the wines are pretty simple and light, but in the upper echelon of each the wines are rich and delicious.  Probably the same could be said for most varietals, but these two are of the most popular.  OK, so anyway, this wine is a little less potent than its big brother, but easier to drink, and probably would appeal to a larger audience.  It is also more balanced. 

The color is inky reddish-black.  On the nose it is mostly smokey oak and red Twizzlers… a good amount of fruit.  The mouth-feel is really nice with enough weight to give it a luscious feel, but enough acidity to make it great for pretty heavy meals (think Lamb, Roast Beef, etc.), and just enough vegetal and tannin structure to make me think of it as a very serious wine – certainly not overpowering.  The primary flavor is raspberry, with some toasty oak and plum mixed in.  The fruit is very pure in this wine, which I’ve really come to appreciate after so many jammy/extracted wines.  The finish is raspberry, spices, and soft tannins, and lasts for about 30 seconds or more. 

This is certainly an enjoyable wine and one you can feel confident serving at a dinner where you want to serve a "good" wine.  It will pair with many different foods.  However, its relative simplicity keeps it from scoring higher than it did.  At the price, I do recommend it.

Rating:  90

Price:  $16  (K&L)

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You know, with all the rave reviews of this wine I thought I would really enjoy it.  While I’ll agree with the reviews on some points, like the fact that it was complex with out of the ordinary flavors and aroma, but we certainly didn’t think it was “delicious”.  Also, I really wanted to try a good Albarino and at 91 points, this should have been it, but instead it was a disappointment. 

Straw in color, with an aroma of grasses, pineapple, lemon, and [to me] some “Lemon Pledge”.  It tasted like pineapple and lemon mostly, with some of the lemon peel left in, some kind of grassy flavor I couldn’t put my finger on… maybe some white asparagus, and a vegetal sweetness – like the sweetness you get in edamame (soy beans).  Mouth-feel was actually pretty good – weighty, especially for pairing with food, as it had good acid and no sign of butter, which I was happy about.  On the finish it got a bit awkward though, leaving you with that sweettart after taste – not the part where you’re still chewing it, the part a bit after you’ve swallowed it and it leaves you with a chemically taste on the back of your tongue.  Not really that pleasant.

At $16 I’m going to recommend you pass on this one.  Who knows though, maybe we’re just high on crack and it was as good as those critics say!

Rating:  82

Price:  $16

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This is from the Duero region of Spain, which I’ve taken an insterest in lately, ever since I saw the winelibrary tv show on them.  I have found that I typically like Spanish wines, so was happy to hear about a region I hadn’t discovered yet.  Eiko brought this wine over when we had her over for spaghetti last night.  Thanks Eiko!

On the pour into the decanter it was pretty purple and I knew I was in for a fruity ride.  On the nose it was raw meat and black fruit – blueberry and blackberry mostly.  I was surprised had how balanced it was, and that it wasn’t like dark fruit and vodka.  It was very smooth and supple, and as expected, plenty of fruit.  There was a little bit of rip tannins and some oakiness as well.  It has low acid on the pallet, but was very well suited for a steak.  Finish wasn’t particularly memorable, but certainly not unpleasant. 

Rating:  89

Price:  $16 (Wine House and K&L Wines)

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Confession:  I bought this wine because it was on display near the register at K&L as I was picking up other wines and I saw that it was $8 and rated 90 points by RP.  I rarely do this, but I figured, ah, what the heck.  Turns out, it really is a decent wine, and a great bargain.

Color is violet (purple-red) and pretty dark.  It has a pretty nice and interesting aroma of smokiness, tar, licorice, and black fruit.  It doesn’t smell like your average 7-9 buck mass produced wine you find at your local Ralph’s/Von’s/etc, this smells like a serious wine.  Tastes like a fresh tobacco wrapped black plum, as well as a mix of blackberries, blueberries, and cherry.  That might not make you feel like running out and buying a case of the stuff, but believe me, it is better than it sounds.  When you mix it all up it is quite good.  There is a spiciness and acidity that builds on the pallet and it has a substantial feel to it.  Not a wimpy wine by any means.  The after taste is more on the smoky side with some nice black cherry and blueberry, followed by nice ripe tannins. 

I would say this is a terrific bargain at $8, beyond any shadow of a doubt.  Robert is a little bit high on this wine though… I don’t think it quite makes the 90 point grade… but CLOSE.  I think, like me, he was initially sensationalized by how good this is for 8 bucks… and some places sold it at 7 bucks initially.  Consider also that he tastes SO many wines back to back and know that he didn’t have time to calm down and think rational about it.  Rika and I shared this whole bottle over the course of the night, so had plenty of time to consider our reaction.  I still highly recommend buying a bottle and trying it.

Rating:  89

Price:  $8 (K&L Wines)

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Basically, I’m adding this one because (a) I drank it, and (b) I have to make a post to put it in the “don’t even try it” category.  I bought it at TJ’s for $5 so I wasn’t expecting much, but it didn’t even live up to those expectations.  Like you might think it should be $2 better than the 3 buck Chilean Chuck, but you’d be wrong.  This wine is dysfunctional at best.  Awkward every step of the way and I can’t imagine anyone finding a reason to drink it.  If it were $1 a bottle I’d say OK, it is the cheapest thing out there for the “kids” to get drunk on, but at $5 you can get a LOT of other wines that are better… even 2 1/2 bottles of 2 buck Chuck. 

Rating:  70

Price:  $5 (TJ’s)

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This Spanish Garnacha (Grenache) is a screaming deal at $7.  Very drinkable and visually appealing.  Medium ruby red.  Smells of red fruit, raspberry, slightly floral, a little spice box.  Flavor is mostly cherry Jolly Ranchers with a bit of raspberry and red plum.  Mouth-feel is fairly light, but almost creamy smooth with a little acidity and almost no tannins with a little spice at the end.  Finishes with strawberry and a tiny bit of cranberry.  We all enjoyed drinking this wine at our new year’s eve party and appreciated its light fruitiness. 

Rating:  88

Price:  $7

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This was in an impressively bold and heavy bottle, and that set the tone for this wine experience.  The label was simple, which I like… like they don’t need a label to sell their wine.  Decanting the wine gave another clue of what we were in for, as it was inky purple, almost black.  The aroma was cassis, lead pencil, cherry, blackberry, steamed rice, and licorice.  I had to keep reminding myself this was a Rioja… the ones I’ve seen and tasted were always pretty light… some of them even more like a rosé than anything.  This one was more like Syrah or Malbec.  It tasted like blackberries, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, smoked oak, espresso, blueberry, and plum.  Medium acidity and slightly spicy on the palate and  finished with lingering ripe tannins, smoked oak, blueberry, and dark chocolate.  A very long finish indeed.  The next day the chocolate aspect was even more pronounced.  In a nutshell this wine is bold, earthy, smokey, and ripe fruit.  At 45 bucks I wouldn’t call it a bargain, but worth trying if you can find it.  It is a limited edition and can be pretty hard to get at this point.

Rating:  92

Price:  $45

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This Spanish Garnacha was ruby red and fairly light in color.  The nose was mostly of young plum with a red fruit mix filling it in.  It had a clean, crisp flavor of red currant, black pepper, oak, raspberries, and nice rip tannins.  Finished with black pepper, cranberry, cherry, and walnut.  All in all a pretty nice wine for the price.

Rating:  87

Price:  $9

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This wine was quite good, without question. It had a light aroma – pleasant, a little rosy and smokey. A beautiful red color with the slightest hint of purple. It was just light enough to allow a really nice glow from a candle – this is a good romantic wine on several levels.

The flavor was fairly light, but very nice. Cranberry with a little black pepper, and maybe a dash of raspberry thrown in. The tannin balance was impressive. The pepper and cranberry followed through for some time in the aftertaste. A very interesting flavor. It was actually more complex than I can describe… like it contains flavors that we just don’t know how to describe. A definite recommend – you really should try this wine, just to experience it.

Rating: 90

Price: $10 (K&L Wines)

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The Color is a tiny bit more purple than a garnet.  Nice.

Initial aroma – wet dog/flea soap.  Yep, believe it or not, that was what we both smelled… mostly wet dog with a little bit of flea soap.  When we got past that we smelled small amounts of tobacco, leather, hay, cherries, and red currant; not necessarily in that order.

It tastes of black pepper and raspberry mostly, with hints of red currant, prunes, and was a little smokey.  Mouth feel was pretty nice… not too bold, but not too thin either. 

The finish was nutty, which I really liked, with a nice ripe tannin, and quite fruity – even a hint of apricot.  A little oaky/woody.  This is really where this wine stands apart.  The aftertaste was really enjoyable, and long lasting.  I found myself taking sips purely for the anticipation of the aftertaste.

We had some Gouda cheese with this wine and went extremely well.  This wine is a lot of bang for your buck.

Rating: 90

Price: $10 (K&L Wines)

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