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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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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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 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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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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