Decanterberry Tales - A Willamette Valley Wine Blog - spain tag

Osborne, Solaz, 2005

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:24:52 GMT

We've been really diggin' the southern French wine lately (I probably sound like a broken record if you read this regularly). So I've been trying to dabble to the east (Italy) and the southwest (Spain). And this is one of those Spanish wines. Just a random grab from the grocery store shelf (you never know).

Denise sipped it, and exclaimed: "Oregeno!" It's a spaghetti sauce wine. She found it to smell like bay leaves too. Oh, and grass. Denise also claimed that it tasted like oregeno, and raisin; oh and grass too (strange). The finish was a bit more normal: raisin and dry (like an apple).

This was not a great wine. And, honestly, it wasn't really all that interesting, aside from all the jokes about this being a spaghetti-western in a bottle. It was a bit thin. And the first sip you think: this is going to be one of those really sweet reds (like a bad Syrah); but then it's not sweet at all, and pretty dry actually. However, it was also readily quaffable; a fine decent table wine.

Cost:

Rating: 6.0

(80% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Vina Gormaz, Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo, 2006

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:59:34 GMT

We drank this bottle along with a Tempranillo from Oregon (see the Abacela review), so it was really interesting to directly compare the old and new world styles.

This wine -- unlike its Oregon counterpart, had no strong vanilla smell at all. Instead of vanilla, it was sour, rotting and stem aromas. A bit later on, after it was open for a hour or so, I also got vegetable smells -- squash! Additionally, there was a ply-wood smell and a bit of cinnamon.

This wine is fairly light in body -- much lighter than the Oregon one. The taste has bit of that pepper-bite -- along with plum and cherry. The finish is cherry, and then that stem taste (stems plus cherry). At the very end, the finish is a bit tart at -- something like currant (or maybe just tart cherry). This wine is much less fruity than the Oregon counterpart. So while I'm describing these fruit tastes and such, they are much more muted than that of the Oregon bottle.

Cost:

Rating: 5.0

Bodegas, Castano Monastrell, 2006

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:59:04 GMT

According to the Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Monastrell is an insane value ... fragrant aromas of blue fruits, plums, and prunes. Ripe, layered, and full-flavored, this hedonistic effort can be enjoyed now but will surely evolve for 2-3 years.” Hmmm ... Not exactly my experience. Though I drank the 06 and not the 05.

The nose was prune and blueberry, with a little bit of pepper. That prune and blueberry returned in the taste, along with stems. There was that fruit-driven sweetness (not literally sweet). The body was medium. The finish went almost immediately dry.

Overall, this is not a very complex wine. Take some prunes, add some blueberries and grape stems, and blend -- yeah, it's like that. Except for that taste of stems, there's nothing really earthy about this wine. If blind-folded, the style would lead me to guess this to be from Australia, Chile or maybe California -- not Europe. Not terrible, but certainly not an "insane" value in my book.

Cost: (like $11)

Rating: 5.0

(Mourvedre)

Albaliza, Tempranillo-Garnacha, 2005

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:45 GMT

Here's another Spanish wine. This one had a card at the store describing what a deal this was, so why not give it a try?

The nose was plum! Lots of fruit compared to all the other Spanish and French we've been drinking lately. In addition to the fruit was seafood -- seriously -- like shrimp. Also there was chemical, cumin, pepper, and finally seaweed. The taste was less complicated: prune and raisin. The finish was a bit tart and dry. There was bark, stems, brussel sprouts. The finish was really bitter. And it was super dry -- so much that it felt like my mouth was caving in. After thinking more and tasting more, inbetween the taste and the finish, inbetween the prune and the bark. It was cranberry -- bitter cranberry in there too.

This wine certainly had an unusual nose (seaweed?). And it had nice spice, including pepper and cumin. Definitely gamey. However, the prune-bitterness just didn't work for me. A more disparaging way to say this is: take prune juice, and add grape stems, and blend ... it tastes (and finishes) like that. But hey, it was only $8.

Cost:

Rating: 5.0

(Tempranillo 65%, Grenache 35%)