Wine Tasting: 2012 Bodegas Breca Old Vine Garnacha

Tonight I decided I wanted to relax and try something with a little change of pace.  That would be the 2012 Bodegas Breca Old Vine Garnacha.

Tasting Notes:
A very dark cranberry sauce like color with scents of cranberry and wet granite. Flavors of allspice and fruitcake jump out at me with late batanicals and an eathen minerality.

Final Thoughts:
Quite smooth and very tasty with a late acidity followed up with a slight warming sensation.  Excellent.  Tonight, I'm a happy man.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla

I have a bad habit when I'm roaming my local wine shops.   I like to pick up a few bottles to taste and my local wine shop starts giving discounts at six bottles, so I always end up looking for a last bottle or two to round out the number to six bottles.

I decided I wanted to try another Spanish wine so I went to the Spain section.  After poking around a bit, I found this rather bland labeled wine.  2013 Juan Gil Monastrell from Jumilla.

Tasting Notes:
Hues of Ruby and Violet with gratuitous scents of blueberry, plum, and black cherry.  Powerful flavors of dark fruits, citrus zest, and late earthen mineralities flourish with this wine.

Final Thoughts:
Wow!  For $15US, this is an incredible deal!  It's not silky smooth like some of the really great wines, but this wine is an eye opener.  Big and bold and just great tasting and very aromatic.  If you see it sitting on the self at your local wine shop and you love trying new wines.  You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't pick up a bottle to try.

Wine Tasting: 2010 Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva

Today, it's a Tempranillo tap dance!  2010 Baron de Ley Reserva is a beautiful Rioja from Spain.  It's aged 20 months in America oak casks and then a further 24 months in the bottle before it's released.

Tasting Notes:
Full bodied and dark ruby in color and a fleshy texture and long finish.  Tobacco and plum rind on the nose with a remarkable rich red fruit, tar and volcanic rock flavors. A very nice minerality of sorts.

Final thoughts:  This Rioja is quite delicious and well balanced, though I believe a little more time will add to the complexities and smoothen out a bit more.   It's very good now and has a possibility of becoming great.

Tasting: 2007 Bodegas Luzon Jumilla Alma de Luzon

Today's wine is a blend from Spain called Alma de Luzon.  70% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah.

How I came across this wine was actually quite interesting.  Originally, I was in search of 2006 Tandem Ars Mácula which I had been recommended by a friend.   I searched wine-searcher.com to find it and found a local wine shop carried it.  

So, once I got that I started looking around and a woman giving a wine tasting in the shop asked me if she could help me and I told her the wine I was looking for.  She eyed me wearily and asked me if I was kidding.  I said no, she she pointed at one of the bottles she was giving tastings of and it happen to be exactly what I was looking for.

Anyway, we spoke for a while and she told me that Mácula was in their portfolio then helped me retrieve three bottles of Mácula.  While we were at it, she recommended the Alma de Luzon (of course another product in their portfolio).  She said it was very good, but also warned me that the corks were less than they should be.

Anyway, the Mácula was great (I've already posted about that tasting), but I'm opening the Alma de Luzon today and I have to agree.  This is a very good wine also and she was on the money.  The cork basically came out of the bottle like Gorgonzola cheese.    Not happy about that, but the wine is good!

Anyway, aromas of blueberries, fig, and minerals.  Deep flavors of red fruits, nutmeg and toasty oak make this a beautiful wine if you're willing to deal with the hassle of pulling (and filtering) the poor quality cork out.   It starts out a bit acidity, but within 15 minutes of opening the bottle.  It calms down into a nice balance.

While I wouldn't fight a case of corks, this wine was definitely worth it for at least one (possibly two) go around.

Tasting: 2006 Compañía Vitivinícola Tandem Navarra Ars Mácula

Tandem's 2006 Mácula is an unfiltered  blend of 60 Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 24 months in concrete vats and 26 months in French oak.

Garnet in color with a nice ruby red at the edge. I would say a medium legs with aromas of black cherry, minerals, and a mid-level toastiness to it. The flavor boasts a bouquet of raspberry, black cherry and spices. A nice medium / full body with a juicy texture and very well balanced with a great acidity. The wine has a good level of tannins and early acidity so I suggest decanting. The tasting occurred after 24 hours of decanting

I believe this is a great value at $25US.

Tasting: 2010 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Anon Reserva

Definitely needed decanting.  It took almost an hour before it really started to pop.

I paired this with a roasted red pepper, red onion, and eight month old Manchego cheese Quesadilla.  It paired rather well, but I felt the Manchego cheese was a bit underwhelming for the Quesadilla.  I switched the Manchego to a Chipotle Gouda and the Quesadilla was much better, but the wine didn't pair as well.

Next time I make these Quesadillas, I will pair the wine with the Chipotle Gouda.

Tasting: 2010 Bodegas Ramirez Rioja Selección Crianza Ramirez de la Piscina

This Rioja is garnet in color with medium legs.  It smells of cranberry, strawberry, and black cherry.  It tastes of blueberry, prune, with a hint of pine and a tarry finish.  The body is medium full, texture is pretty even with a medium finish and minimal acidity.

Paired well with a Rigatoni with red peppers and Italian sausage.

Tasting: 2013 Equilibrio 4 Monastrell

A blend of 80% Monastrell and 20% Shiraz.

A bit of a flat spiciness with a tarish like raisin overtone though it's not very sweet. A light oak finish.

It went well with a homemade pizza consisting of spicy Arthur Ave salam, red onion and spicy chiles.

I actually recieved this wine as a door prize for a wine tasting fund raiser I attended for a local animal welfare society.  I'm pleased with it.