From the people who bring you the famous Federico Paternina Banda Azul here’s another really well made wine.
Soft tannic structure, full bodied, velvety and fruity.
We had it with a Chicken Pasta, equally at home with a Red Meat.
€12 on a half-case deal in O’Briens.
Vincent brought this to dinner.
The original and still the best
[Categories Spain, Rioja, Tempranillo]
A Super Valu ‘special selection’ exclusive. Full on red berries with a hint of Vanilla and a big oakey finish.
Yes another potable selection for M&S
Nice Valentine’s Meal deal too!
Raw berries, typical Oaked Tempranillo from Rioja.
cune.com
Oakey Tempranillo from Miguel Torres who produce consistently acceptable quality wines.
Not as big a Rioja bang as I’d expected. Apparently, this is their first Rioja – with Torres notes here.
So perhaps a little more to do to bring it up to Torres benchmark.
Good article from the Independent Wine Review on the 2010 vintage here
Bodegas Borsao Campo Castillo Macabeo, Campo de Borja, Spain
A refreshing white: fresh, fragrant and delicate with a hint of Peach.
€23 in Tribes where we had a pleasant meal with Liz and Brian on their last night in Dublin.
Macabeo (Viura in Rioja where this is from) is a late budding white wine grape used on either side of the Pyrenees, in the north and east of Spain and the furthest southern reaches of France.
The Bodegas Borsao winery near Zaragoza is noted for its Grenache and is a pet favourite of Robert Parker.
The Barranore Merger Wines.
It is said that even the dullest of wine can taste great depending on your mood, your excellent companions and your beautiful surroundings and that’s largely true. So these two gems tasted fantastic on a highly memorable day.
Heart of Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Marlborough Forrest Estate
Crisp, bone dry with strong hint of gooseberry and tropical fruit.
Nice acidity with a crisp dry finish, redolent of a Greywacke we tried some time ago.
Vina Bujanda 2012 Rioja.
This wine is aged in stainless steel tanks to maintain a fresh, full-fruit character.
Which it had lots of and lots of berries: blackberry and redcurrant with a touch of soft mellow cream. Great with the steak.
Continuing the Spanish Red theme, this went with the cheese.
Aged for 24 months in Oak barrels and a further 36 months in the bottle this is mellow yet full bodied.
Typical Rioja, 100% Tempranillo from the Cenicero Vineyards.
Superior to the Gran Sangre de Toro we tasted at the same meal.
A Christmas Corporate Gift. The Bodegas Riojanas S.A. Group is a publically quoted group with Spanish and Portugese interests.
Ready to drink now, slightly rusty / over the hill.
No legs and I would have expected a fuller body from a Reserva.
Nonetheless, not unpleasant and had a decent mouth feel and delivery.
The label didn’t give a lot away and it looks like a co-op, though the address suggests it could be this winery.
The blend is the Rioja standard of Tempranillo and Garancha.
Fish this out from under the stairs and enjoy it now before it oxidizes futher.
McConkey Wine 