Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Price: $17.99 at Total Wine

Sight: purplish black

Smell: warm, black pepper, roses, sawdust, blackberry, toast

Taste: blackberry, blueberry, oak, earthy/mineral, floral, spice, full-bodied

Overall: From the alluring dark color, to the physical warmth of the thing, to its raw spicy flavors and rich dark fruit, this wine is completely sultry.  It smells a little of fruit with a prominent woodsy tone that reminds me of a freshly-sawed two-by-four.  Some dark fruit and floral tones are there with a vague spice—as detected through a haze of sawdust.  On the palate, the full-bodied wine brings in more roses and the density of overripe blueberry and blackberry. At the mid-palate, it takes a turn for the rugged and muscular with what I can only describe as a rainy construction site—steel, unfinished wood, stone, and wet earth.  At the end, sparks fly on a peppery note and the wine finishes like a kiss; the sensations of warming alcohol and tannic grip linger beautifully.  

My dad likes fortified wines.  He’s just a classy dude like that.  When I was first getting into wine, I remember him telling me that one of his favorite bottles he’s ever had was a Madeira, and I’ve always known him to enjoy a good Port now and again.  So for his birthday this year, I thought I’d find him something a little different—a serious Sherry with some significant age on it.

Region: Jerez, Andalucia, Spain

ABV: 22%

Sight: mahogany

Smell: molasses, raisin, oak, alcohol

Taste: smoky, burnt chocolate, coffee, nutty, acidic, medium-bodied

Overall: This is a non-vintage Sherry, and it’s a blend of Sherry from many different vintages, dating back to 1772 (so the bottle says).  The average age of the wine blended in this bottle is about 35-50 years old.  The color is dark, the consistency slick and oily, and the flavor absolutely saturated.  The old cork was a bit crumbly, and as soon as the wine hit the glass, an explosive, spicy perfume filled the vicinity.  It’s a dry, raisiny aroma, tempered by oak, warming alcohol, and something like molasses or burnt sugar.  On the palate, this dry, old wine stretches its sinews, and I taste cacao, coffee beans, smoky oak, and walnut husks.  Out of nowhere, a sneaky little acidity grips the salivary glands before disappearing on the finish.  We paired this with some hazelnut chocolates, which accentuated the nuttiness of the wine.  The experience really was superb.  I just love when I can say, “I’ve never had anything like that before.”  And I’m glad I got to share it with my dad!

Price: $9.99 at Total Wine

Region: Yecla, Spain

Sight: deep purple

Smell: cherry, blueberry, licorice, mint leaves

Taste: black cherry, licorice, black pepper, dark chocolate, grape chewable Tylenol

Overall: We had just sold out of the 2005s of this bottle at work and I didn’t get to try it, but luckily the 2009s had just arrived.  This has been a consistently highly-rated wine, and since Spain is horribly under-represented on my palate (I don’t really know why), I was eager to give it a try.  The nose of this wine explodes out of the glass, bearing a rich bouquet of dark fruits and spice.  It tastes strongly of cherry and dark berry flavors, accompanied by a licorice-like, spicy punch and a hint of dark chocolate.  This is a full-bodied wine, although the tannins aren’t grippy at all.  The biggest feature of the wine by far is the fruit, though it isn’t one-dimensional as it is accented by other spices and flavors.  You may have noticed one of my notes—“grape chewable Tylenol.”  Do you remember those from your childhood?  I sure do.  I loved those things.  If my mom hadn’t hidden them from me, or if those foil packages weren’t so darn difficult to get into, I probably would have eaten them like candy.  And I get a little bit of that nostalgic flavor on the finish.  My only hesitation about this wine is that it is hot.  It smells hot, and it tastes hot—the alcohol is at 14%, and I feel it could be a little better balanced in that department.  However, it is absolutely delicious, an easy drinker, and I’m in love with this wine’s spunk.  Looking for a wine you could serve with dark chocolate?  This wine is for you.  Also, if you tend to lean toward zinfandels, or even merlots, you would probably enjoy this one a lot.

After much planning and deliberation, I bring you the Throwdown!  A Throwdown occurs when I get to taste two wines head-to-head, and today I’m tasting two challengers from Spain, both made from an early-ripening grape called Tempranillo.  I’ll be tasting a 2008 Radio Boca Tempranillo and a 2007 Volver Tempranillo, both purchased at World Market. Let’s see how these two wines measure up, and see which one emerges victorious!

2008 Radio Boca Tempranillo

Region: Valencia, Spain

Price: $6.99 at World Market

Sight: Very light translucent red

Smell: Really fragrant, big open nose of candied cherry, chocolate, a little basil

Taste: Black cherry, strawberry, lean and focused, a little herbal

Overall: This wine has a great mouthfeel— it is lean, light, and sleek without being wimpy.  It’s so fruit-forward that it almost gives the impression of sweetness, but the tannins are present enough to maintain a dry little bitterness.  There is some basil on the nose that translates to an herbal component in the flavor.  The ripe red fruit gets a little cough syrupy on the finish, which might suggest that the fruit is a little over-extracted for some people’s palates, though I very much enjoy it.  This wine makes me want to sink my teeth into a bowl of cooked vegetables—I’m thinking ratatouille, sweet carrots, kabobs, or vegetable stew.  This is a great red wine for the summer; it is incredibly light and at the same time full of flavor.  People who like California fruit-driven wines would love this, and at $6.99, this wine is a great value and I’m just in love with its simplicity and harmony.

2007 Volver Tempranillo

Region: La Mancha, Spain

Price: $12.99 at World Market

Sight: Ruby red

Smell: Dark fruit, smoke, incense, a little gamey

Taste: Blackberry, blueberry, slate, fennel, gripping tannins, full body

Overall: This wine is dynamic.  I feel like an entire story unfolds between the attack, the mid-palate, and the finish.  Stand outside when it’s hot until you’re sweating, light some incense, stir some gravel around in your blackberry jam, dump in some dried herbs from your spice cabinet, and you’ve got the Volver!  The nose is downright seductive, and the flavor is deep and delicious, with a lot of attitude.  The flavors are dark: dark fruit, dark dried greens, and stone.  I would love to try this again with some pork or a cut of char-grilled steak.  

Deliberation

Out of the two wines, the one that I can see the majority of my friends and family enjoying is the Radio Boca.  It’s a very delicious, likable, everyday wine that I would highly recommend serving because of its great value and full flavor.  The luscious fruit makes it an instant charmer, and if it came to sitting around and enjoying a wine all by itself, I know a lot of people would find it an easy drinker.  However, the Volver—unlike Radio Boca—is so much more than its fruit.  The serious minerality of the Volver lends it greater maturity and complexity, not to mention fuller body, enabling it to probably pair well with even heartier foods.  The Volver tastes more Old World, like I expected a wine from Spain to taste, unlike the Radio Boca, who seems more New World in its approach.  I appreciate the Radio Boca’s balance and accessibility, but the Volver definitely packs more presence, strength, and punch.

Victory

Though I thoroughly enjoyed both wines, I have to acknowledge the 2007 Volver Tempranillo as the winning wine in this throwdown.  If these wines were people, the Radio Boca is a flirt, and the Volver is a fiancé—a flirt is fun, but the fiancé has the winning character!