Tempranillo Day Wine Reviews

Today is #TempranilloDay, as declared in 2011 by TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society), as if we needed an excuse to try a new wine, and a red one at that!

I’ve already been a Tempranillo fan for some time, especially after spending some time with winemaker Javier Alfonso of Pomum Cellars and his family last Fall during crush.

To kick off the celebration here at VineSleuth, I was provided with 3 bottles of Tempranillo from Freixenet USA, which imports several Tempranillos, to review. I added 2 other wines from my own collection to the mix, invited a few neighbors, set out some light Spanish tapas and we all got to work earlier this week. (I know. It is rough.)

Here’s what we tasted with our thoughts and the winery tasting notes, where available:

2010 Valdubon Cosecha (Spain) about $15

Here’s what the winery’s tasting notes had to say:

The Cosecha is a deep cherry red color with fresh aromas of strawberries, plums and raspberries on the nose. The palate unfolds with firm acidity and a silky red fruit flavors followed by a long finish.

And here’s what we had to say:

 Overwhelmingly the group tasted dried cherry and raspberry, and a slight tobacco flavor. We noted medium body, high acidity and medium finish.

2009 Vaza Crianza (Spain) about $15

Here’s what the winery’s tasting notes had to say:

This complex wine has round aromas of red fruit with hints of vanilla and toasted oak followed by flavors of rose petal, leather and tobacco with luscious black plum and raspberry fruit characteristics and a lingering finish. These delightful fruit flavors make this a perfect wine to pair with barbequed meats, stews, and even blue cheese.

And here’s what we had to say:

We found this to be light to medium-bodied, with medium to high acidity. Tasting this with our different foods showed how foods and wines can go so beautifully together, as the flavors in this one really showed themselves when paired with meats. We definitely tasted the raspberry. One reviewer simply wrote “love” on her tasting sheet. This became the favored wine over the two. And then we were on the the next one…

2011 Tapeña (Spain) about $10

Here’s what the winery’s tasting notes had to say:

Intense ruby red colour with violet-blue undertones characteristic of young red wines. This is a classic Tempranillo, showing intense flavors of earth, plums and violets over a hint of orange peel. It is full and luscious in the palate, rich in ripe fruits and fine tannins, with a great balance and lingering finish.

And here’s what we had to say:

I first tried this Tempranillo at an informal wine tasting I hosted at the Savvy Blogging Summit in October and I was glad to try it once again.

I enjoy its earthy aroma and flavor, as did most of my fellow tasters. Half of the group picked up on a flowery aroma, as well, but nothing overwhelming and perfume-y. We noted its medium to full body and medium to strong aroma. At $10, especially, most of the group said they would like to to drink this one again. I would definitely serve it to friends again.

2009 Pedernales (Texas) no longer available, current offering (2010) is about $30

I wasn’t able to find tasting notes on the winery’s website for this one, as the wine is no longer offered on the site. I was able to find this brief review on the Texas Monthly site, however.

Here’s what we had to say:

My Texan group of tasters was surprised to learn this was a Texas wine and almost everyone said this was a wine they would like to enjoy again. It was medium to full bodied with aromas of cherry and rose and a great flavor. I felt this one was very well balanced and hope to try the 2010 soon to see how it compares.

2008 Pomum Tinto (Washington) no longer available, current offering (2010) is about $28

This one did not have tasting notes, either. But the link above will take you to the winery’s site so you can learn more about Pomum’s current offerings.

Here’s what we had to say:

 This one my husband decided to pull off the shelf to add to the mix as we were tasting and I am glad he did.

We found it to have a strong aroma of berries and to be full bodied. The rich, fruit flavor was tempered by tobacco and earth and most of the crew was ready to go back to Washington with me to try more. (Good thing you can just pick it up at Spec’s, if in Houston, like the rest of these wines!) The tannins were not overpowering but added structure.

So who was doing the tasting?

My neighborhood tasting team (most of the latest crew is pictured above) is made up of a mix of avid wine lovers, more casual wine lovers and one taster who, when I asked him what he smelled in the wine said “It doesn’t smell like beer.” (I shouldn’t discount him. He does enjoy wine, but I just had to laugh when he had that answer for me!!) We’re a pretty good mix of palates with all sorts of perspectives to draw from, which keeps things interesting.

Overall thoughts on tasting Tempranillo… and tasting wine

 Want to know more about Tempranillo?

Join me and other bloggers on Twitter tonight from 8-9 EST as Nanette of the Wine Harlots leads us in lively discussion. You can read more about the TweeChat here: Tempranillo Day TweetChat

You can also check out this post on a few Tempranillos on Wine Predator (She even shares her thoughts on a Tempranillo from Idaho.) as well as the Red Wine Diva’s take on a Temranillo from Naked Wines.