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Dominio de Eguren Codice Tempranillo 2004

Codice translates to "laws, traditions, codes", originating from the Latin word for the earliest forms of books which were of course important manuscripts. Codice is a very modern and successful red wine produced by the many generational Eguren wine family.

Marcos Eguren, Technical Director at Dominio de Eguren is credited as Winemaker for Codice. The 100% Tempranillo was sourced from low-yielding vines and aged about 6 months in French and American oak barrels.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Candy apple red, translucent. Aromas: Plump bright red fruits and a bit of lightly smoky and spicy vanilla. Warm and medium-bodied, there is a fair amount of tannins and a nice chalky sensation on the tongue. Some tart citrus and spice joins the ample raspberry and cherry on the palate as the finish kicks out some oak flavor and stays firm.

Excellent value: $10. Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Food pairing: Southern pot roast and vegetables.

Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro La Planta Ribera Del Duero Tempranillo 2005

Tempranillo, also known as "Tinto Fino" seems to be catching a big wave in the USA, especially the easy going "Americanized" offerings that are making their way over from Spain. This noble grape grows well in the Ribera Del Duero region, which is situated about 100 miles to the north and slightly west of Madrid, where winters can be harsh cold and snowy.

The name Tempranillo eludes to the term "temprano" which translates to "early", and the short warm growing season of Ribera Del Duero is well suited to this quick ripening grape variety.

Traditionally Tempranillo has been a very important grape in Spain, although in the past you would not see its name on labels as frequently as today. Spanish producers are responding to "new world" labeling practices and adding the name of the grape along with the typical Bodega and Region identification.

Wines made from Tempranillo can be light and fruit forward like this one if aged very briefly. These are meant to be drunk young. Or they can be aged longer and become heavier, monumental and ageworthy. The latter are given the titles of Reserva or Gran Reserva if aged five years.

La Planta 2005 is 100% Tempranillo, cold fermented and aged 6 months in American and French oak barrels.  The Head Winemaker is Pascal Oscar Navarro and the wine is produced and bottled at the well known Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro. The wine was named after the La Planta game reserve and the relatively young vineyards adjacent to it, property owned by modern wine pioneer Florentino Arzuaga.

The Arzuaga Navarro winery is located in the village of Quintanilla de Onésimo, east of Valladolid, in the western end of Ribera Del Duero. Arzuaga has built a hacienda-style wine hotel with a renowned restaurant there, and you can stay at the hotel, be pampered and even go on a safari tour of the game preserve.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Color: Intense cherry red with purple edges, translucent.  Aromas: Bright raspberry, cherry, nutmeg to cola spice, citrus rind, and a bit of bacony oak. Light-to-medium bodied, tart and lightly tannic, there is plenty of red fruit, citrus rind and enough oak, and the finish is really easy going yet dusty dry.

Excellent value ($10). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Castell del Remei Gotim Bru Costers del Segre 2004

Easy to walk past but a delicious find, the red blend inside tastes more "Americanized" than the label suggests.  Eric Solomon/European Cellars is the importer of Gotim Bru which was displayed for sale alongside his big sellers Castaño Yecla and Equis.

Costers del Segre is a small arid growing area in western Catalonia near Barcelona.  There were historically more vines in the area until the middle of last century when a trend towards replanting olives and almond trees took hold.  Now the pendulum is swinging back to grapes again.

Gotim Bru 2004 is a blend of 65% Tempranillo, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was aged 10 months in older French oak barrels.  The Castell del Remei estate is quite old but modernization began about 25 years ago with the current owners the Cusine family.  The family has planted Merlot and Cabernet, upgraded equipment and barrels and dialed up production with the US market in mind. 

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Nearly opaque, deep ruby.  Aromas: Cherry and mixed berry, sweet bourbon spice and hints of vanilla and mocha.  Medium-bodied, fairly tannic and gravelly dry, the fruit flavors are jammy and the finish is ample and warm.

Excellent value ($15).  Closure: Real cork.  Alcohol content: 14%

Red Guitar Navarra Old Vine 2005

Constellation Brands has introduced Red Guitar, a blend of 55% Tempranillo and 45% Garnacha from Navarra Spain, and it is off to a good start in Nashville.  Tempranillo and Garnacha (grenache) may not be as well known as Cab and Merlot, but Spanish reds are gaining in popularity.

In order to communicate that this is one of those hot new wines from Spain, C Brands plays on the fact that the guitar originated in Spain, employing a "Miro inspired" image on the label.

Interest in Spanish reds has been building due to the efforts of modern importers Jorge Ordoñez and Eric Solomon.  For years they have individually specialized in bringing new fruit-forward high-alcohol Spanish reds to our market.

Tasting Notes: Color: Deep purple ruby translucent.  Aromas: Sour cherry and grape, a bit candy-like, with dried fruit notes and hints of spicy vanilla.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and rustic with gravelly tannins.  The fruit flavors are well extracted and jammy and the finish is warm and dry.

Excellent value ($8).  Closure: Real cork.  Alcohol content: 14%.

Food pairing: Chili (no beans) and Fritos.

Borsao Viña Borgia Campo De Borja Grenache 2005

Spain is still churning out some of the best red wine buys, like the new vintage of Jorge Ordoñez' real Spanish value, Viña Borgia.  Sporting a new modern label, the wine is framed like a Cote du Rhone, but comes across as more casual and abstract.

The 2005 vintage of this 100% Garnacha (Grenache) from Campo de Borja* was vinified all the way in stainless steel.

Tasting Notes: Color: Deep purple ruby, semi-opaque.  Aromas: Blackcurrant jam, cassis liqueur, plum, and hints of white pepper.  On the tongue the body is medium with plenty of peppery young tannins.  Then a plethora of dark fruit essences evolve in a dusty dry finish.

Excellent value ($7).  Closure: Plastic artificial cork.  Alcohol content: 14%.

Campo de Borja is a D.O. located in the political region of Aragón. This region is west of Barcelona and northeast of Madrid, just north of Catalyud and Cava.

Winewaves reviewed the 2004 vintage of Viña Borgia Campo De Borja in March, 2006.

Heron Sexto Terra Alta 2004

Captured in an everyday-priced red wine is this contemporary masterwork that plays on the bold traditions and attitudes of Catalonia. 2004 is the introductory vintage for Laely Heron's new Sexto red blend from Terra Alta Spain.

Terra Alta is in northeastern Spain, in the driest area of Catalonia.  This region is known for its views of the sea and served as material for Picasso and Dali landscapes.

The Sexto 2004 blend is 33% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 20% Tempranillo, 6% Lledoner Pelut Noir, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Syrah.  The Grenache, Carignan and Lledoner Pelut Noir were sourced from vines at least 60 years old.  Lledoner Pelut Noir is a "hairy" relative of grenache.  The lots received 8 months aging in new, 1 and 2-year-old French oak barrels. Alcohol: 13.5%.

Tasting Notes: Color: Deep ruby semi-opaque.  Aromas: Dried cherry, bourbon, backed by hints of citrus rind, spice and cold blossoms.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, approaching sour, and dusty dry with moderate tannins.  Sour cherry, white pepper, spiced tea flavors persist in the warm dry rustic finish.

Closure: Artificial plastic "cork".  Excellent value ($13).  Food pairing: Anything with a spicy red sauce.

Winewaves recently reviewed Heron Pinot Noir.

Panarroz Jumilla 2005

Panarroz ("bread rice") is a brand created by Dan Kravitz' Hand Picked Selections, and this is its third vintage delivering lots of Mediterranean character for the money. Parker's 90 ratings for the first two vintages helped volume grow to 100,000 +/- cases this year, and there is potential for much more.

Mourvedre is the anchor grape in Jumilla and in Panarroz. Temperature variations in the 3000-ft elevation vineyards of Jumilla can be extreme, with 60-degree (F) swings in a 24-hour period not at all uncommon, but harvest ultimately comes late. Panarroz is an unoaked blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Shiraz, vinified at Bodegas Olivares.  Alcohol: 14%. Tasting Notes.  Color: Deep purple ruby, translucent. Aromas: Black fruit, meat, savory roasted notes, leather, and hints of wintergreen. Medium-bodied, with plenty of tart plummy fruit flavors, a rustic texture, and dry gravelly tannins. Closure: Composite "neocork".

Excellent value ($10).  Food pairing: Ground Brisket Chili.

San Alejandro Las Rocas Calatayud Garnacha 2004

This is the third vintage of Eric Solomon's own label from Calatayud, which is 150 miles northeast of Madrid. The first two vintages sold out quickly, and this one is off to a fast start.

Las Rocas, or "the rocks", is 100% Garnacha (Grenache), from old high-altitude vineyards (70-100 years vine age) selected by Solomon. Jean-Marc Lafage is winemaker, working at the progressive San Alejandro cooperative. Aging is split 60% in tank and 40% in barrel, approximately 6 months. Tasting Notes.  Color: Deep purple ruby translucent. Aromas: Plum, cherry, bourbon. The body is medium, with a dry gravelly grip on the tongue and nice acidity. Ample deep red fruit and spice flavors reverberate in the ruggedly handsome finish. Closure: Plastic artificial "cork". Excellent value ($10).

Viñas del Cenit Venta Mazzaron Tempranillo La Tierra de Zamora 2003

It has a distinctive label design for a Spanish red, and it's been given 90 points by Parker and Winemag.com (Wine Enthusiast). If you're into Spanish reds, this is really a exciting wine. Given its origin, naturally it's bold, yet it retains subtle layers of flavor. Surprise - Jorge Ordonez has picked yet another good one.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine reports Venta Mazzaron Zamora 2003 was the first-ever Tempranillo by a New Zealand winemaker by the name of Amy Hopkinson. Fermentation was in stainless steel, and the wine appears to have been "rounded out" by a couple of months in previously used oak barriques. Tasting Notes. Color: Deep ruby, semi-opaque. Aromas: Strawberry, plum, blackberry, and hints of tree nuts and meat. The mouthfeel is tart like citrus rind, medium-to-full-bodied, with rustic chewy tannins. Deep red fruit, cinammon, cocoa, and a meaty character keep going nicely in the long dry finish. Closure: Real cork.  Very nice value ($15, Total Wine).

This is not a huge production wine, with 4,000 cases or less for the vintage.

La Conreria d'Scala Dei Priorat Red 2004

Heavenly fruit essenses have been captured in this wine born under the "holy mountain" (Montsant), next to a 12th century monastery, in the trendy Priorat wine region*.  La Conreria d'Scala Dei is a modern 3200+ case winery co-owned by partners Josep Mitjans, Jaume Sabater and winemaker Jordi Vidal.

To make La Conreria Priorat Red 2004, Vidal selected from lots of mostly Grenache (70%), plus Merlot (25%) and Cabernet (5%), then aged the lots in stainless steel and in the bottle. Tasting Notes. Color: Deep purple ruby, semi-opaque. Aromas: cherry, blueberry, nutmeg, apple butter and hazelnut. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied with dry tannins. Peppery red fruit combines with spice flavors, finishing tart and dusty. Closure: Real cork. Excellent value ($16, Total Wine, Tampa). *Located southwest of Barcelona, near Tarragona.