Dehesa la Granja 2001

I went to a Spanish Offline a week or so ago and had some great wines, especially a 95 Pesquera Reserva.  Unfortunately, my 95 Alion was chock full of brett and showed quite poorly.  Oh well, such is life with wine.  However, I left the restaurant thinking I need to look at more of Alexandro Fernandez's wines. So I picked up this wine from Fernandez's "almost Toro" project.

The wine is made from Tempranillo and has seen 24 months in American oak. 

A classic Ribera del Duero nose, mulberry and bramble with shot of cedary oak over the top.  Good weight in the mouth with fine sandy tannins.  A bit lighter and simpler style than expected, deep dark mulberry and plum fruit with some gamey meat flavours.  The tannins are refined, if a bit sandy towards the short finish.  With time the wine builds a very silky texture. Balanced, but I would like to see a bit more acid.  Overall, a bit like a Holden Commodore, solid with a bit of grunt and fun on a rainy day, but its no Ferrari. 87 Pts.

Source: Boccaccio Cellars RRP: $29 Closure: Cork

Web: www.dehesalagranja.com

Alejandro Fernandez Dehesa La Granja 2000

This is the third project for Alejandro Fernández of Pesquera fame. Its located in the province of Zamora in Castile-Leon; the area that was once called the “land of wine” (Tierra del Vino).  The vineyards are not quite in the D.O.s of Toro or Ribera del Duero, so the wine is marked as Vino de Mesa (table wine).

The estate was used to bread fighting bulls in the past (the training ring is still there), prior to that it was a bodega.  The ancient cellars have been fixed up and put back to use for this project.  The vines are are ungrafted, with some of the source material coming from very old vines found on the property.

The wine is all Tempranillo and sees 24 months in American oak and 6 month in bottle before release.

Deep ruby in colour.  Big, warm berry fruit to start with, blackberry and over-ripe raspberry.  A bit of a swirl sees nutty, roasted coffee beans, rosemary, sage, and a bit of tar.  The palate is a bit rustic to start, but the fruit is soft and lush. A lashing of tannin with dark berry fruits, dark chocolate and subtle oak notes.  It finishes off with a surprisingly long finish. Well balanced, very little oak impact.  Very primary, but it changed slightly in the glass:  soft, furry tannins and a bit of extra body after an hour or so. I'm in two minds on a score for this, I'm sure it would get an extra point or two with the right food. 89 Pts.

Source: Retail RRP: $40 Closure: Cork

Web: www.dehesalagranja.com