The book is The Spanish Cockpit by Franz Borkenau. Its a first person account of the Spanish civil. It’s more of a diary of his travels around Spain in ‘36 and ‘37 with the Government forces (the revolutionaries and ultimate loosers in the war) . An interesting read, but heavy going if you’re not familiar with the topic.

Deep and dark in glass with a powerful nose of coffee beans, coco, lashings of blackberry and dark cherry with nutmeg, sage and earth. This is a very serious wine, concentrated and powerful, rich and youthful. The palate shows a similar profile, but adds some hot tarmac and a few leafy herbs. A very long finish with a touch of minerals. It shut down about 3 hours in, this is one for the cellar.  92+ Pts.

Source: Retail Price: $104 Closure: Conventional Cork

Oh and don’t do the usual rose thing and chill the crap out of it, this bottle shows much better if you take it out of the fridge half and hour before drinking.

A bit of the ol’ toffee apple on the nose with strawberry and light cherry. It’s a bit smoky and rocky too. Traditional rose style in the mouth (as opposed to the more white wine like roses), well balanced. Robust flavours of apple and cherry, a few strawberries and a touch of lemon and bitter herbs on the generous finish. 87 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $20 Closure: Cork

Web: www.bodegasfaustino.es

Bright red cherry and plum on the nose, with some cinnamon and spice, just a touch of herby undergrowth. Open for business in the mouth, some up market tannins and a excellent balance. More cherry on the palate with a touch of strawberry and mulberry, some cola and pepper. It’s medium bodied, not too demanding on the palate and balanced. Everything you want in a Rioja crianza. Well priced too. 90 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $27 Closure: Cork

Web: www.bodegasfaustino.es

Vina Ciento Cinco, to give it’s full name, is made from Tempranillo without wood as far as I can tell. As usual with Telmo’s wines, the label is quite eye catching.

The thing I like about this wine is it’s confident nature. Nothing sticks out and everything is in the right place. It’s straight forward, but with a bit of character. The nose shows plenty of earthy cherry and raspberry notes, with a touch of smoke. In the mouth it shows juicy raspberry and blackberry fruit, a sprinkle of liquorice root and earth. A moderately generous finish with plump tannins. Very good drinking. 88 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $28 Closure: Conventional Cork

The nose open up with raspberry and strawberry, with some green herbs, even a touch of lemon peel. Easy drinking and rounded in the mouth, it’s a little uninspiring with out food, but shows it’s best side with food. More of the same on the palate, a touch of lemon juice like acid on the finish. 88 Pts

Source:  Toro/Woods Wines Price: $22 Closure: Conventional Cork 

Web:  www.marquesderiscal.com

It’s a wood aged version of the Tempranillo I had last week, all tempranillo with a bit of american oak treatment. The wood is well done, there are very few obvious wood notes but the wine is rounded with punchy acid. The warmer areas of Spain seem to have done well in 2007…

The nose kicks things off well with aniseed, earthy herbs and spice, plum, cherry and a touch of balsamic. It’s quite rich and giving on the nose, but not sweet and jammy. and driving acid. Juby fruit on the palate with some added pepper/hot cinnamon with a long finish. It’s medium boddied and rounded but with some driving acid. Dusty, small tannins on the generious finish. Perfect for a knock about day on the couch. 88 Pts. 

Source: Heart and Soil Price: $20  Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.vinicoladecastilla.com

The nose opens up a little reductive, this blows off to reveal some lovely juicy red cherry with a touch of raspberry leaf and sage. It’s mostly smooth in the mouth, with some grainy tannins. Otherwise it’s all in balance with some nice acid.  On the palate it’s more cherry and sage, with a touch of cherry pip sourness and slightly under ripe plums. It vanishes all too quickly, too short for me and showing a tad too green. 85 Pts.

Source: Heart and Soil Price: $15  Closure: Screwcap

A fairly typical nose for Tempranillo from a warmer area: Plums and varnish, with earthy raspberry and blackberry. In the mouth there is a green herbal edge that works for this wine, with plums and raspberry over very light raisin and spice. Rustic in approach, there are some dusty tannins and everything is in blanance. Very tasty and drinkable. 88 Pts. 

Source: Heart and Soil Price: $18  Closure: Screwcap

Web: www.vinicoladecastilla.com

Regardless, this is a pretty good wine. It does have that abundance of tannins that characterises the wines of 2004. I think in this case they could have turned down the oak dial a little, as there are some hard wood tannins mixed in with the soft and fleshy fruit tannins. 18 months in new American oak is the treatment here, the fruit stands up it well enough. The price seems to have gone up a bit since the 2002 as well…

Lots of woody notes on the nose: nutmeg, vanilla, coco and cedary oak over the top of some ripe blackcurrant, mulberry and plum. A bit of anise for interest. The tannins start of fleshy and fine, but build to be a bit raspy as the wine gets more air. There is some good acid here and a touch of earthy minerals. The palate shows a healthy bunch of fruit: plum, mulberry and blackcurrant with some wild herbs and hot cinnamon. A couple of years in the cellar should see those tannins soften a bit, but the scales will always tip towards the tanninic end of the scale. 89 Pts.

Source: Bibendum Wine Co. Price: $49 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.elvinculo.com

Other vintages: 2002

A nose of raspberry and fresh red cherry, red jellybeans with some sage and lavender. Fleshy and and fruity in the mouth with some soft fruit tannins, the balance is just right. It’s the kind of wine you can really get your teeth into. Plums, red cherry and tamarillo on the palate, savoury and medium bodied. A fresh and very friendly Rioja under a screwcap, if that’s important to you. 89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $27 Closure: Screwcap

Classic, classy Ribera del Duero on the nose: a raft of savoury fruits such as dark cherry,  mulberry and a little plum with wet clay and mountain herbs, pepper. There are some toasty oak notes and mocha in the background as well.  It’s quietly bold in the mouth, intense fruit flavours with well formed tannins and plenty of structure to improve in the cellar.  The fruit on the palate mirrors the nose but adds some cola, a mocha espresso, and earthy spice. the oak is a little obvious at the moment, however it is framing the fruit rather than smothering it. i am sure this will integrate over the short term. The finish is long and shows earthy minerals. The problem with this wine is that it drinks great now, but if you can keep you hands off it you will be rewarded with greater complexity in a couple of years. It will drink well for at least a decade. 95 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $120 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.cillardesilos.es

Other vintages: 2003, 2004 , 2005

A beautiful nose of currants, blueberries and blackberry with  woodsmoke and gamey, herby undergrowth notes. Very smooth and supple in the mouth, plenty of fleshy tannins that lend texture and body. Its a touch flabby in the middle, but the acid cleans that up on the finish. Fresh juicy, fruit: blackcurrant and blackberry with a twist of vanilla and a lick of sarsaparilla. Blackberry and minerals on the long finish. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $55 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.cillardesilos.es

Other vintages: 2004, 2005

Deep and intense on the nose, plenty of mocha, toasted bread and vanilla with earthy cherry and mulberry. Supple and rich in the mouth, textured by plenty of soft tannins and a cheeky bit of acid on the finish. Plenty of get up and go on the palate, fresh plum and cherry with some mocha and sage. The fruit stands up to the wood well. A highly likable wine that shows a different approach to modern Rioja. 90 Pts.

I reviewed the two entry level wines from this bodega a month or two ago and this is the big daddy of the range.Older vines (80 years old) and some special oak treatment (16 months in a mix of French and American oak) give this more ompphh for long term aging. I think anyone would have a hard time picking this from any of the Mauro wines.

Wild and thrilling is a good summary for this wine. It starts of with a nose of brambly cherry, mulberry and plum, adding some vanilla bean and mocha with some barnyard undertones. Supple with fine edges, quite charming and rustic tannins that build to give impressive texture. Its juby and meaty in the mouth with more cherry and black jelly beans, a touch of blackberry and black currant as well as some earthy herbs. I really enjoy drinking these wines, highly enjoyable and drinkable. You could keep it for a while, but I’d have trouble keeping my hands off them. 92 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $50 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasfincavaqueros.com

Its a media-crianza that sees 4 months in a mix of American, Hungarian and French oak. The grapes are from Toledo, hence the VDlT Castilla label.

The nose is full of blueberry, dark cherry and blackcurrant, with a hit of mulberry in the middle. Plenty of warm climate tempranillo character here, rich and generous mouth feel and soft tannins. Earthy blackcurrant, plum and dark cherry fruit, with some sarsaparilla. Complexity isn’t the name of the game here, its all about the bold fruit. The wood is really well handled too. At this price you can’t go wrong. 87 Pts.