Spain

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