~$12US, 100% Tempranillo, Granada Spain

Deep ruby with a purplish cast. Rich, ripe plums and blackberries on the nose…big fruit that smells of sunshine, with secondary leather and spicebox aromas emerging with time. Medium-full bodied on the palate and structurally well-constructed for this price. Just the right acidic lift to balance the fruit, taught but clean tannins (this has at least another 4-5 years of upswing), and very disciplined use of oak all add up to a wine you’d expect to be in the US$25-30 range. It’s tight but enjoyable at this point - but I detect some (nice) vegetal and spice complexities that need a little time to unwind. The finish revealed a soft decrescendo of fruit and a touch of rocky schiste-iness I usually attribute to Priorat and wines from Southwestern France. Welcome and versatile at the table - I imagine it standing up to strong sauces (garlicky/peppery) or with earthier vegetarian dishes.

A screaming value not only for what you get for $12, but what pitfalls it avoids among its price-peers (over-oaking, flabby tannins, funky brettyness, over-extraction, oxidation, etc). Easy to drink - the bottle just disappeared… I’d love to stock up on this and try it over the next few years to watch its evolution…and surprise friends when it upstages their latest California ‘cult’ wine for a fraction of the price. Seek out.