Last night's BBQ

[Waiters Friend]

A friend returned from Spain with 3 bottles at different price points, all containing tempranillo, and organised a boys night / tasting / BBQ. The intention of the evening was for there to be a Spanish vs Australian theme, but it devolved into a red wine free-for-all. However, the first 8 wines were offered in pairs for tasting, then put away again until later, while the next tasting bottles were poured, etc. Many thanks to Jim for hosting the evening, and for the use of the Riedels.

The first pair was:
Swings and Roundabouts Tempranillo 2005. Some star anise, slightly medicinal flavour, lots of sour cherry. Quite big and dense. 14/20
Marco Real 2004. A blend of tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Grenache. Unfortunately corked, although other tasters tried to find the wine beneath the cardboard. Some cherry and almond characters. 12/20

The second pair raised the bar a bit:
Pago De Cirsus 2006. Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium weight, some violets, red berries and balsamic vinegar hints. Enjoyable. 16.5/20
Magpie Estate 2005 The Black Sock Mourvedre. A big wine, dark, rich and almost thick, medium tannins, long finish with some blackcurrants, well balanced and very nice indeed. Wine of the night for a couple of people. 17.5/20

Then we moved on to:
Albret Riserva 2003. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Tobacco/cigarbox, very complex with a hint of violets. A long and seamless finish and my WOTN. 18.5/20
Plantagenet 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Some mint / eucalypt, dark with rich red berries, balanced, but too young – will be lovely in about 3 years. 17/20

The final pair were both Australian:
Heafod Glen Shiraz Viognier 2005. A ripe, obvious wine, and too much viognier in the blend. The dried apricot overshadowed the shiraz characteristics. 15/20.
Nugan Estate Durif 2008. One hell of a surprise for a very young red. A fabulous nose, with cigarbox and dark chocolate. 14.5% alcohol (low for some durifs), and all the better for not being too big a wine. Lovely. 17.5/20

Then we abandoned the tasting format, and got stuck into all the bottles, and a few more. They included:
Saltram Mamre Brook 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. A slightly hot and alcoholic wine, very ripe, lots of red berries, blackberries, a little unbalanced compared to some of the wines we had already seen. 16/20.
Diamond Valley Pinot Noir 2007. Lots of strawberry in this one, and it was a pleasant counterpoint to some of the bigger wines already opened. 16.5/20.
Mitchell Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. It opened up much younger than a 5-6 year old wine. A little one dimensional, full bodied, cassis, and simple. 15/20.

A big night, and a late finish (sunrise). Some nice wines, and a couple that I will buy more of.

Cheers

Allan

[daz]

Hey Allan, sounds like an interesting bbq. Pity about the TCA'd wine. I wouldn't spend any time looking for the fruit either, a waste of tastebuds IMO. One thing I found interesting is the number of varieties comprising your friend's Spanish wines. Australia has a reputation for blending different varieties, most notably shiraz and cab sauv but tempranillo seems to be used in an increasing number of mainstream (i.e. Australian) blends.

My exploration of the variety has been limited to Blue Poles, Tahbilk and Jacobs Creek in that descending order of merit for me.

Cheers

daz

[Waiters Friend]

Daz,

I agree it is interesting that both Australia and Spain are producing Tempranillo blends, and predominantly with Bordeaux varieties. However, I've had a couple of straight tempranillos in the past from south western Australia (Capel Vale and Vasse Felix, to be precise) and they were no slouches either.

Maybe something that will be a star in the right microclimates (and certainly in slightly warmer climates). Let's see who takes up the challenge. One for the Riverina or the Swan Valley, perhaps? Maybe not, I suspect you can get Tempranillo too ripe too quickly as well.

Cheers

Allan

[Capel Vale Wines]

Allan,

The Tempranillo was a star in the restaurant, in particular with any lamb dishes.

Unfortunately we don't have any left, but you should try the Petit Verdot. Chewy tannins with a plum and violet character.

Cheers

Scott - Capel Vale Wines

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks Scott.

I've tried the Capel Vale Tempranillo, but drank my purchases prior to this tasting. We enjoyed them and would recommend them (2005) as a good introduction to Tempranillo.

The possibility of a Temporanilo Graciano blend has now piqued my interestand I will go looking for some. Are you in a position to perhaps do a trial? I'd be happy to help.

Cheers

Allan