Grand Cru Tasting Group (Perth) – Tempranillo

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

The theme for this one was wide open. Tempranillo (100% or blends) from anywhere in the world, and any style or vintage. I’ve not seen a sparkling tempranillo, but I am aware there are many rosados, and of course the red table wines.

As usual, the seven wines we saw were all tasted blind, with only the vintage known. They were tasted from youngest to oldest. Not surprisingly, Spain was well represented, with five of the seven wines, and the remaining two were Western Australian.

Marq 2021 (Margaret River, W.A. 14% alcohol): Complex nose of cherry cola, cough syrup, tomato leaf, rosemary, jubey sour cherries, raspberries, cloves and a touch of menthol. The palate is earthy and texturally viscous, with sarsaparilla, and more cherry. Tannins are chalky, and acid is high. Medium to long finish and the wine evolved quite quickly in the glass.

Tonon 2018 (Perth Hills, W.A. 14.5%): A brighter nose that the Marq, with fresh red cherries, black fruit compote, rhubarb and dill. It’s slightly earthy on the nose also. The palate shows maraschino cherry and is supported by zingy acid and moderate tannins. Medium finish. One taster described this as ‘unctuous’.

Cune Reserva 2018 (Rioja, Spain, 14%): A blend of tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha. A mix of savoury and fruits on the nose, with dark cherries, smoked meats, cigar box, dill, vanillan oak and earthiness. There’s earthiness on the palate also, and some viscosity (one taster described it as creamy or lactic), with stewed dark fruits. There’s moderate tannins and acid (compared to the previous wines), and it finishes short and flat. There was some discussion as to whether it was slightly TCA affected. Regardless, a little too oaky and oxidative.

Marques De Riscal Gran Reserva 2015: (Rioja, Spain, 15%): Oak derived chocolate on the nose, along with rhubarb, bitumen and raspberry. Some earthiness too. The palate is reminiscent of an Amarone wine, with brandy and raisin, high acid and grippy tannins. It’s medium to full bodied, and finishes quite gently. Fruit is diminishing and this is probably a drink now proposition.

Condo Valdemar Reserva 2015 (Rioja, Spain): Marascino cherry, star anise, and cherry pie on the nose. A slight spritz initially (possibly not a good sign in an eight year old wine), with leather, high acid, spiky tannins and a medium to long finish. A couple of tasters felt the nose was better than the palate – regardless, the majority felt it showed well.

R.Lopez De Heredia Vina Tondonia 2010 (Rioja, Spain): 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Graciano and Mazuela. Complex nose, with stewed red berry fruits, some oak derived choc and vanilla, leather, bitumen and a touch of menthol. The palate shows more leather, red berries, and some umami. The acid is mouthwatering and refreshing, and tannins are high but integrating well. Medium to long finish and well balanced.

R.Lopez De Heredia Vina Bosconia 2010 (Rioja, Spain) ): 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano and Mazuela. Berry fruit compote on the nose, with rhubarb, raspberry and Amaretto. The palate shared some features with the previous wine, in terms of mouthwatering acid and length. There’s some leather and tannins are a little more grippy than the previous wine.

You’ll notice that the last two wines were from the same vintage and producer. The Vina Tondonia is considered by the producer to be their Bordeaux vs the Vina Bosconia as their Burgundy. The wines bear little relationship to their French counterparts, and actually share a lot of commonality between them. The Vina Bosconia was considered to be the wine of the night, but both wines showed very well.

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This raised the question of how long these wines would age. I’ve seen 50 years old Riojas, but sadly none were on hand on this occasion. The Marques De Riscal showed as possibly a ‘drink now’ proposition, but would further ageing take it to another level? I’d like to open this question up to the forum, to those with more experience with these wines.

Cheers
Allan

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[mychurch]

It’s the old “Age” v “Last” debate Allan.

The oldest wine there is only 14 years old and when I was younger it was easy to find Gran Reservas with that kind of bottle age. I loved them and went through a phase of buying older versions at auction - if you have friends from 73 then it’s a better 50th present than most Bdx.

I never fell in love with the older wines though - to delicate and no fireworks - but I think I would really enjoy them now. That’s different to the modern wines, which really don’t speak to me at all. B don’t see any mention of coconut in your above reviews, so maybe things are improving, but I really don’t have any need to drink another bottle of young Tempranillo ever again.