The Auswine Forum

This is my first ever TN on the net. Please excuse me while I'm still using training wheels.

Also, compared to the stuff most people are drinking, this is rather boring, low grade plonk. All cost $10 (no questions about this, please )

Anyway, here goes.....

TN Tierra de Castrilla 'Elefanti' Tempranillo Shiraz (Spain) 2009 14%
From Spain's equivalent of the Riverlands/Riverina. Not a good start. But one of the top Aussie wine critics recommended it and it's a top seller in a small wine store in Melbourne amongst many places. So, I was quite hopeful of something reasonable.

Rather volatile and astringent upon opening. By the 3rd night it had settled down and softened up, if not become great in any way. Spicy, red cherries on the nose. More spice and cherries on the palate joined by tingly tannins and some cooked meat with a medium body. The tannins kick in a bit more at the end, but there's not much of an after taste. Overall, varietal, but thin and lacking character and enjoyment. 88

TN Whitebox Tempranillo 2007 14.5%
From the Spanish region of Heathcote. It is clearly a Tempranillo, but also quite obviously Australian. A bit richer and fruitier in terms of aroma and taste, the alcohol poking out a bit, but with similar tempanillo characteristics as above, just not as distinctive.

It's a bit easier to drink, the tannins a fair bit softer, but still not really enjoyable. 89

TN Marques de Riscal 'Proximo' Rioja (Tempranillo+), Elciego, Spain. 2009. 14%
Much better from the get go. There's an intense nose of preserved cherries, pomegranate and woody spice. It's more subtle on the palate - more like a bordeaux than a big SA red. Very light tannins compared to the above two. The line is good with the aromas repeated on the palate. Some may say it lacks depths, but that's not the style - it's not Barossa shiraz. It would be a bit disappointing if that was all, but just as you think it was going to finish with a powder puff, these big spicy cherry tannins kick in adding much needed character and giving it an enjoyable, reasonably lengthy finish. Not amazingly good, but enjoyable and interesting. 91

Good work here - valuable tasting notes

keep em coming

cheers

Luke

Marques de Murrieta Reserva 2005 Rioja- Tar, aniseed & cloves, Plenty of interest on the nose. Dry, dusty tannins, however lacking the up front fruit expression I was expecting. Needs to breath in decanter. 60mins later I found it. Opened a Castillo de Bayren Manchego and the saltiness in the cheese highlighted the red fruit like a neon sign. Flavours suddenly started dancing around the mouth. Plush cherries, balanced with subtle acidity, creaminess & mixed spices. Another hour later and WOW..... Full fruitiness without being a bomb. Balanced & textured. Matched the Manchego with clinical precision. Sometimes I just need some patience...

Campbells Limited Release Tempranillo 2001- Really enjoyed this wine with my wife, who usually only has a glass of red with me in the cold of winter. Smooth and crisp. Fruit was flowing carefully and balanced. This was not a Rioja, but a fantastic drinker without having any heightened expectations.

Chad

I'll second Luke.

Nicely written.

The Elefante has had a pretty lukewarm response in my experience, not sure what the fuss is about.

Cheers.

Thanks guys. Popped my cherry - seems to be a appropriate wine in terms of fruit characteristics.

Nice Notes.
I had the elefante around this time last year and din't think it too bad - I'm sure that would have been a previous vintage though. At $10 a bottle for an import I'd expect that the QPR is still quite good.

Anyway, since the discussion is on Tempranillo, I thought I'd add some that I tasted at the Melbourne Food and Wine show on march 10th.
Due to lack of time, my notes aren't as detailed as I would have liked as there wasn't that much time, and because I'm pretty slow when it comes to tasting.
These were tasted semi -blind. We had the list of 6 but we didn't know the order.
The first two which were from the Adelaide Hills and Porepunkah stood out as really obviously new world compared to the spanish versions. Even a relative novice such as myself could spot that.

La Linea Norteno Tempranillo 2010
Sweet cherry Medium light body, Savoury but not really long. Good acid - 89

Mayford Tempranillo 2010
Slightly green spicey nose . more cuddly, a bigger wine than the La Linea. Not particularly sophisticated but nice drinking 89

Ysios Reserva 2006
sweet, slightly jubey, some strawberry. Mid weight and savoury with long tannins. Nice acid. Balanced 92

Telmo Rodriguez Matallana 2006
some sulfur flintiness, savoury. Big, big tannins great fruit, lovely balance but needs time 93

Vega Sicilia Pintia 2006
Dark intense plummy nose, underlying leafiness. subtle savoury fine tannins. Seemed a step up in class. WIll need time 95

Telmo Rodriguez Pago la Jara' 2007
plum, cherry tar, pepper on the nose. Nice round fruit. Doesn't feel a long term prospect but it has good balance and long tannins 91