BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

80
Bodegas Virgen del Águila 2010 Circles
Syrah & Garnacha Syrah-Grenache (Cariñena).
This starts with aromas of cinnamon, hard candy
and weedy red fruits. It feels sugary and broken, with
candied strawberry flavors in front of a sweet, confected
finish. Patagonia Wine & Imports, LLC. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $10
80
Ignacio Marín 2008 Duque de Medina
Reserva Old Vine Garnacha (Cariñena).
Murky and stewy smelling, with no vitality and overt
green accents. It’s a bit heavy in feel, with salsa-like
flavors of tomato, tomatillo, chili pepper and herbs.
Marin Wine and Foods Inc. —M.S.
abv: 13% Price: $14
CIGALES
92
Traslanzas 2006 Cigales. By far this is the
best Traslanzas I’ve come across. It is pure, with
aromas of cola, mineral, black cherry and the mildest
note of raisin. On the palate, it feels concentrated,
with big tannins pushing sweet, dark flavors of blackberry,
fig, chocolate and licorice. Tastes lightly toasted
and feels big on the finish. Drink now through 2018.
Winebow. Editors’ Choice. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $28
90
Val de Los Frailes 2004 Pago de las
Costanas (Cigales). Sweet and toasty, with
overt oak, sarsparilla, raisin and coconut aromas. It feels
supersaturated, with monster tannins. Flavors of black
coffee, chocolate, spice, pepper and licorice are rich
and deep, while the finish is chewy, meaty and long.
Drink now. Matarromera USA, Inc. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $53
89
Val de Los Frailes 2006 Selección Personal
(Cigales). Roasted and leathery smelling,
with aromas of brick dust, root beer and exotic spices.
Feels grabby and astringent, with boistrous tannins.
It tastes toasty and black, with baked berry flavors and
tons of chocolate and spice. It feels a bit choppy on the
finish, with an espresso-like aftertaste. Matarromera
USA, Inc. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $55
87
Val de Los Frailes 2005 Vendimia Seleccionada
(Cigales). This opens softly, with
murky aromas of tomato and prune. It feels heavy
and dense, with big tannins and mild acidity. The flavors
of prune, mocha, fudge and stewed berry are rich
and weighty. This is dense and ripe, a touch flat. Matarromera
USA, Inc. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $18
85
Val de Los Frailes 2004 Prestigio (Cigales).
Stretched and woody on the nose, with
not much fruit. It feels wide, grabby and tannic, with
leathery, herbal berry flavors. Grabby on the finish, this
is still quite tannic and a bit tough on the palate. Matarromera
USA, Inc. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $27
40 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | JULY 2012
DOMINIO DE VALDEPUSA
94
Marques de Griñon 2005 Emeritus (Dominio
de Valdepusa). A huge wine that’s tannic
as nails but so aromatic and flavor packed. Toasted
oak, mint, cola, maple, marzipan work the potent nose,
while the saturated palate thumps along with massive
black-fruit flavors and coffee, fudge and light herb accents.
This is one of the most powerful wines from
Spain or anywhere. Drink or hold. Winebow. Editors’
Choice. —M.S.
abv: 15% Price: $100
91
Marques de Griñon 2005 Single Vineyard
Estate Bottled Syrah (Dominio de
Valdepusa). Beautiful aromas of forest floor, dusty
berry and smoked meats lead to a huge, tannic but tolerable
mouthful of toasty blackberry, cassis, chocolate
and additional darkness. It’s toasty and really long on the
finish; almost syrupy but not quite. A tannic effort, like
all Griñon wines. Winebow. —M.S.
abv: 15% Price: $40
90
Marques de Griñon 2005 Summa Varietalis
Estate Bottled Syrah+Cabernet
Sauvignon+Petit Verdot (Dominio de Valdepusa).
Woodsy and smooth smelling, with integrated
spice and black-fruit aromas. It feels like a padded vise
grip, with demanding tannins and blackberry, toast and
coffee flavors that narrow down due to tannic astringency.
Incredibly flavorful and potent; drink or hold.
Winebow. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $30
88
Marques de Griñon 2007 Caliza Syrah &
Petit Verdot (Dominio de Valdepusa). This
is toasty and overflowing with wild berry and cassis aromas.
The palate is tight and tannic, with salty berry fruit
flavors that seem wild and untamed. Stays salty on the
finish, with herbal notes sneaking in. It smells great, but
it’s rough in terms of feel. Winebow. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $20
87
Marques de Griñon 2005 Single Vineyard
Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon (Dominio
de Valdepusa). Concentrated and sweet, with
aromas of raisin and cassis that lead onto an intense, syrupy
palate, with salty berry, brown sugar and fudge flavors.
This is deep as a country well, with a ton of flavor.
But truth be told, it’s tannic as can be, with a crushing
mouthfeel that makes food mandatory. Winebow.
—M.S.
abv: 15% Price: $40
85
Marques de Griñon 2005 Single Vineyard
Estate Bottled Petite Verdot (Dominio de
Valdepusa). Charcoal, cola and menthol aromas sit on
top of blueberry and mint. The mouth is so tannic and
powerful that it’s tough to swallow. Incredibly ripe, this
has a short finish that’s toasty tasting and not complex in
the least. Winebow. —M.S.
abv: 15% Price: $40
JUMILLA
88
Wrongo Dongo 2010 Monastrell (Jumilla).
Aromas of pointed red plum and
mild earthy, leafy aromas precede a well-constructed
palate, with dark plum and standard berry flavors. This
is a mellow wine that’s very good for the price. Fine Estates
From Spain. Best Buy. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $9
87
Bodegas Luzon 2010 Luzon Verde Monastrell
(Jumilla). The briary, red fruit aromas
are slightly prickly slightly, becoming fuller and deeper
with time in glass. This feels solid and fairly dense for
the price, with berry, peppery spice and light herb flavors.
Fruity and friendly on the finish. Aviva Vino. Best
Buy. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $9
87
Bodegas San Isidro 2007 Gémina Monastrell
(Jumilla). Citrusy on the nose, with
rooty, restrained, earthy accents. It feels full but a bit
dull in the middle, with flavors of minty spice, pepper
and mature red fruit. Dry and drawing on the finish,
with a tomatoey flavor. American Estates Wines, Inc.
—M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $15
86
Las Hermanas 2010 Made with Organic
Grapes Monastrell (Jumilla). Red plum,
rubber and leathery aromas lead to a dry, medium-full
palate, with peppery spice and red fruit flavors. It’s spicy
on the finish, with modest depth of flavor and little to no
variety in texture. A good but regular Monastrell. Well-
Oiled Wine Company. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $13
85
Oferente 2009 Monastrell (Jumilla). Very
sweet on the nose, this has aromas of prune,
raisin and nutmeg. It feels surprisingly acidic given the
sweet-leaning aromas, with full tannins and berry and
smoky oak flavors. The finish is tasty and long. Frontier
Wine Imports. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $20
84
Bodegas la Aldea 2010 La Aldea Monastrell
(Jumilla). Cherry and plum aromas come
with a dusty note, however things turn sharper and
more brambly with airing. It feels citrusy and choppy,
with sweet-and-sour flavors of raspberry and red plum.
Juicy, but fiery on the finish. Casa Ventura Imports.
Best Buy. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $8
MONTSANT
92
Cellers Sant Rafel 2005 Solpost (Montsant).
A winner given its quality-to-price quotient.
This smells earthy, dark and harmonious, with
black plum and berry aromas leading the charge. It feels
racy, juicy and full, with giant raspberry, plum, vanilla,
tobacco and licorice flavors. It’s textured on the finish,
with bright, lasting flavors. Drink now. Casa Ventura
Imports. Editors’ Choice. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $23
89
La Universal 2008 Dido (Montsant). Baked
and rubbery up front, with asphalt, roasted peanut
and black fruit aromas. In the mouth, it’s solid and
stately, with black plum and raspberry flavors, good balance
and a taught, muscular structure. It tastes bright