BYOB: Meghan Brings Tempranillo From An Unexpected Place
Quick – What’s the first place you think of when you hear or see the word Tempranillo? Spain…right?! Ok, now give me another place….click, click, click. That’s the buzzer – time’s up!! If you need a hint, Meghan from the lip-smacking, finger-lickin-good blog, called Travel Eat Love offers up a tasty suggestion worth considering!
Tell us about it Meghan…
On my very first trip to Northern California this past September (there have been 3 since, I guess I kinda liked it!), the very first winery that we visited was Gundlach Bundschu. We were actually staying in San Francisco and decided to drive up to Sonoma last minute, so we had no plan in mind at all. A guidebook lent to me by a coworker had Gundlach Bundschu, or GunBun as one of the best and oldest wineries to visit, and since it was close by we decided to visit.
GunBun was a lucky first choice, and between the delicious wines that we tasted and the very friendly tasting room staff, we were wine club members by the time we left. One of my favorite things about the wine clubs that we belong to (currently GunBun, Castello di Amorosa, and Travessia) is the element of surprise. I often forget when wine is coming, and it is always a treat to come back from a meeting to an unexpected box of wine in my office! I tend to open the box of wine right away and enjoy reading the labels and any correspondence included from the winery, in addition to looking up the wines online so I can know what to expect.
Photo Courtesy of Travel Eat Love
One of our most recent wine club “surprises” was a bottle of 2007 Estate Grown Tempranillo. Here’s a little information about the 2007 Tempranillo from the GunBun website:
Vineyard Rhinefarm Estate Vineyard
Estate grown, produced and bottled
Huichica clay-loam topsoil with light stream gravel deposits
One 4.6-acre vineyard block of Tempranillo
Clone UC Davis 2
Yield 2.4 tons/acre
Winemaking
Harvest Date: September 2007
Brix at Harvest: 24.5°
Vinification: Harvested by hand in the cool morning hours
Yeast strain EC1118
Concurrent primary and malolactic fermentation
Fermented 14 days with twice-daily, gentle pump-overs
Lightly filtered to bottle
Oak Regimen: 14 months in 100% American oak (35% new)
Photo Courtesy of Travel Eat Love
We opened this wine on a recent weekend evening and immediately noticed the pop of juiciness and the dark berry red color. Like all of the Gundlach Bundschu wines I have tasted, the Tempranillo was full of concentrated flavor. This wine offers smooth but noticeable tannins and a little bit of smokiness along with the dark berry flavors that give it a lovely lingering finish. It was remarkably MORE delicious about 24 hours after opening, a great sipping wine and one that would also likely go well with grilled meats at a summer barbeque.
If you have the chance to try Gundlach Bundschu wines, I am also a huge fan of their Gewurztraminer, Rosé, Pinot Noir, and their Mountain Cuvée.
Happy wine drinking!
For more of Meghan’s wine and food adventures, visit Travel Eat Love. Just don’t go there too hungry! 
Posted in General Musings | 
Tags: BYOB, Castello di Amorosa, Guest Post, Gundlach Bundschu, Tempranillo, Travessia
2 Responses to “BYOB: Meghan Brings Tempranillo From An Unexpected Place”
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Very nice, and yes, very unexpected. I've never had a non-Spanish Tempranillo, and I was on a kick for nearly 6 months with it! Has anyone else had one from not-Spain? Where was it from? Always looking to learn, and it's exciting to hear about it!
I've had two from California: Castoro Cellars (which I liked) and Twisted Oak (which I found only tolerable). Also, if you've had a Tinta Roriz or Aragonez from Portugal, you've had non-Spanish Tempranillo (Tinta Roriz and Aragonez are alternate names in the north and south respectively). More often than not it's a blending grape, but one can find single varietal offerings particularly in Dão.