WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Spain’

Sexy from head to toe is the best way of describing the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha.  I discovered and fell in love with the 2007 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha last year.  But oh, oh, oh, oh – the 2008 edition is truly something special and just pure gold in the under $10 wine category.  Produced from 100 percent Garnacha vines, some up to 100 years old, from an altitude of 2400 – 3000 ft. in the village of Atea in Calatayud, the 2008 Altovinum Evodia is rock solid from start to finish.

The word Evodia comes from a Greek word that means “aroma”, and yes, the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha certainly smells quite nice with its mineral, earthy essence; but the real X-factor with this Spanish red is the major POW that it delivers in the taste department with its sweet, dark fruit flavors laced with black tea and peppery notes.  And get this:  It achieves its delicious smack down without ever spending any time in an oak barrel – a truly remarkable feat considering its complexity and affordability!

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha just might be the best tasting red wine on the planet for under $10.  To this end, if you’re reading this review and know of a red wine that’s as good as or better than this beauty (for less than 10 bucks), I’d sure like to hear about it!

4 Stars out of 4.

($9.99)

From: Barcelona, Spain
Price: $5.50

If there are two things that I’m a sucker for – it’s a willingness to try any wine regardless of price and red wines hailing from Spain. The Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red (NV) is cheap – Me like. It’s also from Spain – Muy bien, I definitely love the sound of that!

Unfortunately that’s where the story ends for this inexpensive Spanish red that consists of an odd and rather bland tasting combination of Tempranillo and Merlot. I sure wanted to be swept away to that cute little table and chair overlooking the beautiful sunset on a beach.  Instead, I found myself sticking a cork in this fantasy as quickly as I possibly could and snapping back to reality.

I award the Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red (NV) 1 star out of 4.  This is a Mediterranean getaway worth passing up.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

From: Spain

Price: $8.99

The first thing that stands out about this particular wine is it’s simple yet bold electric orange label.  The lettering on the label on front of this wine bottle lies somewhere between X-Files meets The Terminator.  The label on the back of the bottle is a wine lovers’ dream.  It  gives would be buyers all kinds of useful information like what grapes are inside the bottle, a little bit about the wine itself, some geography, what kind of soil the grapes were grown in, etc.  Kudos to the nice peeps at Vinos Pinol for providing such a nicely detailed label about their wine!

Now that I know exactly what I’m drinking, I’ll tell you what I thought about how it tasted.

The 2007 Vinos Pinol Ludovicus is a very good everyday red wine made in a traditional Old World Spanish style.  This wine is comprised of 35% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo, 25% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The upfront berry taste of the 2007 Vinos Pinol Ludovicus when it first hits your tongue is just so-so, or at least it was for me.   However, this wine delivers a generous amount of black pepper, ripe berry, and spicy vanilla oaky flavors on the backend that linger around for quite a while.

I award the 2007 Vinos Pinol Ludovicus 3 Stars out of 4.  Although the label may look modern, the contents inside the bottle say Old World Spain, and at $8.99 it is a terrific value.

From: Spain

Price: 10.99

So I have to tell you – I didn’t think that it was possible to find a Spanish dud from the Ribera Del Duero wine growing region in Spain.  I have a personal fondness for red wines that are produced in the Ribera Del Duero.  The climate in this Spanish region can be described as hot days and cool nights with moderate rains.  This type of climate makes for ideal growing conditions for tempranillo, the most widely planted red grape in Spain.

I love Spanish Tempranillo wines for their awesome ripe cherry flavor.  The winemakers that work with this grape know how to precisely integrate oak and spices to really make them enjoyable, food-friendly wines.

However, in my opinion, the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is a very poor display of the type of Tempranillo wine that one can purchase at this price level.  I found this Spanish Tinto to be rather bland, with nothing going on in the way of spices.  It was simply tasteless and boring.  Unfortunately, I’d have to say that the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is one of the worst Spanish red wines that I’ve tried in a while.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star