Carpe Vinum Friday Flights! Tempranillo!
Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!
Welcome again to the Carpe Vinum Ultra-Fine E-mail E-Publication and Wine Tasting E-nouncement. This week we’re re-visiting a new favorite of mine: the noble, yet so totally underrated Tempranillo! We tasted Tempranillo here in the shop about 4 months ago, but as a favorite of mine, I just couldn’t get enough of it. Plus, just days after that tasting, I discovered even more that escaped my attention, and I just had to make more room for them. At any rate, here we go!
Tempranillo! It’s the noble grape of Spain, and responsible for most of the top Spanish wines, as well as the majority of Spanish wines altogether. It rarely seems to appear outside Spain within Europe, although that can be hard to tell sometimes, as it has about a hundred different names**. Occasionally it can be found in Portugal, Spain’s neighbor on the Iberian peninsula. In Portugal it’s known as Tinta Roriz and Aragonez. I just might have to have another Tempranillo tasting once I find a good Portuguese example. So simply stated, there are countless delicious examples of Tempranillo wines to be found there.
What I find interesting regarding this varietal, is how it’s catching on worldwide, and the plantings in the New World. Many consider it to be the next big thing, and watch as it surpasses Sangiovese in that respect. So my job is to seek out these Tempranillos that have traveled so far from their homeland to where they’ve taken root.
For that last tasting, I scoured all the information that I have to track down my elusive prey. There are a handful of plantings down in California, a couple in Oregon, one in Washington (as far as I can tell), and a good number of them in Argentina. I landed a few more this time, as last time the only California Tempranillo I found was priced like it came out of Napa Valley. Mainly because it came out of Napa Valley. And it made me sad. So all these Tempranillos are more affordable, and totally worth it.
And look! I have a rose’ in there! A Rosado Tempranillo! Don’t be afraid. That’ll be delicious too!
So Friday, May 12th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:
Noble Tempranillo!!
Fuente del Conde 2004 Tempranillo Rosado, Cigales, Spain
Jeromin Grego 2004 Tempranillo, Madrid, Spain
Barnwood 2003 “Untamed” Tempranillo, San Luis Obispo County, California
Bodegas Palacio 2001 Glorioso Crianza, Rioja, Spain
Mil Piedras 2003 Tempranillo, Mendoza, Argentina
Even More Noble Tempranillo!!
Verdad 2004 Tempranillo, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Alejandro Fernandez 2000 Dehesa la Granja, Spain
A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
Next Friday tasting is the French Rhone!
M
** Just for your own information, here’s a few of the names: Aragonez, Arganda, Cencibel, Chinchillana, Escobera, Garnacho, Foño, Jaciuera, Negra de Mesa, Tinta Santiago, Tinta Montereiro, Tinto Fino, Tinto País, Tinto Riojano, Tinto de Toro, Tinto de Madrid, Ull de Llebre, Valdepeñas, Verdiell and Vid de Aranda. A regular Special Agent, that guy Tempranillo. . .