Kelly's note: "Raspberries, vanilla, cheap wine essence. Clear on palate, then very dry on finish. I initially guessed pinot, then merlot. Poor value at the price."
This crianza is is 85% Tempranillo and the remaining 15% is Garnacha Tinta (Grenache) & Graciano. Incidentally, the term "crianza" is the Spanish designation for the youngest officially recognized category of wine that is matured in wood; "reserva" and "gran reserva" denote longer wood aging, while wines without any of these designations - "joven" or young, may not have any cask aging at all. "Riserva" is the Italian term; it also denotes a period of aging, but the Italian usage is not as strict and some riserva wines may not have any cask aging at all.
Price: $22.49
Value: 2/5
Score: 83
Region: Spain, Rioja
Tasted: Nov 2008
UPC: 8410406311006
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I read somewhere that this is the most widely consumed Crianza in North America, and is an under $10 wine south of the border. I tried it at the wine show and felt that over $20 is way too much.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that that there's more of a markup on the lower priced wines. For example, I looked up the 2003 Pio Cesare Ornato on winezap, and it looks like the lowest price in the States is US$85 and the standard price is US$100 - so we're matching the lowest US price once you take the exchange rate into account. I looked up this Crianza and the lowest price was US$8 - about $10 - and the standard was about US$13 - about $16. I'm not sure if this is a fair sample, but it does seem to me to be the trend. Maybe its not that the NB markup is different, but that there is more competition in the US on lower priced wines, so they make less of a margin in the US. In any event, I would not buy this wine even at $16.
ReplyDeleteThis was in the TStar on Xmas eve by Gord Stimmell
ReplyDeleteMarqués de Cáceres Seleccionada Crianza 2005 Red $16.95 (Spain)
Crianza reds are aged 16 months in oak, then bottle-aged 18 months more before release. Aromas of black raspberry, cedar, vanilla and wild strawberries entice. The flavours are potent, with expansive black cherries, vanilla bean and chocolate. A big red, drinking great now.
LCBO # 69294
Food suggestion: Baked smoked ham.
Rating: 90
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/556587