Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2003

Come on everyone, don't make Iron Chef do all the work. I know you're out there drinking wine - so send in a review. Either e-mail it to me directly at NBwines /at/ gmail /dot/ com or just post it on the "Make a Suggestion" thread and I'll repost it separately. It doesn't have to be long and no fancy wine words are required - the idea is just to get the conversation going.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose- Dried Flowers, Older cedar, some hot alcohol notes. Extracted Cherries.
Taste- Red, Ripe Cherries mixed with raspberries. Chalky tannins and Dill pickle chips. Much longer finish that I would have guessed for the price.
Overall- this was a dead ringer for a Spanish wine. It showed a bunch of nice favours and more depth of taste than expected. The Dill on the palate was interesting. I liked this wine.

Price: $15.79
Value 4/5
Score 88
Region: Spain- La Mancha
Grape: Tempranillo
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 8436013812644

Osborne Solaz Shiraz Tempranillo 2005

Summer is white wine weather, but with this rainy weather it seems like fall, so a red wine review seems appropriate.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Smell: Dried Raisins, Cloves, Dried Flowers and warm oak- Great Spanish Nose - wood and dried fruit- exactly what I look for in Spanish wine.
Taste: More Dried Fruit- Prunes and raisins. Good Structure- tannins in the palate. Loads of toasty Wood. Some cherry extract, but not too sweet. There is something to this wine that makes it very enjoyable to drink.
Overall: Nice wine, especially with food that needs structure- Beef on the BBQ, but not Ribeye class- maybe Striploin Ribeye would demand at least a Montecillo. Has the elements that I seek in a wine, Dried Fruit, good wood and a little something extra. Decanted+ good cork.

Price: $13.79
Score: 88
Value: 4/5
Region: Spain
Alcohol 13.5%
UPC #022851804019

Casa de la Ermita Jumilla Crianza 2003

By coincidence I received two separate reviews of this wine today (Friday) so obviously it had to go up next - in fact, I’m going to break my ‘every other day’ rule and post this Saturday. I'm very enthusiastic about this development - the point of the this blog is to try and get a variety of opinions, on the theory that "two heads are better than mine." In this case it is interesting to see that both reviewers independently gave it the same score and pretty much the same value rating!

— Peanutman’s Review —

This wine was suggested to me by one of the NBLC sommeliers. For the price, I was very pleased. I had a hard time with the smell. I wasn't blown away by the smell and I swirled and swirled. Jam, maybe, forest, maybe. I just couldn't tell. My wife and I both like big bold wines, and we both felt this one met our criteria. It is full and flavourful. There are some sweet tannins, but nothing to bug you. There is a decent length to it and it seems that I could actually chew on this wine. In addition, it obviously spent some time in oak, with a hint of vanilla somewhere in there. Basically, we just really liked this wine and it was as good on the second day.

For $23, I would say it is a 4 out of 5 for value. At $17.50, I would give it a 4.5 out of 5. My score, 89 (for whatever that is worth)

— Vasco da Gama’s Review —

Viva Espagna! Iron Chef was looking for a review of a more moderately priced wine, so here you go.

Picked up a couple bottles of this in the wine sale, and was not disappointed. This is quite the concoction of several varietals. This wine is fairly dry, but still juicy (and fruity) and has moderate tannins and quite a bit of acidity...probably will hold up for another couple of years.

This wine reflects a bit of everything; nice and fruity (after it opens up a bit)-cherry strawberry, but not overly. You get some of the benefits of the aging, with the 6 years bringing some light earthy characteristics. The key is that everything is very well integrated. This is a very nice and enjoyable wine for the mere $18.

Upon looking, I see that there is none left in Fredericton, but lots in other cities. May be worth getting some shipped in. If anyone gets their hands on some remember to let it breathe for a couple hours to fully appreciate what this wine has to offer!

Overall 89pts
5/5 for value (complexity normally seen in the high $20s low $30s)

—

Price: $17.47 (on Sale)
Score: 89
Value: 4.5 - 5 / 5
Region: Spain, Jumilla
Grape: Tempranillo, Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot
Tasted: March 2009
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 8435053323035

Marqués de Cáceres Crianza 2004

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

Montecillo Reserva 2002

Here's a review from Luke. Incidentally, when he first posted this in the "Make a Suggestion" thread, there was none available in F'ton. They've now brought some in, along with the Torres Celeste that Luke also mentioned in that post.

Here's Luke's review of the Montecillo:

"The Celeste has left me in the mood for Spain since I had it, so I opened a 2002 Montecillo Reserva (Rioja) today. I got something different on the nose every time I went back. Cherries, earth, cedar, lavender, spice, and maybe even tea and chocolate. The fruit and vanilla were most obvious on the palate, which had a medium to long finish with a nice hint of chocolate. A very complex wine.

The deep garnet colour has hints of brown that are starting to show quite well. There is still good acidity and tannin, I look forward to trying this in another year or two. Very enjoyable now, however."

Price: $24.29
Score: 87
Value: 4/5
Region: Spain, Rioja
Grape: Tempranillo
Tasted: 30 Nov 08
UPC: 022851208015

Marqués de Riscal Tempranillo 2006

Here is a review from Vesper:

"Last night I had a couple glasses of the Marqués de Riscal Tempranillo and really enjoyed it. Nice deep berry nose. On the palate it was fairly full bodied and smooth with good tannins. Really nice mouth feel too. I had this in a restaurant so not ideal conditions for tasting but I like it enough to buy a bottle and to try it again. Note: I had two glasses and the second one (initially) was a touch cooler and slightly more sharp on the finish. I put this down to opening of new bottle or the like.

ANBL has this (2006) for $15.79. I think this could make it in the top ten under $20. If anyone else tries this let me know what you think."

Price: $15.79
Score: 86
Region: Spain
Tasted: Nov 2008
UPC: 8410866430477

Vinzelo Douro 2006

Here is a quick review from Luke, from the Wine Expo '08 tasting, that I lifted from a comment. Note that Tinta Roriz is a Portugese name for Tempranillo.

A quick review of the Vinzelo 2006, Douro, booth 19 - Very fresh nose - predominantly strawberries and raspberries, which follow through on the palate, with a touch of spice. 30% each tinta roriz, touriga franca, tinta barroca and 10% touriga nacional. A great display of the potential of Portugese red table wines and the best wine I've had under $15 in a while. Just over 2000 bottles in the warehouse.

Price: $11.49
Value: 5/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 12.5%
Region: Portugal, Douro
Tasted: November 2008
UPC: #5601920113952