A Spanish lesson learned. . .
As you may know, I am on a quest to join the Wine Century Club. To join this club, I need to taste 100 different wine varietals. Now, I am well on my way at about 40 varietals accounted for, and I was very surprised to have found a varietal at Whole Foods that I know I had not tried. . . Tinto Fino. To really get me pumped, the price of the 2007 Finca Resalso was about $10.00. I quickly picked up this Spanish wine, purchased it and headed home to check it out on the 'net.
My great jubilation led to disappointment as I discovered that Tinto Fino is another name for Tempranillo, a varietal that I have had on a number of occasions. . .
Tempranillo is a very popular red grape varietal in Spain most notably used in wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The aromas and flavors often show elements of red and dark berry fruits, herbs, and "earth/dirt". The wines are often full-bodied and can be drunk young. Tempranillo has become more popular as of late, due in part to the efforts of “new world” Spanish producers who are producing wines of great character and quality in areas outside of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. One of the tough parts of Tempranillo though (and other varietals. . . Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris!), is the number of other names it is known by. . . Tinto de Toro, Tinto del Pais, Extremadura, Cencibel, Ojo de Liebre, Valdepenas, Ull de Llebre, Aragonez, and Tinta Roriz. And, believe it or not, these are not all.
The 2007 Finca Resalso was very tight when opened. Not much to smell or taste except oak. . . which I am not a fan of. I poured into a decanter to let the oak "blow off". As I watched the NCAA tourney, I kept revisiting the decanter. . . to no avail after the first hour. At about the 2 hour mark, it started to show signs of dark red fruit. At about 3 hours, I got scents and flavors of dark red berries, a little dirt, dark chocolate and tobacco. I would have liked to have seen these flavors a little earlier and a little more predominantly. I have read other reviews of this wine that were much more "glowing", so maybe it was just my bottle. If you see this at Whole Foods and want to give it a shot, its only about $10.00. Take it to a wine get-together and see if anyone will think its an "exotic varietal" from Spain!
THUS ENDETH THE LESSON.
My great jubilation led to disappointment as I discovered that Tinto Fino is another name for Tempranillo, a varietal that I have had on a number of occasions. . .
The 2007 Finca Resalso was very tight when opened. Not much to smell or taste except oak. . . which I am not a fan of. I poured into a decanter to let the oak "blow off". As I watched the NCAA tourney, I kept revisiting the decanter. . . to no avail after the first hour. At about the 2 hour mark, it started to show signs of dark red fruit. At about 3 hours, I got scents and flavors of dark red berries, a little dirt, dark chocolate and tobacco. I would have liked to have seen these flavors a little earlier and a little more predominantly. I have read other reviews of this wine that were much more "glowing", so maybe it was just my bottle. If you see this at Whole Foods and want to give it a shot, its only about $10.00. Take it to a wine get-together and see if anyone will think its an "exotic varietal" from Spain!
THUS ENDETH THE LESSON.
Posted by thewinemonologues.com at 3/29/2010 9:10 AM 
Categories: Tempranillo
Tags: Tinto Fino Tempranillo
Categories: Tempranillo
Tags: Tinto Fino Tempranillo
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