Bodegas TresPiedras Unanimous Finca La Tejera 2020, Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Dark ruby/ Inky in color with a wide purplish rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate.

Showing black plums, cooked cherries, spices, chocolates, herbs, light vegetables and black pepper.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 3 year old red blend from Ribera Del Duero is starting to drink nicely now. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime.

Good by itself, and a nice sipping wine that doesn’t need food.

Showing good structure, and a good quality wine.

A pleasure to drink it with the winemaker. Thank you Jorge for sharing this with me.

This Single Vineyard is delicious now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Will be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolved.

A field blend of Tempranillo, Bobal, Garnacha and 20% Albillo Mayor (white grapes). Grapes are from over 100 year old vines in a tiny Vineyard, about 1.5 Acre in size. Aged for 13 months in used French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

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Bodegas Septien Bolicario de Silos 2021, Arlanza, Spain

Deep purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Fruity nose of red fruits and spices.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and very fruity with mild complexity.

Showing red cherries, black plums, currants, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and cherries.

This is a very easy drinking Tempranillo blend from Arlanza, Spain. Fruit forward and drinks very much like a Beaujolais.

Good right out of the bottle, and would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

Good by itself or with food. A good wine to sip on by the porch.

Drinking this with the winemaker makes it even better. Thank you Andres for sharing this with me.

A field blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Mencia. Aged in French oak barrels for 11 months. A tiny production of only 2,005 bottles. This is bottle number 1,061.

14% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40.

R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva 2011, Spain

Reddish in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of red fruits with earth and mildew notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Elegant and restrained.

On the palate red fruits with earth, light wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, light wet leaves and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This recent release of this Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now.

A good quality wine. Easy drinking, and a good food wine that I paired with dried meats and crackers.

This 11 year old feels so very young still, and will continue to age nicely in the next 25 years.

Needs time to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.

A blend of 70% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 6 years in used American oak barrels.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.

R. Lopez de Heredia Vinã Bosconia Rioja Reserva 2010, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, plums, sour cherries, light oak, spices, peppercorn, dark coffee, tobacco leaf, earth, wet leaves and herbs.

Short finish with round tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This 13 year old is showing nice complexity now. Tasty and a good food wine.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

This 2010 vintage was probably the best vintage in Rioja in the last 20 years. So nice to try these kind of wines.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, so be patient.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha with Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 5 years in used American oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$40.

R. Lopez de Heredia Vinã Bosconia Rioja Reserva 2010, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim. What a beautiful color.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing cherries, raspberries, black plums, currants, oak, light vanilla, spices, cola, chocolates, earth, wet leaves, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, rust, blood and herbs.

Dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel. Shows nice complexity at this point.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and pomegranates.

This 13 year old is starting to drink very nicely now, and will continue to age in the next 7 years.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show itself. Easy drinking once it opens up. Elegant with good structure.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Paired nicely with the Prosciutto.

A blend of 80% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged in used American oak barrels for five years.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$40.

Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon Garnacha 2012, Campo de Borja, Spain

For international Grenache day, here is a delicious Garnacha from Spain.

Full bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with great complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, earth, spices, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, cola, vanilla, mocha and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old is rich, extracted, engaging and fruit forward. Feels like a Napa Cabernet based Bordeaux blend.

Wine Spectator 94 points. Robert Parker 94 points.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. Good by itself as a sipping wine. Just gorgeous.

100% Garnacha grapes were aged in (70%) French and (30%) American oak barrels for 2 years. A very small production of only a few barrels.

16% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$150.

Bodegas Borsao Monte Oton Garnacha 2007, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of plums, cherries, currants, spices, light oak, licorice, dark coffee, earth, herbs and peppercorn.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black and red fruits, earth, light oak, licorice, chocolates and coffee.

Medium length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 15 year old Spanish Garnacha, drinks very fresh. Has a lot of sediments in the bottle, but otherwise I would have guessed it was a 2015 vintage.

Not showing too much complexity, and will probably be still drinkable in the next 5 to 10 years, although there is no reason to wait. I had it a couple of years ago and it is still drinking nicely.

Tasty and easy drinking with mild complexity. A nice easy red to start the evening with.

Needed 45 minutes in the decanter to show the nice tannins. Good by itself or with food.

100% Garnacha grapes.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

Famille Gonnet Font du Vent Cuvée Tradition Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019, France

Dark cherry in color with a wide reddish rim.

On the nose raspberries, strawberries, cherries, light oak, spices, herbs, earth, dried meats, wild flowers, garrigue, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, black currants, blueberries, light wood, earth, dark coffee, light bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Grenache blend from Southern Rhone. Elegant and interesting.

Tangy and spicy with lots of fruits. Nicely balanced with nice complexity.

This 3-year-old is drinking very nicely now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 years.

Easy drinking and better after 90 minutes in the decanter.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50.

Leverage Wines Trajectory 2017, Paso Robles, California

Dark purple in color with a purple/ reddish rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, black cherries, black plums, earth, wood, light vanilla, spices, herbs, tobacco, coffee, dark chocolates and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked strawberries, spices, pencil lead, tobacco, chocolates, earth, herbs, oak, licorice, dark coffee, pencil lead, cloves, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a wonderful GSM blend from Paso Robles. Nicely balanced, rich and fruit forward. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle, but already delicious. Would age nicely in the next 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. Complexity comes in in the decanter.

Spicy and interesting to drink by itself, and good with food too. Delicious and approachable.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board meats, cheeses and crackers. Goes very nicely with the aged Brie cheese.

A blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre. Aged for 18 months in (40% New) French Oak barrels. A small production of only 175 cases.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$56.

RD Winery Hundred Knot Grenache 2019 Sonoma Valley, California

Purple in color with a wide reddish rim.

Sweet nose of cherries, blueberries, sweet strawberries, licorice, oak, tobacco, vanilla, chocolates, spices and black pepper.

Medium bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, red currants, oak, tobacco, earth, spices, licorice, peppercorn, chocolates and coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable Grenache from Sonoma Valley. Nicely balanced and fruit forward. Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

Showing mild complexity with a nice, soft mouthfeel. Light and engaging and a good summer wine. A nice light chill would be a good idea.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and brings in more structure.

Alcohol is nicely integrated already, so watch out.

Would be nice to see how this evolves in the next 3 years.

I had it by the pool with some dried meats, fresh berries and cheeses.

A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months (20% new).

15% alcohol by Volume.

91 points.

$53.

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