Free Wine Facts

Ok, so here I am saying I don’t particularly dig Spanish wines and yet I’m reviewing two of them back to back. I noticed this one at Costco on the last trip and it had a reasonable price and a rating for some pedigree. I tend not to give too much weight to the ratings from the various wine rags, but the fact that it is rated counts a touch in my book. Anyhow, on to the review:

• Wine: Atalaya
• Price: ~$13 @ Costco
• Vintage: 2008
• Varietal: Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, et all.
• Winery: Almansa
• Origin: Spain
• Alcohol: 14%
• Rating: Wine Advocate – 91

Much like the other spanish wine I tried, this one is also very dark. It smelled a bit musty, but without any trace of alcohol like the other one. It had a very earthy/chalky (muddy?) taste to it that wasn’t altogether unpleasant but left me trying to figure out what that oddly flavor was. It had some hints of fruit and a very very mild touch of oak to it.

Ok, so the first half of the bottle was consumed with pan fried salmon (no breading), asparagus, and spinach. It actually went pretty well with everything on my plate. And the rest stood reasonably well on its own. I’d say that this is probably the first Spanish wine that I’d try another bottle of and maybe even suggest it to a friend if they asked for something different. I think I’m going to rate this one a B- and would buy again.

Karl

Ok, so while I’m proficient at enjoying all varieties of wine, the wine review thing is fairly new to me. Here’s the first attempt:

• Wine: Marques de Caceres Reserva
• Price: ~$20
• Vintage: 2001
• Varietal: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha Tina & Graciano
• Winery: Marques de Caceres
• Origin: Spain
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Rating; WS93

So, we found this bottle of wine kicking around the house (yes, wine tends to just float around the house until someone notices it and its promptly killed and consumed.) I’m not typically one for Spanish wines, and this bottle did not disappoint. It was pretty dark when I held it up to the light, and it had a slight smell of alcohol. The wine itself tasted a bit spicy/peppery but it was a bit weak for the strength of the garlic, and overpowering compared to the butter laden cauliflower mash.

Wine Spectator rated it a 93. I’m not sure if maybe 10 years is pushing the wine a bit but I didn’t particularly dig this bottle and I’m not sure I agree with WS. The wine wasn’t and insta-flush, and it was a drinkable, but I can’t say that I’d recommend it to someone that asked for a good Spanish wine. Overall I think I’m going to rate it a C- and would pass on in the future.

Karl