La Chenaie Vineyard Tempranillo

Retasting eight months later, my last bottle. Ruby red, very good clarity. Black currant and red berry fruit leather notes in nose. Blackberry and cherry flavors initially. Mild skin astringency in finish, with white pepper emerging after 15 minutes. Black currant, plum, mint and a touch of cola and earthiness emerge an hour after opening. Complex flavor profile. Chewy tannins too emerge, so best decant a couple of hours. A little more acidic brightness wouldn’t hurt though. Maybe Tempranillo can be a Pacific Northwest thing...

Bought at winery. Cloudy, medium extracted purple red in color. Mint, black currant, dust and herbal notes in nose. Raspberry, cherry, black currant and graphite flavors, butter on finish, at least initially, later eucalyptus, cola and white pepper emerge in finish. Bitter seed tannins on front of tongue initially, otherwise rounded mouthfeel. Needs at least two hours to open. Well integrated and complex, if you have the patience to see it emerge. Paired well with pork tamales