Reserva La Mancha Tempranillo Blend

Mostly disjointed. Overripe.

Smells of caramelized Pomegranate.

Medium weight, hints of saline, black rasp, pummelo acidity and feathery tannins.

Solid Rioja.

Smells of deep cherry chocolate bark

Dark cherries dominate the fruit- the herbs seem to lift that dark cherry up, in a savory way. Mint, tarragon, coffee, a hefty wine, with a singing acidity.

The oak dominates a bit but it’s nice

Blend of Tempranillo (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Merlot (10%). Dark (and opaque) ruby color. Not much on the nose other than faint hints of smoke, tobacco and wet soil. The palate is more pronounced featuring flavors of dusty herbs (especially dill), black olives and tobacco. There is some dried black cherry/currant and prune fruit, but they are well in the background. Distinct/heavy note of oak on the finish. Extremely tertiary right out of the bottle. Medium-plus body and acidity. A bit sharp on the tongue and the alcohol is quite noticeable. (Somewhat out of balance.) A bit better with a decant, but probably past its prime.

Really enjoyed.

The saving quality, it’s a Rioja. After that...well, it’s ok and I don’t need to repeat.

Black cherry, plum, woodsy, licorice, espresso, tobacco, maybe a little tomato. Just a little dried fruit character on nose. round and ripe, but held up by nice brightness to back it up, med + smooth tannins, savory finish.

Worked very well with pizza with pork in sauce.

Close to being purple. Aromas of pipe tobacco, smoke, sage, cassis. Rich, velvety. Cherry, blackberry, and, surprisingly, a little blueberry. An excellent wine that paired well with NY Strip and grilled zucchini.

This is tasting nice but has a ton of life left. Leather, plums, raspberry preserves, mint, strong tannin, some oak. I really liked the evolution over two nights. Much more earth on night two.