My friend Mike brought this when he and his wife came over for dinner. Wow, was this great. I don't know much about Spanish wine, but this is extra-nice. The label says it's a "Red Crianza" (type of wine which has limited oak aging, as opposed to "Reserva" or "Gran Reserva," which would be barrel-aged for longer) that contains Tempranillo, Masuelo and Graciano grapes, is grown in Rioja Alta and "aged in French and American oack (sic) casks."

Impressions: cherries, leather, caramel, a nice little bit of vanilla/oak in the finish, really gentle tannin. It's very full and satisfying, but not difficult/confrontative like a Cabernet Sauvignon can be. Even my husband, not a big fan of red wines, thought it was pretty good, although he still skipped the wine and had a beer with dinner. This would probably taste good with anything, although it pretty much kicked butt with our citrus-y, salty Mexican-style veggies. Have it with light, herbaceous food and it will knock your socks off. Probably good also with something like lamb or turkey for you carnivores out there.

This is why I think wine is fun. Yay!

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