BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

oad and just bright enough on the finish. Hidalgo Imports,
LLC. Best Buy. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $11
86
Papa Luna 2009 Unfiltered (Calatayud).
Earthy and dark, this has a lot of oak, herb and
carob aromas. It feels full, tannic and grating, but also
creamy due to copious oak. The flavors are beefy and
mildly herbal, with sweetness on the back palate. It’s
very oaky and bulky, with Garnacha, Shiraz and Monastrell.
Well-Oiled Wine Company. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $20
85
Pagos Familia Langa 2009 Real de Aragon
Garnacha (Calatayud). Dark, meaty
and ripe, the bouqiet has a strong wave of herb and
carob notes. It feels grabby almost to the point of cloying,
with heavily oaked flavors of roasted black fruit
and milk chocolate. This is oak dominated, but full and
chocolaty. Frontier Wine Imports. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $11
81
Agustín Cubero 2008 Unus Syrah (Calatayud).
A soupy sort of wine with raisiny aromas.
It tastes salty and feels astringent, with tomato,
herb and brothy flavors. The mouthfeel is the best part.
Scoperta Importing Co. Inc. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $9
CAMPO DE BORJA
87
Borsao 2010 Tres Picos Garnacha (Campo
de Borja). Floral, with berry aromas,
it’s also quite charred and oaky, with mocha. It feels
weighty despite displaying prickly acidity, and there’s a
resiny feel to the palate as well. The flavors of baking
spice, chocolate and blackberry run aside barrel-driven
flavors. This is a big, oaky Garnacha. Fine Estates From
Spain. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $17
86
Pagos del Moncayo 2010 Garnacha
(Campo de Borja). Rubbery and gaseous
smelling at first, with medicinal black-fruit aromas of
blueberry and black plum. It feels syrupy and heavy,
with roasted flavors of herb-tinged black fruit and mint.
A full-bodied, forceful wine, with heat and herbal influences.
Axial Wines USA. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $30
83
Coto de Hayas 2010 Garnacha-Syrah
(Campo de Borja). Gritty, toasty and burnt
smelling, with stalky aromas of burning hay and rubber.
It feels solid, with herbal flavors of tomato and basil that
are given heft via additional flavors of grilled beef and
leather. This has a medium-long on the finish. Scoperta
Importing Co. Inc. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $8
82
Aletta 2010 Garnacha (Campo de Borja).
Fresh on the nose, with red cherry and apple
skin aromas. This feels rather sharp and acidic, with flavors
of tart cherry pie and red plum. Aviva Vino. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $9
CARIÑENA
89
Viñedos y Bodegas Pablo 2007 Menguante
Vidadillo (Cariñena). The aromas
of wet clay, mild chili peppers, cedar and sweet berry
mesh nicely. On the palate it is plump and a touch
greasy, with richness in spades along with plum and
berry flavors. It feels weighty on the finish, with a licorice
note. A very good wine from the little-know Vidadillo
grape. Frontier Wine Imports. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $24
88
Bodegas Virgen del Águila 2004 Señorío
del Águila Gran Reserva (Cariñena). The
leathery red-berry aromas are a tad stretched and tight
but still good. This feels zesty, snappy and alert in the
mouth, with lightly herbal flavors of red plum and tangy
cherry tomato. The hickory spice imparted from 24
months of oak aging shows up on the finish along with
licorice. Hand Picked Selections. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $22
88
Bodegas Virgen del Águila 2004 Señorío
del Águila Reserva (Cariñena). Earthy,
meaty berry aromas are solid and sturdy. It feels fresh
and lifted by lasting acidity, with flavors of raspberry,
strawberry and vanilla that are easy to like. A wine
to drink now without too much contemplation, this
finishes steady and smooth. Hand Picked Selections.
—M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $18
88
Viñedos y Bodegas Pablo 2007 Menguante
Selección Garnacha (Cariñena).
Strawberry and herbal aromas find their way to a tight,
structured palate that’s home to medicinal fruit flavors,
accented by toast and bitter chocolate. Dark and medium-long
on the finish, with freshness, depth and good
complexity. Drink now. Frontier Wine Imports. —M.S.
abv: 14% Price: $24
87
Abrazo 2010 Garnacha (Cariñena). An impressive
wine for $8. This smells savory, like a
mix of smoked meats, roasted berries and leather, and it
feels juicy and racy, with a good texture and honest flavors
of blackberry, savory meat and spice. The finishes
is mild, with mild herbal notes and tobacco. Axial Wines
USA. Best Buy. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $8
86
Bodegas Virgen del Águila 2002 Señorío
del Águila Reserva (Cariñena). Smoky
and roasted on the nose, it also has standard red-berry
aromas lurking in the background. This feels fairly full
and healthy, with sweet-oak flavors accenting lightlypickled-tasting
red berry. It finishes a bit herbal, with
lasting minty, oaky flavors. Hand Picked Selections.
—M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $18
85
Bodegas Virgen del Águila 2001 Señorío
del Águila Gran Reserva (Cariñena).
Hickory smoke and rubber band aromas control the
nose. It feels stretched and acidic, with zesty plum and
raspberry flavors. Oaky vanilla and creamy flavors sur-
face, which lead to a long but undistinguished finish.
Hand Picked Selections. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $22
85
Dragonia 2009 Old Vine Garnacha (Cariñena).
For full review see page 13. Best Buy.
abv: 13% Price: $10
85
Gabarda 2009 Crianza Old Vine (Cariñena).
Narrow and fiery on the nose, this has
plum and raspberry aromas. On the palate, it feels
snappy and crisp, with a mild lactic note alongside
flavors of light herb, raspberry, plum and buttery oak.
HeyDay Corporation. —M.S.
abv: 13% Price: $12
84
Almez 2009 Garnacha (Cariñena). Stalky
and sweet smelling, this has aromas of beets and
rhubarb pie. The palate offers weight, depth and a firm
feel, with sweet berry flavors that come with herb and
mint accents. It’s warm on the finish, with length. Tri-
Vin Imports. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $9
84
Lelia 2010 Garnacha (Cariñena). This is
dark in color, with pushy aromas of wild field,
prune and vinegar. Wide, chunky and heavy, it has
flavors of black fruit, mint and green herb. It’s full but
soft on the finish, with pruny accents. Frontier Wine
Imports. —M.S.
abv: 13.5% Price: $14
83
Gabarda 2008 Reserva Old Vine (Cariñena).
With aromas of milk-chocolate-covered
cherries and forced oak, this smells overtly sweet and
candied. This feels choppy and juicy, with red fruit flavors
and buttery oak in the background. It turns sweeter
and more buttery on the finish, but doesn’t offer much
complexity. HeyDay Corporation. —M.S.
abv: 13% Price: $15
83
Ignacio Marín 2010 Duque de Medina
Tinto Garnacha (Cariñena). Floral and
fruity smelling, this also has notes of dry earth and
asphalt. It feels tangy and tomatoey, with saucy flavors
of red cherry, tomato and herbs. The finish is herbal,
with flavors of oregano and rosemary amplified by zingy
acidity. Marin Wine and Foods Inc. —M.S.
abv: 13% Price: $10
83
Ignacio Marín 2009 Duque de Medina
Crianza Old Vine Garnacha (Cariñena).
This is lightly baked and sweet on the nose, with a hint
of plastic and raisin as the bouquet opens. It feels fresh
and a bit sharp, with tangy red-plum and currant flavors
followed by bland oak. The finish is tart and acidic.
Marin Wine and Foods Inc. —M.S.
abv: 13% Price: $12
81
Solar de Urbezo 2010 Garnacha (Cariñena).
Burnt and gritty smelling, with rubbery,
meaty berry aromas that turn candied and herbal with
airing. This feels hollow, with roasted, stalky flavors and
buttery young oak. It’s grabby on the finish. Patagonia
Wine & Imports, LLC. —M.S.
abv: 14.5% Price: $18
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