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| 2011 Evohe Tempranillo |
In today's article you will all be let in on on a little secret as well as a little discovery I made and you will be let in onto a secret, a hidden treasure in the form of a wine I discovered. The discovery I am going to let you in on is that of a grape. You say "so what Desert Wine Guy, that's why we read your blog anyway". That is true but this is not just about just any grape or for that matter, just any wine.
Let's first start with the the Treasure. This treasure I speak of is the 2011 Evohe Tempranillo (http://www.evohegarnacha.com/what-is-evohe). To make this treasure a little more precious, I am talking about a wine that sells for $10-$12. You say you've never heard of this Vineyard/Winery well that's O.K that is one of the reasons it is a treasure and also why we are here. I am here, to expose you to new wines, ideas and news of the wine world and hopefully you are here, discover and to learn from this information.
Now we are on to the the discovery, or a secret. The discovery or secret we are going to discover is the varietal named the Tempranillo. Here is a short run down on this beautiful grape. The Tempranillo, nicknamed "little one" due to it's early flowering, budding & ripening is actually a Black grape and is Spain's most popular and famous native grapes. This is a grape that is normally used for blending in deep reds and "Jug Wine". Don't let the "Jug Wine thing throw you. This is a grape that, in my opinion people have simply just overlooked. When I first tasted this varietal I was at South Coast Winery (http://wineresort.com/) in Temecula (Southern) California. I was doing a tasting and this wine was poured along with Cabs and other reds. I was in Heaven quickly and even though the wine was not inexpensive I simply had to buy a bottle. If you are a deep, peppery, spicy red then you have hit pay dirt here. You can take your secret and discovery, to the store and buy a bottle of the 2011 Evohe Tempranillo today and impress your friends tomorrow.
The idea of Evohe Winery began in 2006 when three wine lovers Ricardo Mosteo, Henrik Heikel and Alfonso Mort got together and decided to "share the wisdom of generations of winemakers". The Vineyard/Winery is located in Aragon, Spain. The winery itself was actually built in 1912 and uses the fact that there are natural Concrete deposits to keep the wine cool while Fermentation to it's advantage by making a great wine. The wine also uses wild Yeasts that occur naturally in the Grapes. The weather in Aragon is very dry and therefore gets very little rain. According to Evohe Vineyards this along with the big temperature swings ensure that the vines that do survive are strong and produce only the best grapes for wine. Evohe Vineyards makes three varietals of wine such as a Grenache, a Tempranillo and a Sparkling (Brute) Wine.
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| Evohe Vineyard |
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| Joan Mila |
Now for the moment you have been waiting for, the review. Let's begin at the beginning with the pour. This wine is a dark Purplish in color but seems to darken around the edges of the wine while it rests in the glass and tends to become a deep, rich looking enticing Red. It was both visually
appealing to see the deep red and at the same time made it even more appetizing. Unlike most deep, rich red wines there is no Oak used in making this wine. A deep Red without Oak, interesting. The bouquet of the wine was Peppery and did have the aroma of Oak even though, as I said there is no the touches the wine. Let's step deeper into this wine by getting to the heart of this review which, of course is how it tastes in your mouth. Happily this is a classic Tempranillo, Spicy Peppery, Black Current, Cocoa. The first flavor that came to my Palate was that of Blackberry which was followed closely on the heels of a moderate amount of Black Current. If that isn't a great combination there is more to follow. How about a touch of Pepper with some Cranberry thrown is for good measure? If this isn't sounding like a complex wine that should be costing more that $10 you are right. Tasting this wine is like tasting a nice, dark, Red powerhouse of a wine that comes across as if it were in your Cellar for years, aging and becoming nearly perfect. The Black Current mixing in with the spice really, I think sets this wine off. The wine is simply smooth, elegant and delicious. Hold on though this review isn't over just yet, no this wine is not done. The wine also opens up a little and brings a little Cocoa along with it for good measure. The Cocoa doesn't linger to long but it's presence is definitely felt in the wine. I think it might even add to a sense of softening of the wine just before you swallow. If you are starting to feel as if you are in need of a glass of this wine as you read this article don't feel bad you are not along. I am wishing I had a bottle with me right now, or at least one in the Cellar along with one to put away. There is most definitely a lot going on in this wine and you would think that there is so much going on that it would be overpowering but you would be wrong. This is what a good Tempranillo should taste like and the reason I fell in love with the grape in the first place. I am so infatuated with this grape that if I wasn't growing two different varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon) & Sauvignon Blanc) right now or if I had room for a third I would be purchasing some vines come Spring Time. This grape is known to be a challenge to grow but the way the 2011 Evohe Tempranillo expresses this varietal so wonderfully makes you just want to go out and want to at the very least grow the grape. I think the 2011 Evohe Tempranillo has done a lot to advance this grape as a standalone grape. I highly recommend that if you have never had a Tempranillo that you start off with this wine so that you get a feel of what the varietal is supposed to, or can taste like like if time is taken with it. Before ending this review there is one last thing I wanted to throw out there that makes this wine unique. As I stated earlier, Tempranillo has been used as a blending grape but was rarely ever attempted as a standalone wine, at least in this country. Lately there are two wine that I have tasted that are %100 Tempranillo this happens to be one of them, the second being the 2011 ST AMANT Tempranillo that I have a review pending on.
To sum this all up in a nutshell. The 2011 Evohe Tempranillo represents the varietal very well. The wine is put together very well and makes for a wonderful wine to enjoy a great Porterhouse or Rib eye Steak with special company. Then again you might just want to keep this wine our little secret.
On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 93 points.
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| Matching Dinner |
This is a special review for me because this is my first guest blog I've ever been part of and I am very grateful to Michelle Leonardson the owner of WineDineDIY.com who was adventures enough to take up me up on the invite of actually doing a guest blog. Michelle is going to send me an article she will write for her own site (WineDineDIY.com) and I will put it up on my Blog (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/). I have to say, Michelle is one of the few Bloggers that I have contacted with this invite who is confident enough in her ability and online presence to branch out of her comfort zone and open her world up to other wine lovers. There have been a few wine writers who have websites whom I have contacted who rejected the idea of swapping articles for whatever reason. Perhaps they forgot that they started small at one time as well and they were given opportunities to expand by people who were also adventures and were able to "think outside the box" so to speak as Michelle is. Once again thanks Michelle.
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