This is my first wine review. Let me say at the outset that I am no wine expert. I don’t have the most sophisticated palate. I doubt I can describe a wine intelligibly. But I do know what I like, “and I like what I know, you know it’s getting better…..” Are there any Peter Gabriel, Genesis fans out there? I digress. Forgive me. I’ll give this review a whirl.
I always have a few bottles of wine around the house, and never, or rarely pay more than $10 (US) on principle. I stumbled across a Spanish red at my local wine shop rated 90 points by Robert Parker. The tasting notes said something about wildflowers, licorice and soft tannins. I don’t care for licorice, and don’t eat wildflowers, but the combination intrigued me plus wildflowers brought to mind Tom Petty’s album Wildflowers, and the Rolling Stones LP, Flowers, which had a couple of memorable tunes – “Ruby Tuesday” and “Mother’s Little Helper”. Made from 100% mencia grapes, this is a 2005 offering of Flavium from the Bierzo region of Spain. At $10, this Spanish red is a steal of a deal.
I got home, popped the cork and took a good whiff. I couldn’t detect any wildflowers, but did catch a hint of menthol. I took a sip – no swirl and spit, I just swallowed. Nice! The coolness of menthol was there, with some licorice and maybe cinnamon spice. Fruity – jammy even. I’m not sure what berry exactly – blueberry, cranberry, raspberry; almost Zinfandel like. Soft tannins. Smooth. Long finish. Wasn’t long til I finished half the bottle. I liked it enough to buy two more, one for the house and another for a dinner party this weekend. If you find Flavium at your local wine store, grab a bottle. Or two.
Filed under: Food and Wine | Tagged: $10 red, 100% mencia grape, Bierzo, crianza, Flavium, recommended red wine, red wine, Robert Parker 90 points, Rolling Stones Flowers, Spanish red, wildflowers, wine | Leave a comment »