Tamaron Tasting

Tonight we tried something different. I have had a few bottle of Altos de Tamaron in the cellar; a few different vintages and a reserva. So tonight we had a sort of mini Tamaron Tasting. It was really good to see how the vintages differed and how the reserva differed from their 'normal' wines.

Altos de Tamaron, 2004, Ribera del Duero, Spain.

This wine won the silver medal at the 2005 Decanter world wine awards. This wine is still fresh with ripe rounded sweet plum and cherry aromas. Lovely scents of blackcurrant jam. Hints of red liquorice. Lovely soft palate, nice earthy complexity to this wine, bits of spice coming though too. Still get loads of ripe fruit on the palate. Some soft tannins, bits of cedar coming through at the end. Really pleased at how well this wine has kept for an inexpensive wine. It has well integrated oak unlike many oak heavy Spanish reds. This could be a good house red - affordable, good with a BBQ in the summer, good with food. 4.3/5 (13% abv)

Altos de Tamaron, 2007, Ribera del Duero, Spain.

This wine won the gold medal at the Berlin Trophy. Soft, ripe blackcurrant, younger, fresher nose. Great contrast to the 2004 vintage. The 2007 has more violets and perfume. The palate is vibrant and alive with black fruits with some raspberry and cherry thrown in for fun. The tannins are a bit more present but still a good wine with well integrated oak. Balanced, nice length. Light touches of pepper and leather. I think that this wine will improve. Still a good wine and still a candidate for a house red. 4.2/5 (13% abv)

Altos de Tamaron, Reserva 2002, Ribera del Duero, Spain.

Now we are talking! Deep, dark brooding wine. The nose is full of mocha, freshly ground espresso, leather and tobacco - Amazing. You can smell beautiful old country oak. Dark, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry bring some sweetness to the rest of the nose; underpinned with some blueberry. It is almost like the fruit is wrapped in a blanket of oak and leather and cigars. The palate is soft and smooth. The oak comes across more but it is fitting for this wine and doesn't overpower. (This wine has been aged for 24 months in American and French oak before being left for 12 months in bottle before release). As well as the oak, mocha and black fruit you get on the palate there is also some violet and hints of liquorice. Lovely complex wine - I have one bottle left. I may see what this tastes like in 2012 at 10 yrs old - If I can wait that long! 4.5/5 (13.5% abv)