The wines of Spain take centre stage for the January 24th release. Spanish wines are usually fairly priced in the LCBO and many of these wines offer the consumer great wines at reasonable prices. Lots to buy so please read on……

Wines of Spain

392522 FINCA LOS ALIJARES GRACIANO 2009 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla $17.95
Very concentrated, laden with dark fruit, sweet rhubarb, caramel and nutmeg; plenty of blackcurrant flavours, with a touch of cherry, mineral, aggressive tannins and a touch of heat. Give it time. Find this wine

393140 DOMINIO DOSTARES ESTAY PRIETO PICUDO 2011 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León $15.95
Dark fruit, Fry’s chocolate cream bar, a touch of mocha and mint; juicy plum flavours, earthy, great acidity and gentle tannins. Find this wine

391896 VINESSENS SEIN 2011 Alicante $17.95
Sweet blackberry and currant, dark chocolate, thyme and Herbes de Provence; sweet chewy fruit, pings of anise and cardamom, good acidity and a decent finish. Find this wine

$17.95 SUEÑO TEMPRANILLO 2011 DO Ribera del Júcar $18.95
A lovely combination of blackberry, cherry and plum, mostly fruit focused nose, but the touch of lavender is pleasing; luscious chewy palate, good structure, some spice and mocha cream on the finish. Find this wine

392993 MACHO MAN MONASTRELL 2012 Jumilla $18.95
Chunky and clumsy, jammy black fruit, sweet oak and sandalwood; low acidity, sweet chewy texture, little hint of spice and an overly sweet finish. Find this wine

398685 BURÓ DE PEÑALOSA CRIANZA 2009 Ribera del Duero $23.95
A forceful mix of French and American oak, plenty of dark fruit, blueberry, tar, fresh flowers and coal dust; nicely balanced palate, some anise and bay leaf and a touch of heat on the finish, but overall a very good wine. Find this wine

398487 ALIDIS TINTO 6 MESES EN BARRICA 2012 Ribera del Duero $17.95
Perfumed and plumy, polished wood, cake spice, raspberry and cherry aromas begin to show; good acidity, tasty palate, perhaps the finish could be longer. Find this wine

397174 LECCO CRIANZA 2007 Ribera del Duero $23.95
Cigar box and white mushroom, plum, blackcurrant, damson and dates; solid structure, chewy, sweet spice, anise, mineral, dried cherry and butterscotch. Quite a complex wine. Find this wine

391565 TINETA TEMPRANILLO 2012 Ribera del Duero $19.95
Revealing aromas of blackcurrant and dark cherry accented by instant coffee, chocolate wafer and a touch of coconut on the palate; nice sweet fruit, with a note of blueberry and sweet spice. Find this wine

397117 TORRE DE OÑA RESERVA 2009 Rioja $29.95
Alluring notes of plum, raspberry, black licorice, tree bark and Asian spice; good balance, dried fruit flavours, blackberry and currant; tasty, with non-invasive tannins. Find this wine

397166 BARON DE LEY VARIETALES GRACIANO 2010 Rioja $21.95
Perfumed nose, showing blackcurrant, blackberry, leather, wet soil, coal dust, dried cherry and Chinese mushroom; good structure, but very tight. Tannins are aggressive, but fruit surfaces and the finish is long and very tasty. Find this wine

391599 BIKANDI VENDIMIA SELECCIONADA RESERVA 2001 Rioja $26.95
Plumy, aromas of sweet Christmas cake spices, forest floor and mineral; quite tight, but blackberry and dark cherry flavours come forth and tannins are dusty. Find this wine

392985 THE INVISIBLE MAN TEMPRANILLO 2011 Rioja Alta, $18.95
An underwhelming nose of pristine fruit; chewy palate, with black fruit flavours, mocha, nougat, black licorice and burnt caramel. Find this wine

399105 ABELIS CARTHAGO WILLIAM SELECTION CRIANZA 2011 Toro $23.95
Dusty mineral notes, dried fruits and sweet spice; layers of dark and red fruit invade the palate. Well balanced, youthful, with some aggression from tannin, but bloody tasty. Find this wine

The rest of the release

186650 LOS CLOP RESERVA MALBEC 2009 Maipu, Mendoza $17.95
Saddle leather and underbrush, with expressive fruit, black currant and blueberry, straw/hay; some sweetness to the palate, with nice dark fruit, enough acidity, and a touch of tasty sweet fruit that sits on the long and well balanced finish. Find this wine

995092 CASAS DEL BOSQUE GRAN RESERVA SYRAH 2012 Casablanca Valley $22.95
Impressive; a monster of a wine boasting aromas of tar, dried mushroom, dark fruit, black olive, violets and dried mint. Dark fruits rule the palate, but minerality, mocha and cocoa all contribute well. Find this wine

269175 FALERNIA RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2012 Elqui Valley $17.95
A nose showing jammy red fruit, cough candy, and toffee; over ripe, medicinal, cloyingly sweet red fruit and little else. Find this wine

606764 ARBOLEDA SINGLE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 Aconcagua Valley $19.95
A pleasing mix of red and dark fruit, with a touch of mineral and black toffee and mint notes. Layers of juicy black fruit run across the palate, tannins are gentle, and the luscious palate has perfect balance. Find this wine

272146 KACABA SINGLE VINEYARD CABERNET FRANC 2011 Niagara Escarpment $18.95
Tobacco and cigar leaf, with dark fruit and a hint of star anise; some pleasing flavours of blackcurrant, dark cherry and dried herbs, with tannins thatkeep it tight. Needs a little time. Find this wine

072652 DARK SIDE OF THE MOON SHIRAZ 2012 Clare Valley, South Australia $25.95
Plenty of ripe dark fruit backed up with mineral, slate and cocoa; nice blackberry flavours balanced with raspberry and clove, tangy acidity and dusty chocolate. Find this wine

223263 KURTZ FAMILY BOUNDARY ROW GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MATARO 2010 Barossa Valley, South Australia $29.95
Tar and medicinal notes give way to layers of sweet black raspberry, plum and blackberry, perfume and black molasses. Layers of both red and black fruit, excellent balance, bitter chocolate and a super long finish. Find this wine

393686 NUGAN ESTATE ALCIRA VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 Coonawarra, South Australia $24.95
Funky, terrior laden wine, showing mineral, flint, pipe tobacco arugula and minted chocolate. The fruit explodes on the palate, featuring blackcurrant and blackberry, a little Middle Eastern spice, dark chocolate and dusty tannins. Great wine. Find this wine

627950 DOMAINES SCHLUMBERGER SAERING RIESLING 2011 Alsace Grand Cru $33.95
Lamp oil and cheese rind, with notes of honeysuckle and grapefruit. So inviting; the texture is luscious, with complex flavours of citrus fruits, lime cordial, melon and white pear. One fine Riesling. Find this wine

391987 MIDDLE-EARTH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 Nelson, South Island $17.95
A nice change to the in your face style of wine that one often finds from New Zealand, this has amazing aromas of pea pods and white turnips with a little guava and kiwi. Lovely fruit flavours, enough acidity to make it a good Sauvignon and good length to the finish. Find this wine

673590 CHÂTEAU HAUT-MONPLAISIR MALBEC 2011 Cahors $17.95
Blackcurrant and black toffee, a touch of mint, coal dust and mineral; plenty of dark fruit on the palate, with a touch of pepper and loads of very aggressive tannins. Find this wine

367011 J.M. RAFFAULT LES PICASSES CHINON 2011 $19.95
Damson, plum and cherry aromas are well supported by notes of wet moss, fennel seeds and pond water. Palate has plenty of blackcurrant, sour cherry and blackberry to go around, with good structure and some gentle tannins. Find this wine

Cheers,
C.Z.

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