First sip…so much oak on the nose I called it the oak choke & thought I would need to pull splinters from my tongue.  Never one to judge on a first impression, I await to see how this deep garnet colored wine will decide how much patience is required to put its best foot forward.

Second sip…maybe it was just blackberry thorns as the time passed has allowed blackberry to caress in waves upon my palate.  Now I get to taste that sassy quality I love about Tempranillo, as the varietal is predominant in this blend.

Over half an hour gone so third sip…spiced dark berries push through the nose, palate feel becomes more rounded & enveloping.  The dark berry qualities & the pleasant tannins make this a beautiful wine to accompany a paella, or for me, slightly Portuguese, I’d love to enjoy it with a great pork & bean stew! Yum…now I’m hungry.

This is a gentleman that needs time to suit up before he goes out.  Once he was well dressed he was quite dapper & charming.  He adorned lush dark berry, cherry, & sweet tobacco tones that charmingly draped my tongue with the velvet rope pulled away for a richly luscious party. If you don’t have time to wait just use an aerator when serving this wine.

This is a good example of why some wines may need just a little time to open up to show the best qualities. Time to swirl, sniff…then eventually enjoy.