Bodegas Baón Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Tempranillo Rosado 2014

The days gradually are getting longer, early birds making noise before my alarm clock does, temperatures rising to double digits... spring is in the air! Rosé time! Grape variety is tempranillo, alcohol level is 13%, no use of oak for maturing. Clear in the glass, slightly orange red coloured. The nose is 'dry' at 17 degrees centigrade, a bit of latex, an intensive roll with my glass reveals some strawberry jam. Cold out of the fridge the aroma seems to be a bit sweeter; strawberries, wine gums. Not really dry in my mouth, nor sweet. Off-dry rather, that's more accurate. Let's say a fruity sweetness, good high acidity, strawberries, wine gums, reasonably rich flavors. Well balanced, very quaffable.

Trus 2005 DO Ribera del Duero

I received this sample from the export manager from Bodegas TRUS at the tasting event 'Spanish Wines from Castilla and León'. TRUS stands for Tierra, Roble, Uva and Sol which means land, oak, grape and sun. These are the four ingredients which make this flagship of the Bodegas TRUS company. That, and ofcourse the knowhow of the people who work there. The grape variety tempranillo is called tinto fino locally, the latter being mentioned on the label, and should be low in acidity in general. Add the whopping alcoholpercentage of 15% and it almost spells a tyring full-bodied wine. Luckily this wasn't the case! In the glass bright red, clear but fairly deep colored with an orange edge. Before rolling the glass the scent of vanilla and some smoky-ness, charcoal-like. I suspect the use of new barriques which have been toasted. The technical data-sheet, which I read after having tasted the wine, confirms this. After rolling the glass I smell something green, fennel and peas. It is soft and fresh in my mouth, the flavour of the barriques is subtily woven into the wine and tastes a bit sweet. The balance between sweet and sour turns even a little in favour of the acidic side, contrary to my expectation. No hints of graceless or boredom whatsoever. Then comes the fruit: overripe cherries followed by sun stewed black fruit. Very juicy and low on tannins, 2 on a scale of 5. A little hint of bitter in the aftertaste. A very easily accessible and tasty wine. I drank this wine with roasted 'confit de canard', but you can drink it with numerous meat dishes. Go easy on the herbs though.

Krel 2009 DO Ribera del Duero

When I'm tasting wines, I usually spit them out, unless the wine is too good to be true, then I will swallow. Gladly that's the case with this wine. This sample I received from the export manager of Bodegas Trus. We met at a tasting event of Spanish wines from Castilla and León. The grape variety tempranillo is called tinto fino locally. Level of alcohol is set at 14%. Dark purple colour. Before rolling the glass I smell the scent of the barriques, this wine riped as long as twelve months in oak. After rolling I smell the freshness of anise together with lots of fruitiness. Tannins are hardly noticeable. Maturing on oak has an added value in this case. Subtle flavors of vanilla and caramel. It is well integrated into the wine, noticeable, but never dominant. There is a fine balance between sweetness and acidity. Flavors of raspberry, strawberry and sweet cherry. This wine is very fresh, hints of liquorice, full of concentrated red fruits and full-bodied without being graceless.

O1 Ouno DO Toro 2006

With all the attention CabernetDay received through the Social Media yesterday, one could almost forget it was also Tempranillo day. I don't know where this came from or who organised it, but I saw a reasonable amount of tweets flying by. So today I'm catching up on this. This bottle I bought for €5,82 at the Makro in Holland, alcoholpercentage is 13,5% and it's supposed to be an organic wine. I knowingly say "supposed" because as long as there are no regulating laws for this, I tend to have my reservations about it. What I have noticed though with organic wines, is that they all have some residue. That's also the case with this one. So leave a little bit behind in the bottle while decanting it. This wine hasn't matured in oak barrels. Rather unique among the tempranillo-based wines I already have tasted. Could this mean I will actually get to the typical characteristics of this grape today? The label says "tinta de toro", which is a synonym for tempranillo. The wine also originates from the region "Toro" in Spain. Deep, darkred colour in the glass. A bit of stinky smell in the nose, like potting soil. Also ripe red fruit, raisins and plum. Nicely fruity fragrances! That's what I like. The first sip reveals the taste of raisins and dried plum, as I expected. It even seems a bit like port. Slightly sweet at first, but then the acids take over, moderately though. Quite a nice balance between the two. Red berries. Tannins are quite high. The final is a bit short, the taste doesn't linger for too long, but that makes you wanna pour another glass as soon as possible. Because of the amount of tannins it doesn't quite suit a wine-novice, but when you're a fan of honest, fruity wines; this is a good choice.