Notes:Maker's tasting notes – Aged in barrel for 18 months. This Reserva exudes flavours of warm cinnamon, cigar box and ripe red fruits. An exceptionally smooth wine with hints of spicy oak. Perfect with game stew or roast shoulder of lamb.
Somnambulists verdict:
Campo Viejo seems to be everywhere, and being a bit of a 'brand' wine (with a different bottle for every market niche - a bit like Volkswagen for wine), it's fair to view it with a little apprehension... but let's not get snobby about this. We're at the supermarket end after all, not browsing the carte-des-vins at the Manoir aux Quatres Saisons, where you could exchange a case of this for a bottle of the house wine and probably get some change... (yes, yes, M. Blanc does have impeccable taste...
Maker’s notes – A red wine with an intense ruby red colour, deep aroma, round and velvety on the palate. Full and balanced aftertaste. Very select. The wine is aged for more than three years, at least one of which is spent in American oak barrels.
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Somnambulist's verdict: Not a bad regular drinking wine, but I didn't find it as 'round and velvety' as the maker claims (a bit edgy if not given a bit of time to breathe). Misses the smooth yet complex combo of my favourite Rioja's.
I'm now spending most of my time writing for The Top 100 - please drop by!
Which wines do you drink mostly...?
This Blog is for anyone who believes 'wine-tasting' is merely a prelude to 'wine-drinking...'
Someone once said "the more you know about wine, the more you realise that you don't know." Whoever it was knew their onions, and no doubt their Sauvignons and their Syrahs too. I seem to get through a vast array of different wines and yet I remember precious few, and know little about the rest.
Despite the fact that wine is enjoying a tremendous trend of popularity worldwide, it seems to me that there still exists a psychological chasm of knowledge between the 'experts', who appear to know everything, and pretty much everyone else who believe that they know next to nothing.
As a result, I have decided to hastily scribble down some details before each trip to the bottle bank, perhaps learn something in the process, and contribute in my own small way to bridging that gulf of understanding...
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Please feel free to browse through the posts (see 'Wine Labels' lower down) or add your comments about any of the wines featured - I'd love to know YOUR thoughts too!
