Lacrimus Rioja

Valsanzo (Bodegas Sendero Royal?)

Lacrimus

Crianza

Tempranillo, Graciano
Rioja DOCa
Rincon de Soto, La Rioja, Spain
2008
13.5%
$13.89 -- Costco, Austin, TX

Color: Dark ruby

Nose: Cherry, blackberry bramble, orange grove

Body: Medium to full
Front: Cherry

Middle: Leather, spice, blackberry

Back: Licorice, gas

Burns clean?: Yes

Cap: Cork

A tasty Rioja, well worth the money. It'll age, I reckon, too. Good with food (pizza, in this case) and a bit brooding. It's a big wine, and I suppose one might say it's a "modern" style, but it's still plenty Spanish--the dark and herby aspects of it are to be reckoned. Hmm. Rosemaried lamb or potatoes would be awesome with this, come to think of it.

Ondarre Rioja Reserva

Bodegas Ondarre
Reserva
Rioja
Tempranillo
Viana, Spain
2004
13.5%
$14.98 -- Twin Liquors, Austin, TX

Color: Medium deep rose
Nose: Cherry, mesquite smoke, cream, truffle
Body: Medium
Front: Raspberry, dried cherry
Middle: Coffee, sage
Back: Firm tannins, leather, orange peel 
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

Spanish to the core. As much a tactile as a taste experience; a little fruit, a little earth, a bit of herbal kick. This isn't a big wine; indeed, there's a bit of hollowness to the mid-palate that is disappointing. This can take more time in the bottle, and if you open it soon, give it plenty of air so that it chills out a bit and loses its tightness. It will be great with any kind of food, as it was for example with the pepperoni pizza I had with it tonight.

Artadi Viñas de Gain Rioja

Artadi viñedas y vinos
Viñas de Gain
Rioja
Laguardia, Alava, Spain
2007
14%
$20.98 -- Wine Library, Springfield, NJ

Color: Medium deep rosy-purple
Nose: Blueberry, violets, chocolate, stewed fruit, smoke
Body: Medium
Front: Cherry pie
Middle: Orange,vanilla
Back: Soft tannins, graphite, cigar
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

This is a smooth operator. Very easy to drink. Fruit, funk, flowers--what more could you want?

But: I'll wait a few years before I open another one of these. It was dang-o-licious with pork chops and mashed turnips and butter and salt and pepper and so forth, but it'll be way better with alla that stuff and more in about five to fifteen years. The tannins are there, but the character of the fruit and earth flavors is there too. Deeelightful!

San Román Toro

Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos
San Román
Toro
Tempranillo
Valladolid, Spain
2005
14.5%
$39.98 [$65.00] -- Wine Library, Springfield, NJ

Color: Inky reddish purple
Nose: Mocha, pepper, vanilla
Body: Full and dirty
Front: Cherry and chocolate
Middle: Raspberry mocha pie, thyme, Slim JimTM
Back: Oak, espresso, soft tannins
Burns clean?: Mostly
Cap: Cork

To my taste, this is a stunningly beautiful, seductive wine. It's by no means for everyone, I can tell, even through my ecstasy of affection. It's tannic; it'll cellar for another 5-7 years easily. It's bossy.  With a spicy chorizo-chicken-artichoke dish, it never even flinched. I'm not sure whether to recommend Rage Against the Machine or Beethoven to drink it with; probably either will work perfectly. I'm'a gonna wait until it's on sale again, and hit 'em up for more.

Ramón Bilbao Rioja Gran Reserva

Ramón Bilbao
Rioja
Gran Reserva
Tempranillo (& Graciano, Mazuelo)
Spain
1998
12.5%
$12.50 -- Wine Pro, Paducah, KY

Color: Medium rosy red
Nose: Tootsie roll, a hint of horsey poo, dried cherries
Body: Medium
Front: Cherry cola
Middle: Tootsie roll, coffee, hint of mushroom
Back: Dusty tannins, oak, radish
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

A delicious, aromatic, not-too complex but food-friendly wine. When I say not too complex, I just mean that there's not a clear sequence on the delivery. I don't mean that there aren't lots of flavors in it, because there are more than I have written down above, ones I can sense imprecisely at the edges of recollection. The tastes linger on the palate, too, haunting the flavor. It makes you want to drink more.

This is a case where my food and music pairings are failing me. I really want some Wisantigo Stravecchio cheese, but I'm in the boonies of Kentucky and there ain't none. And I want to listen to J.J. Cale with this: to mellow out completely. But for some odd reason, there's no J.J. Cale here either!  Outrageous. I will have to sing little songs to myself in my head...

Finca Resalso

Bodegas Emilio Moro
Finca Resalso
TempranilloRibera del Duero
Valladolid, Spain2007
14.5%
$9.99 -- COSTCO, Austin, TX

Color: Dark red
Nose: Ripe cherry flambee, graham cracker
Body: Medium to full
Front: Cherries
Middle: Cream, cilantro
Back: Animal crackers, soft tannins
Burns clean?:
Cap: Cork

This is another good deal from Spain. Interesting, multilayered, and bright. This will pair well with a range of foods, I think; it's got a solid body. No music tonight, and no food: it's labor day, which for me seems to have meant laboring all day. But as a midnight snack, with only the sound of the wind as accompaniment, it's delightful.

Pata Negra Tempranillo

Bodegas Los Llanos
Tempranillo
Pata Negra - Roble (Black Paw - Oak)
Valdepeñas, Spain
2005
13.0%
$10.75 -- Weaver Street Market, Chapel Hill, NC

Color: Deep strawberry
Nose: Oaky raspberries, a little heat
Body: Medium
Front: Cassis and sawdust
Middle: Spice and smoke
Back: Creamy raspberries
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

This is an interesting one. The nose is a lot like a zinfandel, but the profile is much more Spanish than Californian, especially the refusal to let fruit take over, ever. I think at this price it's a good choice, though I often like Valdepeñas reds. Pairing it with food is tricky; not super with tonight's Manchego cheese (though it does make for some groovy rum-and-coke-and-cinnamon-like synergy) or pot roast (that's my bad for choosing unwisely), but it could be fantastic with fish.

Marques de Arienzo Crianza

Marques de Arienzo
Crianza
Tempranillo
Rioja, Spain
2002
13%
$11.99 -- Wine Pro, Paducah, KY

Color: Medium to light red
Nose: Sawdusty caramely strawberry
Body: Medium to thin
Front: Cherry or strawberry
Middle: Vanillaish and spicy--not tannic, peppery
Back: Woody and then tangy
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

The nose on this wine is excellent. A little more fruity than I expect in a Spanish wine, but nicely balanced and great with the pot roast we had tonight. You don't expect it, 'cause of the thinness of the body, but it's got spine. The spiciness is lovely and the tannins are soft.