tres picos garnacha

This bottle from Tres Picos is one of the better values in Spanish red wine. Garnache and Tempranillo regularly battle it out for "top grape" in Spain and this granache is excellent when you consider the bottle only costs ~$10. The fantastics smells jump out of the glass and I'm still suprised at how deep and complex this wine is for the price. This is the third time I've slurped and gurgled a bottle of Tres Picos and I'm still convinced. The wine is made from old-vine granache and you can taste the earth. Also, the bottle is thick and makes a great presentation. Pick this one up for a dinner party and everyone will be impressed.

The importer, Jorge Ordonez, has been in the business since before anyone stateside was drinking Spanish wines. I, for one, am a HUGE lover of Spanish wines, especially after spending New Year's 2004/5 with a friend and his family in Madrid. Lucky for me they are serious wine lovers. The father has a nearly 10,000 bottle cellar in the north part of the country devoted to Spanish wines and personally picks up cases from his wine growing friends. Let's just say the wines he poured that night I've yet to drink their equal in the U.S. In any case, when you aren't drinking a killer Rioja or better yet, my current favorites come from Priorat, then pick up this granache for dinner. We served it with grilled beef tenderloin and corn, but this has body that would go great with grilled chicken. The smoke goes so well with this red wine.
Tasting notes
Color: Deep ruby
Nose: Plum and cherry with floral notes
Taste: Strawberry and cherry with hints of light vanilla and spice. It could develop some leathery characteristics with age. I enjoyed the round supple tannins and natural good acidity. Don't bother aging, just drink it.