Marco Real Crianza & Wines of Navarra Wrap-up

Black cherry cola brings the heat with some campfire notes.

60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. SRP of $15 but available as low as $10.

Sample received courtesy Wines of Navarra for review purposes.

From the bottle:

"Marco Real
Navarra Red Wine - Crianza 2006
60% Tempranillo - 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

Bodegas Marco Real is nestled in the town of Olite, Spain, next to the Palace of the Kings of Navarra. The winery is a project of Juan Ignacio Belasco and Famiglia Belasco, prominent distillers and vintners in Spain since 1831. This deep cherry colored wine shimmers with violet hues. Aromas are elegant with ripe raspberries and strawberries, while on the palate, it is medium-bodied with ample fruit and elegant toast from aging for 12 months in French and American oak.
14.5% Alcohol"

This is the last review of 10 wines that I've sampled from the Kingdom of Navarra:

I have to say I was very pleased to see what I found from this region. Not only is there a great variety of tasty wines (see the full list at the bottom of this post), but your dollar also seems to go a very long way with these wines. This is definitely a region to look for especially if you have not sampled any wines from Navarra. But on to the review of the 2006 Marco Real Crianza...

The aromas of this wine are dominated by blackberry, plum, and ripe fruit notes. The wine tastes of dark berries and cola with a little bit of burnt wood (campfire). The finish shows some heat along with prominent and somewhat bitter tannins. I liked this wine quite a bit up until the finish which was a little too bitter for me; however, this wine greatly improved after a few hours and showed much better flavors and balance, losing some of the bitterness and gaining some smoothness. You'll definitely be rewarded for decanting this one before drinking.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.