90+ Cellars Lot 35 Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Crianza – Blackberry, Spice and Everything Nice

60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Navarra, Spain.

SRP of $14 and available for as low as $12. Sample received courtesy 90+ Cellars for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Story: Our second Spanish red is a blend, 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the best of both worlds. This wine comes from Navarra, an ancient wine region located in Northern Spain. Here, long, hot summer days and cool nights, create the ideal climate for ripening grapes. After blending, the wine spends 12 months in 20% new French oak. Enjoy this wine for the next 4-5 years.

Taste: Deep cherry in color with aromas of black currant, tobacco, and violets. In the mouth this wine is full bodied and intense. Complex fruit notes combined with oak spice create a delightful and persistent wine. Pair with tapas, pork, grilled or roasted entrees.

14.0% Alcohol”

This is the first of several wines we will be tasting from Ninety Plus Cellars. If you’re not familiar with their business model, it is similar to Cameron Hughes. Basically, they go to wineries with a history of producing quality wines (usually those rated 90 points or higher) and buy their oversupply. They then put their label on it and sell it for a fraction of the price, all the while never disclosing the original producer. I’m not entirely sure what happens to this business model if the economy revs up, but for now I’m just enjoying it. You can buy 90+ Cellars wine directly through their website or at some retail locations.

Today’s wine also comes from Navarra, Spain, a wonderful wine region that you may remember from our Wines of Navarra series. 90+ Cellars says the “source price” (the SRP of the original label) is $19.99. So far things are looking good, but let’s see how it tastes.

The 2007 Ninety+ Cellars Lot 35 Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Crianza begins with pleasant aromas of plum, blackberry, spice and everything nice. There’s also a good perfumed floral component of lavender and violet. Tasting the wine shows good tannins, good fruit and nice complexity and to top it off there’s lots of spice on the long finish. Quite good!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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