m2 Wines Tormenta Tempranillo – Temptingly Tasty

100% Tempranillo from Lodi, California.

SRP of $22 and available for as low as $17 for wine club members. 295 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“m2 crafts fine artisan wines from distinctive vineyards throughout California.

The grapes in this wine were planted by Alan Kirschenman, a visionary grape grower. The vineyard is on the east side of Lodi, near the road named for the Kirschenman family.

Tempranillo is native to Spain, yet thrives in Lodi, producing intense flavors not seen in Old World wines.

Harvested: 09.11.12
Bottled: 01.18.14

14.5% Alcohol”

Spanish Tempranillo, from places like Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Toro, is one of my absolute favorites. Tasting wines like the Bodegas Ondarre Reserva, the Yaso Toro and the Protos Tinto Finoit’s easy to see why. And yet as good as these wines are, Spain is not the only spot to get world-class Tempranillo. Today’s wine from Lodi is a great example of how this grape compares to its international brothers when it is grown in California.

The 2012 m2 Wines Tormenta Tempranillo begins with a wonderfully big aroma full of plum, blackberry, leather, vanilla and very pleasant notes of violets and roses. Tasting reveals tons of savory vanilla soaked dark fruit — mainly plum, blackberry and black cherry. This wine carries a good dose of oak but it is well played with nicely integrated spice notes and a little mocha leading into the dry, long, grippy finish.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.