Harney Lane Tempranillo – An All-American

100% Tempranillo from Lodi, California. The wine spends 19 months in European oak barrels.

SRP of $25 (Saturday Splurge) and available direct from the winery at that price. 719 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Welcome to a new tradition.

Love. Laughter. Family. Wine.

15% Alcohol”

Having just spent a week exploring everything the region of Lodi has to offer, we’ve got a lot to say about the area. That; however, will be coming in a separate post. Today, we’d like to offer up a quick review of a wine made from a variety you might not expect to find in the Zinfandel capital of California — Tempranillo. Much to our surprise (and delight), this is just one of the many Spanish varieties that thrives in Lodi’s unique climate.

The 2010 Harney Lane Tempranillo begins with a very pleasant aroma of blackberry, plum, vanilla and a little coffee. Tasting this super savory wine reveals a rich, lush texture; tons of delicious smoky dark fruit; and elegant undertones of tobacco, coffee and leather. As you hold the wine in your mouth a nice, strong mineral streak develops under the rich fruit and intensifies on the dry, grippy finish. Excellent!

Interestingly, while we were in Lodi we tasted the 2012 vintage of this wine, which we also loved, but we have to say that those couple extra years of bottle aging on the 2010 really knocked it up another notch. As such I’d recommend buying at least 3 bottles of the 2012 — one to open now, one a year from now and one in two years. I guarantee that it will be a fascinating (and delicious) look into how a wine ages in the bottle.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.