$4 Abrazo Del Toro 2008 Garnacha Tempranillo Spain Trader Joes

After a horrible experience with the 2005 Abrazo I was really worried about what I would encounter in this bottle.

The nose is nicely smoky with a bit of meatiness. The first sip yields light blackberries with a bit of herbs and tobacco. The Garnacha softens the Tempranillo, perhaps a bit too much for those who like a bold Tempranillo. Dry, yet fruity, this wine is far cry from the '05 vintage but in a good way. I do think this wine is pretty much at it's peak, so I would drink it up now. No point in saving this bad boy.

I give this hearty wine a 4 out of 5 stars

$4 Albero White Sparkling Wine Spain Trader Joes

First off, it gets a big thumbs up for being organic. Even though it's sparkling wine, it looks to be just an ordinary white wine, except for the slightly bulbous cork. The nose is somewhat sweet and flowery. And then.... what a let down. It is completely flat. Maybe a slight fizz on the tongue but on the whole, more like a stale champagne than a sparkling wine. The flavor is a bit on the sweet side and tastes more like a Gewurstraminer.

I give this wine a 1 out of 5 stars

$3 TempranilloFinca Solano 2003 Spain Trader Joes

This lovely bottle of Temperanillo from Spain features organically grown grapes which I hope is the new trend. Upon pouring I noted it's dark pinkish tone. The first note that hit was brief and tasted of candy. Then an unusual charcoal taste came foward and finally a nice warm finish. It has an overall meaty quality that was kind of odd, but I havent experienced much Temperanillo so maybe that's normal. Overall, a hearty wine with many flavors and textures.

This one may be an acquired taste. I give it 3 stars out of 5. (It gets an extra point for being organically grown.)

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