It pays to have a good cellar worth of wine, because it allows you to lose bottles and find finds years later. I must have bought this bottle back in 2005, because I had a note on the bottle: "10/2005 - H1", translated: laid down October 2005, Hold 1 year ... well it seems I lost track of this bottle for 3 years, instead of just the one, and boy am I glad I did. Reading the back label I see this 100% Tempranillo was aged 6 months in brand new American oak barrles. At first, the wine came off too warm, which made it all black fruit and tannic - quite harsh; but then I put it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes and the wine really brightened up. Over the course of a few hours the wine exhibited smells of dried fruit, plums, figs, raisins, spiced-plum, red cherries, chocolate, spices, herbs, spiced-vanilla and white pepper - not necessarily in that order. While the flavours proved to be a little simpler, but still very inviting: dried fruit, sour cherry, herbs, chocolate and spiced-cedar-vanilla ... with a lengthy smooth finish. Good find 3 years later. Now I see I have a bottle of this producer's 2000 Crianza still sitting in my cellar - will that too be a find too? I guess we'll have to just find out.
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