Saturday, November 15, 2008

Raimat 2002 Abadia Crianza (Spain)

Here's a wine that is designed to confuse you right from the get go ... on the back label you'll read the following: "These four grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo precisely combined make this wine unique and special ..." So special in fact that they don't need to mention the fourth grape - or maybe Cabernet and Sauvignon are two separate grapes. But I should stop picking on this label because the wine inside the bottle is what counts, and yes it was very good. Six years from vintage date has greatly helped this wine along. The nose seems to give off very little to help the palate, there's oak, cinnamon and dried cherries. On the other hand, in the mouth this wine explodes with rich flavours. The first to hit is a sweet cherry-vanilla liqueur sensation on the tongue, then cinnamon comes along on a wave of smoothness. the fruit is not fresh but instead tastes dried and candied with a sweetness on the palate like port ... but with a drier finish. Delicious indeed, maybe it's all due to the addition of that phantom grape.

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