Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Gandia 2002 Hoya de Cadenas Reserva (Spain)

Tempranillo with a hint of Grenache aged 12 months in barrel then it sat in my cellar for what seemed like forever, until tonight.  I plucked it from a box of wines to be tried "later", and later has come now.  The question about a wine like this is how old is too old?  There is no fresh fruit in the glass what-so-ever and there is almost a faint hint of Sherry (does that make it okay because it`s from Spain?) ... but there is also something alluring about the wine on the palate.  It grabs hold of the tongue with spice and a hint of wood, and yet seems almost sweet through the mid-palate.  8 out of 10 people would tell me to dump it down the sink and reach for something younger, but I kinda dig the funky old wines - they have character, they`re not the same old juicy jammy wines we have come to know and love - and that`s what makes them so interesting to sit and sip on ... this one might kick the bucket in an hour (so I`m gonna get right to it) but until then I will sip on it and enjoy the funky flavours of old age.


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