These reviews are based on samples provided by the winery or organization acting on their behalf.

 

2011 Beso de Vino Cariñena Selección

2013 Bodegas Virgen del Águila Cariñena Agoston Tempranillo & Cabernet

2009 Castillo de Monseran Cariñena Old Vine Garnacha

2011 Beso de Vino Cariñena Old Vine Garnacha

2012 Alto Cinco Garnacha Cariñena

2009 Monte Ducay Cariñena Reserva

 

 

 

 

Overview

In late June I had the extreme good fortune of being invited to participate in an online tasting of wines from Carignena, a region in Spain.  This event was organized by Snooth and Greg Dal Piaz.  This wasn’t your usual online Twitter based tasting or even one with someone in front of a camera leading the event and doing all the talking.  This was a true roundtable event.  We all connected to a Google+ Hangout with our own audio and video feed.  Whenever one of us talked, everyone’s video feed would switch to the person “with the floor”.  This was my first experience with this format, but I’m sure it won’t be my last.  There are limitations in the number of concurrent video feeds allowed in the session, but for events with under a dozen participants, this platform should be outstanding.

 

If my reviews and notes look familiar, that’s because this was originally published as part of a Snooth article titled “Cariñena’s Ready To Take Center Stage”.  The entire Snooth post is available by clicking here.  I decided since I had a blog ready to post, why not?

 

 

 

 

About the region

Cariñena is located in the heart of the Ebro Valley.  Its vineyards cover a total surface area of 14,388 hectares, which include several surrounding towns: Aguarón, Aladrén, Alfamén, Almonacid de la Sierra, Alpartir, Alpartir, Cariñena, Cosuenda, Encinacorba, Longares, Mezalocha, Muel, Paniza, Tosos  and Villanueva de Huerva.  Nearly 1,540 wine growers tend directly to the vineyards, which are undisputedly the region’s main source of income.

 

Cariñena occupies an exceptional geographic location as it’s located on the same transport route that connects the Ebro Valley to Spain’s Eastern coast.  It is directly on the north-south route that structures the Aragonese territory.  This geographical position makes it a strong connection between the Basque Country and the Region of Valencia.  Moreover, due to its proximity to the French border, it’s also an area of great interest from the point of view of trade and cultural relations with Europe.  The motorway linking the Region of Valencia to France through Aragon strengthens even more the strategic value of Cariñena.

 

This wine region (Denominación de Origén (D.O.) is located 42 kilometres to the south of Zaragoza, 290 km from Madrid and 360 km from Barcelona.

 

This information is from the D. O. Carinena website.  Much more information is available by clicking here.  If you want to learn more about the region, climate, wines and history, I recommend checking them out.

 

 

 

This presentation and the wines were provided by Greg Dal Piaz and Snooth.

 

Snooth is the world’s most comprehensive wine site, hosts the largest online wine community & features reviews & local prices for millions of wines.

 

Mission

Snooth is a revolutionary web-based social shopping experience that is simplifying how people select, learn about, and purchase their favorite wines.

 

Company Overview

Philip James launched Snooth in 2007 with one goal: to make wine info clear, accessible, and freely available.

The idea for Snooth first came to Philip when he began working in the wine industry and realized just how complex wine was — if even the most seasoned wine collectors could become confused, what hope was there for the casual wine lover?

He realized that the wine industry was hopelessly fragmented — with neither a standardized naming system nor a centralized repository of information — and created Snooth to change all of that.

 

Visit Snooth by by clicking here.

 

 

 

My Line Up

Here is my line up for this online tasting event:

 

 

 

2011 Beso de Vino Cariñena Selección

This is a blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Garnacha.  The wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color.  The intriguing nose has cherries, minerals, white pepper, blackberries, licorice and dried violets.  This is barely medium body with moderate tannins and crisp acidity.  On the palate tart cherries and minerals jump out first with licorice and a floral note coming in later.  The finish has decent length with a cranberry note joining the show.  This needs some food to help keep the acidity in check.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Bodegas Virgen del Águila Cariñena Agoston Tempranillo & Cabernet

This is a 50-50 blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet.  The wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The inviting nose has cherries, cassis, dried herbs, crushed stone minerals, baking spices, dark chocolate, fresh thyme and a touch of cedar.  This has medium body with soft tannins and slightly soft acidity.  Juicy cherries and berries with baking spices coat the palate with minerals and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The sappy finish adds some cedar.  I’d like a bit more grip on the back end and finish, as is it gets a touch soft.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Castillo de Monseran Cariñena Old Vine Garnacha

This wine has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The appealing nose has cherries, white pepper, vanilla, wild flowers, baking spices and a touch of dark chocolate.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  Spicy cherries and white pepper pop out first on the palate with a floral note coming out on the backend.  The finish has decent length with a touch of earthiness adding some depth.  Not bad but not really showing anything special at this time, I’m sure this will be better down the road.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Beso de Vino Cariñena Old Vine Garnacha

This wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The inviting nose has cherries, blackberries, white pepper, crushed stone minerals, mint, vanilla, plums and candied violets.  This is barely medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate zippy fruit and white pepper jump out first with minerals, plums and mint coming in later.  The finish has good length with a nice floral note entering the picture.  This is a solid effort.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Alto Cinco Garnacha Cariñena

This wine has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium garnet color.  The impressive nose has cherries, black raspberries, licorice, white pepper, cocoa powder, vanilla and candied violets.  This has medium body with soft velvety tannins and decent acidity.  Rich, ripe berries, spice and cherries coat the palate initially and grudgingly allowing some white pepper and cocoa powder to slip through on the back end.  A candied floral nose enters the picture on the finish which has decent length.  This is an easy drinking wine with slightly low acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Monte Ducay Cariñena Reserva

This wine has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  Per Greg this is only$7 but appears to be available only at Trader Joes.  If you see this wine at that price, grab a case, you won’t be sorry.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, raspberries, minerals, baking spices, cedar, white pepper, and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate spicy cherries and raspberries hit upfront with minerals and spicy oak coming in later.  The finish has good length with some subtle earthiness and white pepper adding nice depth.  (90 pts)

 

 

Conclusion

I was already fairly familiar with the region and in fact have had prior vintages of half these wines.  This is a very unique region, some of the wineries are very “old school” and others are adopting the practices of the “new world” regions.

 

Every one of these wines were distinctive.  They had the “personality” and nuances to satisfy any wine lover but would easily satisfy even a novice wine sipper in any friendly gathering.

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!