2005 Matchbook Tempranillo Dunnigan Hills California. 13.6% alcohol. $9.00 a glass at Endless Vine, Franklin Lakes; retail around $18 in NYC. Blend: 80% Tempranillo, 10% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Graciano.
Deep red color, deep hue, restrained aromas of fruit and some spice and earth notes, very good tastes of fruit and black spice, medium mouth feel, mild tannins, some good acidity, good to very good balance, single note finish at first blush, but gained complexity and interest after 15 minutes in the glass, no EGA. Hard to think of an outstanding food match -- probably something simple like a burger, where the spiciness would set off the meat and a soft, doughy bun -- skip the catsup this time. 3*.
Notes:
Winery: http://www.crewwines.com/ "Why Matchbook? As a farm kid growing up in the late 1950´s and early 1960´s John Giguiere was a confirmed pyromaniac starting various things on fire such as his father´s wheat field. At one point, fearing total ruin from his kids burning him out of the house and farm, his father took them to the city jail for an hour stay to impress upon his brother and him the futility of their fascination with fire. John and his brother answered at a later date by graduating from random fires to the launching of rockets which often blew up at some stage of the it´s journey resulting in more random fires and a call to the local fire department for help. They eventually grew out of this fascination with the "Matchbook" but still have fond memories of the power they possessed."
History of John and Lane Giguierem, Crew Wine Company and Matchbook: http://www.azcentral.com/home/wine/arti ... s0623.html
Tasting Notes:
Tempranillo exhibits blueberry, cherry fruit flavors and soft tannins; Malbec adds red apple flavors, richness and length to the mid-palate; Petit Verdot contributes to full flavors in the back palate; and the Graciano adds deep purple color and a touch of spice.
Vineyard Notes:
The Tempranillo vines grown on the Matchbook vineyard are from cuttings imported from the Pescara region of Spain. Graciano is the traditional blending grape in Spanish red wines and the vines grown in our vineyard are from cuttings imported from the Ribera del Duero region.
Winemaker Notes:
After one day of cold soak, the tank was bled to concentrate the flavors. We pressed off at three to zero Brix after an eight-day fermentation to allow brighter, cleaner fruit expression and to avoid heavy tannins. After two aerative rackings, the wine went down to barrel in October 2005 and was blended in May of the following year.
1913 cases.