I picked this up mainly because Parker described it as "outstanding value". As a fan of Spanish wine I was also curious about it's DOC - Somonato, at the foot of the Pyrenees, is one of the lesser known wine producing areas of the country.
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Rich smell of blackcurrant briar, plum and vanilla.
Wine is full of thick black fruit flavour with good, if slightly excessive, tannic structure and acidity. There is also strong oak lending creamy vanilla and a touch of spice and pencil wood.
This tastes very much like modern Bordeaux - I'd never have guessed it was Spanish had I not seen the label. This is perhaps unsurprising given that it's 80% Cab Sauvignon and is grown, geographically, not all that far from Bordeaux. The other 20% in the blend is Tempranillo.
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This has been touted as a wine to cellar for 10 years plus. At just £11 a bottle, I'm sorely tempted to give it a whirl, despite it's similarity to good claret.