by Tim York » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:24 pm
Clinton,
Thank you for pointing me back to that thread. I now remember that excellent exposition by Victor as well as Joe's pyrotechnics (where has he gone?).
This extract from Victor is very interesting -
"Few unoaked tempranillos (often made through carbonic maceration of whole clusters in Rioja – the classic young 'cosecheros') ever make it to the US market. They show the primary flavors of tempranillo vividly: lots of ripe red berries (strawberries, raspberries, Morello cherries), some dark berries (blueberries, black currants, less frequently blackberries), with frequent notes of liquorice and, in southerly tempranillos, orange peel. No red currants or pepper as in the Bordeaux varieties; riper, less acidic and simultaneously more tannic than sangiovese."
The ripe red berry flavours which Victor describes were present on the Navajas and I suppose "liquorice" is not far off what I describe as "molasses and caramel". So this does seem to be confirmation that that these tastes are a characteristic of young Tempranillo, though in this case the "liquorice" element was particularly strong. If I were tasting a wine with this element with a view to ageing it, I would have to feel confident that it would integrate with time, because I don't find it appealing in this raw state.
Tim York