Castillo de Clavijo Crianza

Name: Castillo de Clavijo Crianza
Color: Red
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2004
Country/State: Spain
Region: Rioja
Price: $8
Stars: 3 (out of 5)



This wine didn't really do it for us, which surprised me because we both generally enjoy Tempranillo wines (this Castillo de Clavijo was 90% Tempranillo, with 10% Garnacha). We drank it last night with homemade tacos and corn. I didn't really pick up much on the nose at first. Later that night, after dinner and after the kids were in bed, it finally began to open up a little...For an inexpensive bottle of wine, I just don't have the patience to wait 3 hours for it to be ready to drink. Once it did open up, I picked up on some light strawberry and cherry aromas and taste, as well as a little oak and spice.

Overall, the wine was just too light-bodied for our tastes. Krista went so far as to call it "watery". I'd probably pass on this wine in the future, but on the whole, we've had really good luck with Spanish wines, red and white.

Nostrada Tempranillo

Name: Nostrada
Color: Red
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Spain
Region: Tarragona
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

The Nostrada Tempranillo is a really nice value for the money. I thought it was very fruity, smooth, and easy to drink. I had a glass on Sunday night with our paella, although I mostly stuck with the Tres Ojos. I had another glass of the Nostrada last night. For my taste, I prefer the bigger, earthier tastes of the Tres Ojos Garnacha, but I would definitely drink the Nostrada Tempranillo again. The nose and taste were primarily red fruits, cherry, and plum. The finish wasn't particularly long, but for the price, it's tough to complain.

Legado de Barros Tempranillo

Name: Legado de Barros
Color: Red
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Spain
Region: NA
Price: $8
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

This was our first 100% Tempranillo. We have had several Spanish blends that use Tempranillo and have enjoyed them very much. We drank this wine last night with beef tacos and corn on the cob. It was enjoyable, but not particulary memorable. The nose and taste were dark berries, with an earthy/leathery/herbal quality. It was a dry, medium bodied wine, which was fortunately not overpowered by oak.

I picked up the Legado de Barros at Ed's Fine Wines on the advice of the sales guy who recommended it as a good value. That's all I really had to go on, since I couldn't find much information about this wine online at all. I probably wouldn't buy this particular wine again as there are just so many Spanish wines I like and others I want to try, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.