The poison for the evening

So the first post begins…

I decided to start with a Spanish wine because nobody has money and they are great values.  I received this wine free, but it usually retails around $15 or less.  A little background first, then we will get into the wine itself.

Bodegas Torres is one of the most famous and largest wine producers in Spain.  They have been doing it for years and have a ton of experience in the US market.  In fact, they produces some the best selling Spanish wines in the United States.  I guess that is what over 200 years of experience will do for you.  If you’d like, check out their website for a ton of information! I recommend grabbing a bottle of wine first before you begin exploring.

So the wine…

Before giving the full review, I have to say one thing.  This wine has changed.  I reviewed the wine after decanting for 30 minutes.  Not enough time!  Since reviewing the wine, the fruit has exploded and some of the funkiness faded away.  The second score I will give will take this into consideration, as should you, if you try this wine.

The Gran Sangre de Toro (Grand Bull’s Blood) is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 25% Carinena, and 15% Syrah.
Color: I got real excited when pouring this wine, the deep garnet color was brilliant.  It faded to a brick red around the rim, showing the little bit of aging it has received (2002 vintage).  It has good clarity and I could not wait to dive into this wine.

Nose: I expected a little funkiness due to the heavy dose of garnacha, boy was I surprised.  This wine has a ton of funk.  I’m talking George Clinton kind of funk.  The kind of funk you expect smelling a Phish fan’s dreadlocks.  It took a lot for me to keep sniffing this baby.  But I did, and what I found were some nice underlying complexities.  Black licorice kept jumping at me as a predominant note, but black cherry and raspberry treated the back end of the nose.  A thing to note, this wine seemed a little hot or alcoholic on the nose at first, but the alcohol blew off after a minute or two.

Taste: First impressions are everything, right?  Well if that’s true, this wine is in trouble.  At first this wine seemed so out of balance, Nastia Liukin couldn’t have recovered.  My first sip I was hit with extreme acidity all over the front of my palate.  Tart cherry covered my midpalate and the finish was non-existent.  The back wasn’t velvety tannins as some have claimed with this wine, it was downright not there.  So I tried it again, as I always do, and it changed a little bit.  The tart cherries were still there, but this time I felt like I chewed on a popsicle stick as I finished the wine.  I was shocked.  None of the fruit or complexity on the nose had carried over to the actual taste of the wine.  But then I poured another taste.  Now an hour after I opened it.  Wow!  This wine has changed, I wouldn’t believe it was the same bottle if I hadn’t poured it myself.  We have fruit!  Now Elton John would be jealous of how fruity this wine is!  This is why I rated it twice.

Length / Finish: This wine doesn’t stay with you.  Its not a classic bordeaux, jammy shiraz, or delicious burgundy.  In fact, the finish seems a little green to me.  It leaves a taste of stems on my palate.  Something I despise in the finish of a wine.

Overall Impression: At first this wine was uninspiring and a bit to funky for Kool and the Gang.  I honestly felt like it was the equivalent of a poorly made B-movie.  My initial reaction was to tell everyone to not to buy it, there are better wines on the market for $15 or less, but if you appreciate wine and have the patience to let it sit, preferrably in the glass than the bottle or even a decanter, this is definately a wine seeking out.  It shouldn’t be too hard to find, and for $15 its worth trying and forming your own opinion on.

Overall Rating: 83 87 Points.  Consider trying it!