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+--- Thread: Abacela Vintner's Blend #6 Red Table Wine (/thread-14284.html)
- dananne - 08-13-2007
I've been touting this winery from Oregon's Umpqua Valley for years. Though they specialize in Tempranillo, they also plant and bottle many other wines, including the 13 different red varieties that went into this blend from '02.
Deep reddish-purple in color, with a nose of dark berries, eucalyptus, and vanilla. Flavors follow nose, adding prickly spiciness and a note of licorice on the finish. Yummy stuff that didn't last long. Nice QPR at about $14. 13.3% alc. Nice everyday drinker. We bought it at Whole Foods.
- TheEngineer - 08-14-2007
Wow, didn't know that Tempranillo could grow in such cool weather. Does it have a different characteristic than the warmer climate wines from Spain?
- dananne - 08-14-2007
Yes, it does differ a bit from the Tempranillo I'm used to from Spain, but the Umpqua Valley (and S. Oregon's Rogue Valley, for that matter) is quite hot and best suited to warm-climate varieties. Abacela, IMHO, is the standard-bearer for domestic Tempranillo. The owners, Earl and Hilda Jones (who are from Atlanta, incidentally), researched quite extensively to find a growing climate similar to Rioja, and that's where they ended up. Since then, many other vineyards and wineries call S. Oregon home. Abacela's Tempranillo ages wonderfully -- I'm still working my way through the '98s and haven't even started on the '99s. It's worth a try if you ever stumble upon it. They also produce wonderful (and ageworthy) Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Malbec, and they've started doing good things with Grenache and Dolcetto.
- TheEngineer - 08-14-2007
Thanks for the explanation. I did not know that about the area. Interesting...maybe one day I'll get a chance to drop by...