'04 Alaia

[Innkeeper]

2004 Dehesa de Rubiales, Alaia ($12). We paid $28 in a restaurant. Alcohol level: 14.5%. It is a blend of Prieto Picudo (50%), Tempranillo and a touch of Merlot.

The wine is almost jet black to the eye. It gives a blast of black fruit to the nose and tongue tip. With a body you could almost cut with knife, the middle is incredibly complex with chewy tannin. The finish lingers and lingers.

We matched it with a lamb dish that had the meat in a spicy tomato sauce with roasted summer squash all on a bed of cous cous. The wine went perfectly with it. A dinner companion who ate turkey meatballs in a pink vodka sauce on pasta also enjoyed the wine with it.

We were celebrating our 45th anniversary, and our friend was celebrating her (???) birthday.