Portal, Terra Alta Spain

[brappy]

Celler Vinos Pinol, Nuestra Senora del Portal '03 (semi-crianza)

Nose of mixed fruit with a touch of cream and a touch of glycerin. The palate is of mullberry, blueberry, red raspberry, a touch of tobacco and cacao. Slightly tannic; and the plum yogurt finish sticks to you for about 15 seconds and then just drops off.

This wine is 20% cab. sauv., 20% merlot, 20% syrah, 20% granach, and 20% tempranillo. Alcohol of 13.5% and around $14.

My note probably doesn't do this wine justice. It's actually quite pleasant. Something about the glycerin in the nose that throws me off. But when I get to the finish, I want more. When I saw the make-up of this wine, I had to try it. I'm glad I did. This will work well in a tasting when I need a ringer. I'm going to get 2 more bottles and compare notes with this one just to see what happens.

brap

[Thomas]

Brabby,

Can you describe the nose a little more? Glycerin is something I associate with body but can't say as i have a sense of its smell.

[brappy]

Foodie,

Almost a cloying sweet smell with a touch of alcohol. As the night progressed, the glycerin diminished some but was still present. In many wines, I find this appealling, here it was a distraction. I'm still going to get a couple more bottles to test as I think I may have had an "off" bottle.

You might have an example in your cabinet. Pull out some extract (vanilla, almond, etc.). Take a good whiff; you're sure to get a smell of glycerin. When you do this, try to isolate the vanilla(if it's vanilla extract) and what's left is the glycerin. It's a sweetness of a sort. That's about as good as I can do, maybe someone else has input.

brap

[californiagirl]

I have a comment not based on this wine, but on a particular smell. I've been racking my brain to think of the winery/grape, but it escapes me at the present. A few weeks back, I opened a bottle, and the first smell/scent from the first glass was paint thinner. It eventually faded, and the next day wasn't even prevalent. Anyone ever experience this?

[winoweenie]

With several Coturris' I was blessed with. To the Terlit wif' dem' suckers. WW

[wondersofwine]

Not sure if your paint thinner equates to my nail polish remover but some Sauvignon Blancs give me that scent or ammonia as in a home permanent.