Blind neighborhood tasting, 62 attendees. All the wines showed quite well though, true to form, the group overwelmingly preferred the two sweetest wines.
2005 Felix Callejo Crianza, Ribera del Duero, $29
100% Temparanillo. Dense purple color, sweet blackberry nose, some graphite. On the palate, extracted and big bodied, sweet black fruit, a modern powerhouse and though not my preferred style of wine I will admit to finding it very appealing. Group 1st place, my 3rd, with 117 pts.
2007 Borsao Tres Picos, Campo de Borja, $16
Even though it was a blind tasting, I chose the wines and knowing them by their grapes and growing region, it was dead easy to pick out which wine was which, like this grenache. Jay Miller (the Parker one) said "this may well be the finest Tres Picos to date" and awarded it 91 points. My notes are less positive: "Must be the Picos. Strawberry and vanilla bean. Sweet and simple, with virtually no tannins. Last place." But the group loved it, no doubt because it was sweet, direct and easy to understand, and gave it 2nd place with 91 total points.
2006 Almanzora 'Este', Almanzora, $9
A blend of Monastrell (mourvedre), tempranillo, grenache, cabernet, syrah and merlot. A complex fruit basket with good acidity and soft tannins, showing a bit more on the red fruit/syrah side right now, but nothing's overdone. Enormously enjoyable, and one of the best value reds I've tasted in a long, long time. Killer stuff at $9, really. Group 3rd place at 54 points.
2005 Torres Grand Corona Reserva, Penedes, $19
Initially, a very sweet, kirschy nose that needed some time to integrate, with restrained red and black fruit, old book dust, and a bit of savory herb. Very traditional and very obviously the cabernet. Very dry on the palate and a bit muted, but I tasted potential here and my confidence (and 1st place vote) was rewarded the next day when the half bottle I got to take home had come around quite a bit and showed more fruit, more complexity and even more structure. A great value, and it surely would have scored better with the group had I been able to decant the wines in advance. But as it was, this only managed a co-last place with the following two wines, all of them receiving just 30 to 34 points.
2004 Finca Allende, Rioja, $23
100% tempranillo. Very peppery nose with good spice and tangy fruit, like raspberries and dried apricots--quite obviously the Rioja. I adored it and gave it 2nd place though it was a total toss up whether I voted for this or the Torres in first place. And as usual, all those strange and wonderful acids were a total turnoff for the group, hence they could muster no better than 5th for it.
2007 Finca Luzon, Jumilla, $9
65% Monastrell and 35% syrah. Very purple with medium plus body, violets, spice, and a meatiness that the savvier tasters appreciated (this was #1 on the Wine Enthusiasts Best Buys of 2008 list) but the group as a whole did not. 6th place, and actually 6th place with me because something has to come in last, but by no means did I dislike the wine. Good value.