- 2003 Bodegas Castaño Monastrell Dulce - Spain, Murcia, Yecla (9/30/2006)
Dark red, even a little purple. The nose is primary and fruity with red berries and a slight touch of damp earth, but a little too spirity - the 16% abv shows through. The palate is sweet and tannic and primary, but too alcoholic again. A pity about the alcohol, because everything else about the wine is so nice - especially as a 0,50 l bottle costs only 16€!! - 2003 Quinta de la Rosa Douro - Portugal, Douro (9/30/2006)
I really liked the 2001 of this wine: it was an earthy and bloody wine - personal and lovable. I hope it is only the overly warm year of 2003, but I really do not enjoy this bottle. The nose is totally spoofulated with coconutty oak. Upon opening it was earthy and bloody and bretty (à la Cantillon's Gueuze) and I thought that it would be as good as the 2001. But no. The palate is sweetly fruity, but with drying structure. The redeeming feature is a strange but pleasant mixture of greenness and acidity on the aftertaste which makes the wine fresh and carries the aftertaste to lengths. At 14€ I used to think this a great buy, but now I'll pass. One less affordable wine for me.
Posted from CellarTracker
We also drank the Bunan Bandol I reported on here which was probably the best wine of today. But even that showed signs of being from a too warm vintage. Global warming sucks. I guess the loss of good wine is the least of our worries, however.
I've got a little bit of all three left for tomorrow. I hope time heals wounds.