Tried this last night w/ Alentejo-style pork spare ribs (latest Saveur magazine receipe):
1. Verdad Graciano Ibarra-Young Vnyd/SantaYnezVlly (13%; www.VerdadWines.com) 2011: Dark/very dark color; strong black cherry/plummy earthy/mineral/rustic/loamy bit graphite/smokey interesting nose; quite acid rather hard/tannic/rough some plummy/licorice/black cherry quite earthy/loamy/rustic rather austere flavor; med.long hard/tannic/acid/austere some plummy/licorice/black cherry quite earthy/loamy finish; some interesting fruit therein but pretty rough/rustic/loamy/hard on the palate some like a tannic Bierzo; needs 3-8 yrs of age but hard to guess where it'll wind up. $25.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Verdad is, of course, the label for her Spanish varietals by Louisa Sawyer-Lindquist. Followed her from the very start, I did. Graciano is a minor grape in the Rioja that has been falling into disfavor.
This wine was quite a departure from Louisa's usual style. Her Tempranillo is quite a svelte/pretty/perfumed/well-made rendition of Temp. This one was much bigger than any red I've had from her. Will be interesting to see how this evolves. I think this is her first Graciano.
Tom