This week’s first wine, a 2006 Bodegas Almansenas La Huella de Adaras, hails from the Almansa Denominación de Origen (DO) in Spain’s southeast in a transition zone between the high central plateau (La Mancha) and the Mediterranean Sea. This area, with its long, hot summers, cold winters, sparse rainfall, and nutrient-rich soils, is pretty perfectly suited for making rich, full-bodied red wines. The most common red grape varieties grown here are Garnacha Tintorera, Monastrell, and Cencibel (Tempranillo), although Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah can also be found.
I know I don’t often talk about wine labels, but I have to say that I absolutely love this one. The red thumbprint with the vine in it gives you a sense that this Bodega takes great care to carefully tend their vines by hand and that winemaking is something that is not only in their blood but has imprinted itself on their very fingerprints. If this is true, I like this wine even more. If it’s not, it’s pretty brilliant marketing.
Now to the wine. Made from 60% Garnacha Tintorera, 30% Monastrell and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is dark ruby in color and is nearly opaque. It has lots of black cherries and dark berries on both the nose and the palate, with some smoky bacon and a bit of minerality to balance it out. There’s something a bit tart in the middle, although it’s not entirely unpleasant. It also has some nice medium tannins, which come entirely from the grapes themselves, as this wine apparently saw no oak (a good choice, as fermentation in oak would likely make the tannic structure way too overpowering). In short, this is a very nice standby wine, especially at just $13.49/bottle from The Wine House.
3.5 corks popped!!
