I’ve been reading Nick Jackson’s Beyond Flavour leading up to my first blind tasting of the year. So armed with new knowledge about tasting through structure, I came out getting none of the blinds right. Haha! In my defense, it’s been a while since I’ve done this and some of the wines were perhaps showing less than ideal. Regardless, it was a productive exercise to focus in on structure instead of flavour.
This particular wine threw me a curve ball. On the nose, it’s smelled very ripe and sweet, with aromas of black fruits, new oak, liquorice, and spicy nuances. On the palate, the tannins immediately stood out as being different from the rest of the pack - moderate, chalky, focused on the front to mid-palate, where as the rest focused on the gums and cheeks. The acidity was very soft and the fruit was expectedly ripe. With sagely advice from Nick’s book, I was thrown in the direction of Shiraz, yet it wasn’t quite rich and fruity enough for the new world. Plus, shades of lifting volatile acidity keeps me hovering in the old world, but it’s definitely missing all the hallmarks of Syrah. Consider me stumped.
As with all blinds, the signs were obvious upon reveal - a Rioja Tempranillo from a warm year (I’ll let you join the dots). Notably, the tannin structure here was an outlier (Tempranillo tannins usually appear in the cheeks). Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the wine’s made out of Tempranillo Peludo? No matter, I honestly would have never identified it, just as I failed to identify the other Rioja’s in the blind - I’m just not familiar enough with the region or variety. Why you may ask? Well, a glass of the Raro, and I could take no more. Rioja’s just typically too rich for my blood. — 3 years ago
This wine is outstanding — 4 years ago
Oaky but surprisingly light. — 2 years ago
A rare Sardinian after dinner drink — 3 years ago
70% Tintorera 20% Shyrah 10% Monastrell. Será raro pero esta buenísimo. Bravo Yecla !!! Bodegas Barahonda — 5 years ago
Seco , mineralizado, un sabor perfecto para una tarde calurosa , bajo nivel de azúcar , raro en los vinos blancos. — 2 years ago
YUM!!
We were kindly #gifted this bottle to try and oh my, I’m in love. It is so delicious and definitely worth hunting out if you ask me 😉
👀 cloudy apple juice
👃tropical fruit, dragonfruit, lemon sherbet, raro cordial sachet
👅 mineral dry, candy but not sweet if that makes sense, lemon lime, delicate balance across the mouth, light body, sherbet finish
Definitely should be available in 1.5l magnums as the standard 750ml bottle is just not enough 😋 — 3 years ago
E’ molto buono, specialmente a mia moglie piace. Lei continua di bere, e’ raro veramente. Il gusto di honey, ma non e’ dolce troppo, sarebbe tipica a Burgone. — 3 years ago
Billy L.
Felsina 🇮🇹 Winery Tasting & Lunch: — a year ago