Page 25 - the NOISE November 2014

T empranillo is among the sexiest of grapes, with one of the longest of histo-
ries. Brought to the high deserts of Arizona from the rough & tumble mountain des- erts of Northern Spain, its habit of ripening early discloses a fantastic secret: it might well have been imported from North Africa upon the very same ships at once carrying Carthaginian conquistadors and elephants to Barcelona.
That’s right; Tempranillo is quite possibly the same grape enjoyed by Hannibal Barca on his epic mountain crossing of the Alps to take on legions of Rome in vengeance for defeat of his grandfather ...
In other words, if you want a wine that catches the allure of the open road, Tempranillo is your grape.
However, the 2012 Tempranillo from Jave- lina leap Vineyard & Winery is a wine easily enjoyed during more prosaic circumstances. If you don’t want to take this wine with you on the mother of all road trips to conquer large parts of Europe, drinking it at Thanks- giving dinner with the family will work just as well.
This Tempranillo is dark as night. In the glass, this full-bodied red is a rich, dark bur- gundy color, quite reminiscent of blood; a color somewhat darker than I have normally seen in most other wines made from this varietal in Arizona. The nose is deceptively simple at first, but once opened, many notes vie for attention.
Vanilla, nutmeg, and smoke intermingle with rich cherries, and cedar. Espresso & brown sugar also appear, wafting through the bouquet, at times appearing as tobacco. There are also hints of tarragon and thyme. The overall impression is one of drinking a black coffee while eating a cherry pie and smoking a hand-rolled cigarette (or perhaps a vanilla cigarillo) in a roadside diner.
On the palate, the use of American Oak is immediately reminiscent to the discerning palate with a sharp note of vanilla; a delight- ful callback to the Rioja region’s typical aging of this species of oak. Flavor notes of brown
with Cody V. Burkett
illustration By Kris Pothier
sugar & molasses intertwine with the afore- mentioned vanilla, which leads me to sus- pect fans of bourbon or whiskey might also enjoy this wine.
In this Tempranillo, I also note a burley cavendish pipe tobacco, intermingled once again with coffee. The wine also has notes of candied black cherries and caramel-coated plums, leading to a mild fruit explosion on the finish. This concludes with a crescendo of tart pomegranates intermingled with ba- sil & mint. Said finish is, once the wine has opened up, quite long and voluptuous, last- ing for about 8 seconds. There are no residu- als present, and furthermore, this wine is not terribly acidic, and there is no overwhelm- ing alcoholity. This combination makes this wine decidedly friendly, with a whole host of menu options.
The 2012 Tempranillo was made from grapes grown in the Dragoon Vineyard, from the high desert near Willcox, Arizona. It is made from 100% Tempranillo grapes. This wine has won several silver medals from wine competitions across the state, along with as a gold medal from the 2013 Arizona Republic Wine Competition.
Plan your wine early, I always say, since you never know how much you will need to deal ... with your family ... to begin forth- with!
Furthermore, I highly recommend de- canting this wine for about an hour before imbibing.
Viticultured by Cynthia Snapp, you can acquire a bottle of this wine for $38 at a tast- ing room located on Page Springs Road in Cornville, Arizona.
Three hundred thirty-four cases of this wine were in production at the time of this writing.
| Cody v. Burkett would love to date a tempranillo, as it would be a torrid affair, at least
until sangiovese found out ...
cody.v.burkett@gmail.com
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