Tempranillo, Rioja, $13
Earth, earth and more earth, almost a little musty, but that’s what I like about riojas. This wine needs to open up, but when it does the juicier, brighter fruit are brought to the palate along with some tangy, somewhat sharp acids. Raspberry, cherry folds in with a dash of oak that brings vanilla and additional tannin into the picture. Drink now thru 2010.