HARD TO BEAT THE OLD ONES

BESO DE VINO OLD VINE GARNACHA 2009, (Cariñena, Spain), ABV 13.5%, RRP €9.99, Stockists , 4 stars

I’ve often seen “grows on you slowly” as a descriptor in wine tasting. So, maybe half the bottle is gone before you realise you’ve got a good one? Well, there’s no danger of wasting any of this warm super-tasty red.

The warm hello comes on first contact: “Howya doin’ old stock?” And it is old stock, as the fruit (100 per cent Garnacha) is from old vines, vines with an average of 40 years to be more precise. Later, that veteran Garnacha spends four months in new French oak before the product is released.

Then it is good to go, keen to please and the experience is totally satisfactory, especially when you consider the price is just €9.99! Antonio, the little bull fronting Beso de Vino, can be proud of this one. It is a bit like himself, friendly and confident.

Antonio boasts that there is lavender in the nose. Not too sure about that, he can be a bit of chancer at times, but there is certainly the aroma of black cherries there. The fruity mouthfeel is big, for sure, but the dense fruit rush is held in check by the almost unobtrusive tannins to give a well balanced wine with quite a pleasant finish.

Just to underline the quality, Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate Robert Palmer gave it 89 points.

I know many will just twist off the screw-cap and pour. But take a second and look at that cap. You will see three little holes in it. I’m told they are not made by Antonio’s horns. So why are they there? Check it out here.