A few weeks without a post. Laziness most likely but the release from pandemic lockdown was a curtain lifted on a forgotten world of friends across the table, modest travel and a bit of discombobulation with the whole thing. There was also an accumulation of bottles that were good enough the first time round to warrant a repeat, often just as good as the first review suggested. Maybe the best measure of how good something tastes is best calibrated by how keenly another bottle is sought. This one almost gets there. Well, it is mostly Grenache grown in Rioja of which there should be more. A bit of Tempranillo too. It’s fresh, bright and clean. Pot pourri, red fruits and peanuts. Rich but only medium bodied with whole berry brewing lift. Warming pepper, cut with a touch of meat and smoke reduction all nicely bound together with juicy acidity and fine grape skin texture. The Kármán line is the theoretical boundary between the earth’s atmosphere and space, funny what you learn on back labels these days. The front label cheerfully reminds me of the spaced out adventures available in Spain these days.
14.5% alcohol. Diam. Probably not stratospherically priced.
90 points but joyful.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 
I bought another. 🤓 Your note captures the wine well; it’s balanced with decent heft and enough interplay between fruit and structure to be thoroughly enjoyable at a fairly modest price.
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Thanks for reading, Matthew. Let’s hope there’s more good cheap imports this year and perhaps we get the chance to visit Europe once more. Cheers to you.
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