Tempranillo

Notable Facts
As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate - but with a rustic edge. Many wine made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumer. Spanish wine laws are very specific about ageing wine and oak is a big part of that. Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak - add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle - and occasionaly not-so-subtle - leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly. Tempranillo is also a popular blending partner for Garnacha. In Ribera del Duero in particular. It lends a nice structure to the more plush Garnacha grape. Some winemakers in Australia are also experimenting (quite successfully as we've tasted) with Tempranillo plantings and blending with Grenache and Syrah .

Summing it up
Successful Sites:
Spain; Rioja and Ribera del Duero, more recently, Australia

Common Descriptors:
red fruit, cherry, plum, tobacco, leather, herb