Luchador Tempranillo 2016
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For those of you who don't know, a Luchador (think matador, one who fights bulls) is a wrestler in Mexico. I'm not sure what inspired me to put a Luchador on a Barossa Valley Australian Shiraz label, but I did. I love it. The label is designed by a very cool team of designers called Morning Breath, who are well known for their CD design for artists like Stone Roses, Eminem, and Jay-Z. As it says on the label, "This wine will body-slam your tongue." A Mexican friend of mine took a bottle to a family party of about 200 in East Los Angeles and someone commented, 'I’ve never seen a wine with Hispanic appeal before.' I love it when stuff like this happens. Good is good and appeals all over, just like Bitch and the Roogle."
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.