GARNARCHA: SPAIN

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha
Spain: Zaragoza (Borja)
Garnacha (red)
2008
$16.99
88 pts
Just about everybody seems to love Tres Picos (Three Wine Guys, Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar & more), but while I certainly have a lot of respect for Bodegas Borsao (a great producer), the Tres Picos is a good--but not great--wine. The name Tres Picos probably refers to the early 20th Century Spanish novella & ballet El Sombrero de Tres Picos, or The Three-Cornered Hat, about a government official who tries to seduce a miller's wife. Unlike the miller's wife, I wanted to fall for this wine, having read the rave reviews. But it just wasn't there. It's not that Tres Picos doesn't have its attractive qualities. The color is a deep black cherry with hints of purple, rich and inviting. Cherries and flowers and some underlying pepper explode from the nose. Very nice. In the mouth, one gets mature dark cherries and some more flowers, and I also get a green herbal finish. The mouth feel is smooth and velvety, and the length is solid. So what's my problem here? Well, not much. I mean, it's a solid wine that I give 88 points, and in the true spirit of the varietal, this garnacha would go great with a number of flavorful, savory foods. But it just doesn't blow me away. The fruit is rewarding, lasting through the initial attack into the mid-palette, but the floral and herbal components that follow the cherries are a bit awkward to me, almost as if they wandered accidentally into the wine from another glass, a bit lost or confused. I guess it lacks coherence or unity for me, keeping it from being a +MUST TRY+, but by no means a poorly made or distasteful wine. In short, Tres Picos, "It's not you: it's me."

Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines
Spain: Calatayud
Garnacha (red)
2009
$9.99
86 pts
I've had this readily available, budget-priced Spanish red many times, most recently at Dunlay's on Clark, splitting a Wise Guy pizza with Dana last night (the Wise Guy is a delicious appetizer pizza, by the way). Garnacha is the Spanish name for Grenache. Deep dark red in color, the Bodegas Ateca Garnacha de Fuego offers cherries and just a hint of pepper on the nose. The taste profile is simplistic (delivers flavors that line up with the aroma neatly), but not unpleasant: starts with cherries, then delivers a shot of pepper, ending with just a hint of earthiness, maybe even a little manure. Not bad--and food friendly--but I find the overall flavor lacking in intensity. And the length is a weakness: this wine pulls a Houdini not long after the manure drops in...and quickly out. The mouth feel is fine, with a soft (perhaps too soft?), dry finish. Bottom line? For ten bucks or less a bottle, this is a decent Spanish red, a good option when looking to save a little money or keep it simple. But if seeking an above-average, memorable wine that just might blow your socks off...this one will disappoint. I won't keep a bottle on hand, but bet I drink Garnacha de Fuego, again. It's cheap, convenient, and you know exactly what to expect. McDonald's doesn't make the best hamburgers in the world, either, and yet once in a while I have one and enjoy it. That's the story of this wine.