Abacela 2013 Fiesta Tempranillo, Umpqua Valley, $23
Southern Oregon winemaker Andrew Wenzl, who began at Abacela in 2003 as a cellar master, picked twice for Tempranillo before the arrival of the torrential September rains that any vintner west of the Cascades will remember from the 2013 vintage. He ended up staging his final pick of the Joneses’ 27 acres of Tempranillo on Oct. 11, and the juice underwent an oak program using a light hand — a mere 15% new wood. That fruit-forward approach makes this different from Abacela’s other three Tempranillo bottlings, and it’s ready to embrace immediately. Dark cherry, plum, black licorice and smoky black pepper aromas echo across the palate. Fun and zesty acidity and tannins give this a bright and taut finish.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 1,675 cases
Alcohol: 13.9%
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