Gran Sello Tempranillo Syrah a great bargain

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/09/2018 (2544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A guy named Bill from the Forrest area has emailed me a couple of times during the past year or so.

His notes are brief and to the point, and I always enjoy hearing from him. He seems to like Vine Lines, he purchases some of the wines I suggest, and he occasionally comments on the points I’ve made in the column.

For instance, when I wrote back in April that it was often hard to get a good bottle of wine for less than $20, he emailed and said he agreed with that statement. But he also qualified that sometimes “$20 wines are underwhelming.” And I certainly agree with that! He suggested the 2016 Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo ($15.99) from Spain “isn’t too bad.”

And it’s not. With its red fruit vibrancy with notes of vanilla, chocolate and spice, the Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo is definitely worth a try.

I particularly enjoy Bill’s assessment of certain choices I make, such as chilling my red wines because I like to start with them cold and see how they blossom as they warm. “Your thing about putting red in the fridge to improve it is a weird one,” he wrote. “Will try it.”

Though we’ve never met, I bet we’d get along. He seems to be a straight shooter who’s also open to exploring new things. And I like that in a person. I was especially grateful when he tagged that last message with, “Thanks for your good insights.”

Well thank YOU, Bill! I appreciate that you take the time to write and let me know what you think.

I’m also a fan of his apparently wry sense of humour. When I wrote about the Duckhorn Decoy Chardonnay, a beautiful California product that showcases pear, apple, lemon candy, with a pinch of oak, which is supported by crisp acidity but is still buttery smooth and supple that sells for $30.03, he wrote the following:

“Let’s see — I could drink a half bottle of Duckhorn Decoy Chardonnay every night and it would only cost $6,400 a year.”

I laughed out loud at that comment. Because it is a bit daunting when the numbers are crunched. How I wish I could afford to drink wines like the Duckhorn every night. But he’s right — my nest egg would be completely gone if I indulged to that degree.

However, as usual, he followed his assessment with something that impressed me even more:

“Now that the numbers are out of the way, I have to say that I have never as of yet tastedwine that cost over $25 a bottle. Maybe it’s time for new frontiers.” See? This guy is cool!

So when I got a note from him a few weeks ago that included a picture of a bottle of Gran Sello Tempranillo Syrah, accompanied by his usual understated commentary — “I think this is pretty good” — I wrote back and told him I’d give it a try. I figured if he’s interested enough to try what I suggest, I could certainly return the favour. So the next time I was in the Liquor Mart, I picked up a bottle. And a couple of days later, I popped the cork.

But as usual, I like to do comparisons, so I opened both the 2015 Gran Sello Tempranillo Syrah (from Spain and $14.99 a bottle) and a straight Tempranillo that I adore, the 2011 Zuccardi Q (from Argentina and $23.99 a bottle).

The Gran Sello blend showed tantalizing aromas and flavours of apricot, plum and red fruits, with a savoury, herbal component and a hint of toasted almonds. The Zuccardi Q was rich, decadent and full of black fruit, tobacco, nutmeg, leather, and chocolate. Both wines went beautifully with the caramelized onion, cremini mushroom and blue cheese-topped T-bone steak with which I paired them, and I enjoyed each wine thoroughly.

While I preferred the Zuccardi Q, was it worth $9 more?

Well, yeah.

But you know what? I’ll be stocking up on the Gran Sello Tempranillo Syrah, because it really is an impressive wine for the price. Apparently, you CAN get a decent wine — a very good wine — for $15. And I would never have found it if I hadn’t heard about it from my email buddy.

Thanks, Bill! Please keep those emails coming!