Finca Sandoval Manchuela

Finca Sandoval, Manchuela 2002 ($40) -- Manchuela, Spain. Imported by Cutting Edge Selections. 91% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre. Deep dark purple color with an exotic fruit-filled nose after blowing off some early funkiness upon opening. Beautifully balanced taste with complex flavors, depth and long, pleasant finish. Polly walked by, grabbed a taste (as she often does as a tasting assistant), started to walk out of the room, and then did a double-take and came back for more. "Wow, that's good!" "Yummy" was the word she also used, but as a semi-professional wine taster I can't use "yummy" in my tasting notes! At $40 this is not an everyday drinker (unless I win the lottery), but on the weekend for a special dinner this will stop the conversation about who the Bengals should draft for next season. You will hear a lot of "Ooohs" and "Aahhs" and an occassional "Yummy".