La Legua

Bodega Emeterio Fernandez, La Legua 2003 ($10) -- Cigales, Spain. Another wine blogger, Christian from "Turn the Screw", raved about this as the next Las Rocas and said all his customers loved it. (He has a wine shop in Savannah, Georgia.) As it turned out the wine was not in the Cincinnati marketplace because the wine buyer for the local distributor had passed on it after tasting through the Eric Solomon current releases. I requested a sample bottle with the promise to place a large order if I liked it. Before I had a chance to taste yesterday, the wine buyer had re-tasted, and a container shipment is on the way and should be here in a month. I guess he liked it. I liked it also, as did the wine rep and a local restaurateur.

This blend of 96% Tempranillo and 4% Garnacha has a big dark fruit nose, with a well rounded, tannic finish. It is a bit rough at first, but after 30 minutes, settles down. This is a big wine for $10. Not a good food wine as it would overpower most dishes, but a great wine to sip over several hours while you enjoy the taste evolutions. This is a buy-by-the-case wine as it will last for years, if you have the self-discipline. Hell, buy two cases!