Solune Winegrowers, 2004 St Amant Vineyard Tempranillo $21

Crystal Valley Cellars, 2004, The
Temp, Lodi $20

St. Amant Winery, 2004 Tempranillo, Amador County $20

Double Gold, Amador County Fair

Silver, California State Fair

This wine had a lot fruit in the nose with some very nice vanilla and cedar from the oak and just the slightest hint of earthiness and licorice after it opened up. The palate had a medium body that was rather silky with just a bit of nice round tannin, good follow up of the black fruit and oak from the nose. There was just a bit of alcohol apparent and a nice level of acid.

The nose on this wine was very distinct with an herbal earthiness, blackberry and even a little eucalyptus, pepper and toast. The palate was a bit of surprise from the nose. Gone was any earthiness or herbaceous flavors and the black fruit moved to red cherry and raspberry with very pronounced pepper and just a background of eucalyptus, vanilla and tobacco.

The nose started with nice red cherry, some plum and just a little blackberry. There was a nice bit of vanilla, spice and some great toastiness. The fruit was very apparent on the palate with both red and black cherry and blackberry. The oak created some wonderful vanilla, chocolate and spice with some definite acidity and alcohol present with the fruit.

Moderate and nicely rounded.

Nice, satiny mouthfeel with extremely rounded tannins, Full Body

This had a really nice satin mouthfeel with just a bit of dusty tannins.

This wine had a medium plus complexity with a nice combination of fruit, a bit of spice and vanilla. The finish was medium to long with good spice and fruit. There was both acid and tannin evident in the finish.

This was a wine of medium plus complexity with a wide range of fruit, spice and oak related attributes The finish was fairly long with lots of that great fruit and spice throughout and a bit alcohol and vanilla and tobacco or cigar at the very end.

This wine had some nice complexity in both the palate and the nose, although not quite as complex as the two older wines. The finish was longer than average starting with fruit and evolving into a nice vanilla and then finishing with some good toastiness.

A nice drinking wine, a little lighter in body than the other wines with a nice finish and a silky mouthfeel. There was a bit color and weight difference between this wine and its brother, the St. Amant. This wine was lighter, not as bold and with more fruit in the nose but less on the palate lower alcohol and less tannin.

This was a very pleasant flavored wine with a nice long impression on the palate. It was not as complex as a couple of the other wines, but enough to make it interesting. The flavors were fairly bold with surprising pepper throughout the finish along with a distinct impression of cigar or tobacco in the end.

This wine is a great drinker with good acidity along with wonderful bold flavors. It is interesting how much bolder and more Cab like it was than the wine made from the same vineyard, the Solune. Both were very nice wines with good fruit, but the differences in style were intriguing.