90+ 2004 Cenit Vinas del Cenit (Tierra de Zamora) 7/25/09 ($20)
100% Tempranillo 13.5% alc
Color: Deep cherry garnet. Looks like a combination of red and black cherry juice. (3.0) Bouquet: Tart, lively, concentrated black cherry with excellent acidity and cooking spices, as well as some briar. (3.5) Body: Excellent fruit, acidity and tannin, but somewhat chalky with fierce, youthful acidity. Also some oak and a little heat. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but more tart and a little sour from chalkiness.(3.0) Finish: Parallels flavor, but chalky tannins, tart acidity and some bitterness (alcohol and oak) linger. Still shows long, spicy fruit. (2.5)
Overall: This is big, young and fierce Tempranillo. High acidity and tannin make it tart and chalky at present, but the fruit is concentrated enough to balance it out with time. Even now the fruit is delicious. Impressive for its weight, structure and concentration, but does show bitterness in the finish. Should integrate in the next 2-5 years. If drinking now, decant for 2 hours and serve with red meat.The price of this wine seems to vary greatly ($20-$45). At $20, it's a great value. At $45, I'd probably pick something else.(15.0)
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