88 2005 Dominio de Tares Baltos (Bierzo) 5/22/09 ($18)
100% Mencia 13.5% alc
Color: Medium deep garnet. (3.0) Bouquet: Beef broth with cooking spices combined with black cherry fruit. Interesting herbal complexity thrown in. Aromatic and well-balanced. (3.0) Body: Middleweight with excellent acidity combined with very good fruit and some tannin. Silky and mouthcoating. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but not as forward. (2.5) Finish: Parallels flavor with a little bitterness from tannin. Also could have more persistence. (2.5)
Overall: This is a tasty wine with distinctive character, once it's given some air. Has fruit and complexity that is reminiscent of Cabernet Franc. It's nuanced and interesting, but could be more expressing. It got better with an hour of air, so may simply need time, say 1-3 years. Even now a very good example of Mencia. (14.0)