Torres Sangre de Toro Tempranillo

Grape: Tempranillo

Region: Catalunya, Northeastern Spain

Vintage: 2007

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Sangre de Toro Tempranillo is a deep inky-red color with a highly dense opaque core going out into a fine, slightly tinged crimson-red rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: There are layers of crushed black plum; freshness from eucalyptuslike herbal notes; meaty, fleshy elderberry juice character; earthy, slightly spicy black cherry; and crushed stone minerals with undertones of tar, gunpowder and licorice root.

On the palate: It’s a concentrated effort with freshly crushed black cherries, black plum skins, black licorice, blackberry liqueur, beef jerky, creme de cassis, and notes of roasted meats and smoked bacon. The midpalate offers proof of Sangre de Toro’s solid structure with balanced, supple tannins interlaced with red fruit and bell peppers, going into a seriously lingering finish that won’t quit the palate even after a minute.

Odds and ends: This is the famous "bull’s blood" wine from Torres, which is an homage to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. It is one of the first wines I ever tasted as a young boy in Denmark. Although I have a long familiarity with it, I never felt the quality to be up to par for a review in this column. That is, until this 2007 vintage made from the classic Spanish grape varietal tempranillo, also known as tinto rojo.

Sangre de Toro Tempranillo is highly recommended at this price. It can be consumed now through 2012.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.