Now that Wine Blogging Wednesday 26 is over, I can now blog my full tasting notes for this wine…

Tres Picos is made from mountainside grown, 50 year old Garnacha (Grenache) vines from one of Spain’s lesser known appellations, Campo de Borja. The winery, Bodegas Borsao, is a red wine specialist making mostly Grenache and Syrah.

The Campo de Borja region was made a Denomination of Origin (DO) in 1980 with 7,940 hectares of vineyards in production. The region has been producing notable wines since Roman times and has been exported for the past 600 years. Located in north-eastern Spain adjoining the better known Navarra region, Campo de Borja is making a name for itself for it’s fruit-forward red wines. The predominate red varieties are Grenache, Tempranillo, Mazuela, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. White varietals grown there are Macabeo, Moscatel and Chardonnay.

Bodegas Borsao, “Tres Picos“, Garnacha (Grenache), Campo de Borja 2004 ($15) – Dark ruby-purple in color with rustic blackberry and licorice aromas. In the mouth this is a rich and powerful wine with concentrated black cherry and blackberry flavors finishing with white pepper and dusty tannins. A delicious value in old vine Grenache.

14.5% ABV
Natural cork
Score: 90

Buy this wine online

This is the second wine I tasted in a flight at Gaffney’s Wine Bar in Encinitas, California while on vacation. As I mentioned in my note on their Syrah from the same vineyard, Curtis Winery concentrates on Rhone varieties and produces wine in minute quantities but because of the miracle of their web store, you can actually buy their wines (at least if you live in the U.S. and not in a state that prevents direct shipments).

Curtis Winery, “The Crossroad”, Santa Barbara County 2003 ($20) – A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah from the Crossroads Vineyard. Dark ruby in color with meaty black cherry and violet aromas. Smooth black cherry and raspberry flavors finishing with white pepper and dusty tannins. 551 cases produced.

15.5% ABV
Score: 87