Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines 2008

Ripe raspberry, creamy vanilla and spicy licorice mingle in this exuberant red, which is alluring, plush but tender, structured more by acidity than tannins. Drink now through 2010.

Bright purple. Smoky blackberry and blueberry on the nose, with subtle spice and floral qualities adding interest. Fleshy and sweet, with deep dark berry preserve flavors, supple texture and bright mineral lift. More than simply a fruit bomb, but this wine's berry flavors are impressively forceful. Finishes with very good, spicy persistence and a lingering blueberry quality. A gift at the price.

The 2007 Garnacha de Fuego is 100% old-vine Garnacha sourced from 60-80 year old vineyards offering tiny yields. Dark ruby/purple-colored the nose exhibits spice box, earth notes, and wild cherry. On the palate it is slightly compact albeit with excellent flavors and good length. It is a steal at the asking price. Drink it over the next two years.

Bodegas Zabrin is a new project for importer Jorge Ordonez and the Gil family of Jumilla (whose value-priced wines have consistently received raves in this publication). A remarkable value, the 2005 Garnacha de Fuego is fashioned from a 60- to 80-year-old hillside vineyard planted at a relatively high altitude above 3,000 feet. It is hard to believe a $7 wine could possess so much flavor. Sweet raspberry and cherry fruit intermixed with loamy soil and spice aromas soar from the glass of this medium-bodied, richly fruity red that has never seen a hint of wood. Consume it over the next 2-3 years.

The grapes for this new project were sourced from 60- to 80-year-old vines whose already low yields were reduced an additional 70% by the weather conditions of the vintages. A glass-coating opaque purple, remarkably deep for a wine of this price made from Garnacha, the wine offers a nose of brooding black cherry and blueberry. Concentrated, ripe, and balanced on the palate, this flavorful, lengthy effort will drink well over the next four years. It is an outstanding value.

[No tasting note was given.]

Ruby-red. Pungent, mineral-tinged cherry and blackcurrant aromas accented by sweet mocha and espresso. Fresh, firm and energetic, with tangy red and dark berry flavors and an impression of solidity. Finishes spicy, sweet and long, with a lingering note of candied licorice. This offers rare complexity for the price.