You've got to love a winery whose top-end cuvee still only costs about $12 and gets 90 point ratings from The Wine Advocate. That's what you get with this Spanish 100% Garnacha (Grenache) from the Campo de Borja region. The entry-level wine is consistently a favorite of mine for it's super-low price (about $6), but I must admit past disappointment in the Tres Picos. In prior vintages it has been a bit inconsistent, sometimes coming across as way too hot and unbalanced for my taste (much like some of the overdone Australian wines that many folks complain about). This was my first experience with the 2006 vintage of the Tres Picos, so I figured I'd give it another shot.
The wine was drunk on the first night with an herbed pork tenderloin roasted on the rotisserie. I was pleased at the outset, as the wine showed a little more balance and not too much heat. There was a decent nose and good fruit, but to me it was by no means a whopper. It didn't possess the elegance of a 100% grenache from the Rhone either, holding a bit of a wild side, which can be a nice change if that's what you are looking for (I do like some variety that is maybe due to something like the terroir). Overall, it was better than I remembered some prior vintages, but not sure if it quite reached 90 points.
On night 2, I was disappointed to find signs of a downturn. There was a bit more heat, as it seemed that the fruit had faded a bit. It was not completely out of balance, but I'm not too hopeful that this is a long-lasting wine. For $12, it's still nice for a near-term drinker, but I don't know how often I would choose to spend the extra $6 compared to the regular entry-level Borsao (I have a bottle of this at home, so it will certainly get reviewed soon as well).
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