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2005 Calaveras County Tempranillo

TEM - PRAH - NEEE - OOOH! Now that you can pronounce it, you should buy some and amaze your friends with your great taste in wine and your fine diction... Gold Medal, Riverside International Wine Competition! AND 90 pts, Wine Enthusiast!

$24.00 Regular Price / $19.20 Twisted Few Price

Try this wine with this recipe! Pork Tenderloin with Dried Cherry and Rosemary Sauce (thanks Rick Bakas!)

90 points! "A study in progress, as are all California Temps. This is easily Twisted Oak's best so far. Dry and medium-bodied, it shows rich cherry, red currant, tangerine zest and pepper flavors, rendered complex with earthier notes of tobacco, tar and cedar. The texture is a lovely, lilting silk. A wine to watch." - Wine Enthusiast Magazine, July 2008

"Deep ruby to brick red. A very intriguing nose filed with notes of earth, berry concentrate, fresh herbs, cloves, and cinnamon. The palate is just as expressive being austere while ripe and assertive, showing all things in good measure. Wonderfully balanced and provocative. Very food friendly with great natural acidity. Splendid!" - BevX.com

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Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
A late night infomercial from a couple of years ago for a questionable land deal in northern California had a well-known TV cop from the 1980s telling you “You Gonna Love It!” Well, there is nothing questionable about the Calaveras County land that grows this Tempranillo! It’s starts off with aromas of holiday spices like vanilla, cinnamon and clove, and finishes with flavors of raspberries, blueberries, and purple. (Purple?) Anyway, we’re absolutely certain “You Gonna Love It!”

Awards
Gold Medal, Riverside International Wine Competition Best of Class, Sierra Foothills, California State Fair

Vineyard Notes
68% Tempranillo, Rolleri Vineyard in Angels Camp, 20% Tempranillo, Spaniard block, Twisted Oak Winery, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, Vallecito Vineyards

Food Pairing Notes
Tapas! Spicy sausages and salamis - ham - game - pot roast - linguica - even lamb or pasta!

Product Reviews

 

Cathy Gore
(Jun 10, 2009 at 9:02 PM)

This really is an all-around kind of wine. Dinner consisted of tacos de carnitas, grilled veggies (tri-color bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes), and deep-fried taquitos and mini beef tacos, along with some bread and manchego and cheddar. The Tempranillo paired wonderfully with all of it.

The nose was really rather closed upon opening, but eventually took on aromas of vanilla, some fruit, and earthiness. Across the palate was sour cherry and the barest hint of spice, silky smooth with no heat, and one of the Twisted Twio commented on there being a bit of something citrus to it. Not a real complex wine, but enjoyable for sure!

If you have Tempranillo-specific glasses, be sure to use them, as we found the flavors and aromas more pronounced in these glasses as opposed to Cabernet/generic red glasses.

 

Eric Waldron (aka HitAnyKey)
(Jun 12, 2009 at 8:10 PM)

Firstly, dinner was some fried up some smoked sausage, onion, mushroom, and red pepper (and a bit of scallion). Diced in a clove of garlic and a bit of basil, salt, & McCormicks Seakhouse seasoning pepper. I served this over a dish of spaghetti that I drizzled a bit of the basil oil on.

Firstly as many people often have stated yes, it's a bit thin but worked perfectly for the dish I made as it went well with both the pasta and the meats and veggies.

Color - dark violet moving into deep purple, with little in the way of legs

Nose - cherry, leather, mocha, and a bit of spice. Even an hour later I seem to get a tiny bit of heat on the nose.

Palate - Itty bitty bit of heat, but so well balanced with the fruit and acidity you barely notice. It ended up sitting for at least 30 minutes before I truly drank it, but it definitely doesn't need decanting and can probably even be a pop 'n pour. In summary: Find some nice plump cherries in your garden. Then drag them across chocolate ice cream sitting in a bowl of leather surrounded by good soil growing some flowers. There's your wine. It's well balanced between fruity and earthiness, good acidity with a rather nice bouquet on the nose. An easy drinker that would go well with most anything except for those that like BIG wines with BIG meats. I give this wine a solid 88+, leaning towards an 89.

 

NY Pete
(Jun 13, 2009 at 4:57 PM)

I get the following ... spicy on the nose ... berries to the taste ... and a smooth lingering finish. If I had to rate it ... 90 points in my book

 

Chuck Leedy
(Jun 15, 2009 at 8:50 AM)

Just bought my bottle yesterday, I could not wait to get home and try it with the Elk backstrap I had marinating. Wow what a compliment the wine was! I must confess I continued to enjoy the wine well after dinner and find this wine can be enjoyed on it's own without pairing. I particularly enjoyed the spice and aroma of this wine. I did find a brief sitting seem to enhance these qualities. I will definitely be purchasing more of this arousing wine. 89-90 points.

 

Mike Holland
(Oct 26, 2009 at 8:07 AM)

After an absolutely hellish week involving sewer pipes and other nasty bits of real life, Sunday night dinner was a reboot in the sense that some things make life worth living. Functional plumbing and a great meal are two that come to mind... A 7 Bone pot roast with roasted root veggies and a thick gravy served with the Tempranillo over the course of several hours. The U2 concert going on in the background - we're THAT close to the Rose Bowl - made for interesting accompaniment. Our technical review of the Tempranillo can be found at www.oddballgrape.com