*tasting note at the bottom

**Part of the ‘Spanish Value Experiment

Even though the bottle selection was quite random for this experiment, when I was adding certain bottles to the order I did think to myself “hrm, I wonder how that’s going to taste” more so than on others. This was the case with Finca Antigua Unico Crianza 2012, mainly due to the extended bottle age; after all, how often do you buy wine at under €10 that is well on the way to maturity? So, there’s an element of interest straight away.

To counter it, I’m usually rather skeptical of wines hailing from DO La Mancha, Spain (and Europe’s) largest classified wine region, stretching across the centre of Spain just south of Madrid. Traditionally wine made here was simple Airen, either sold as a neutral white wine or blended with Tempranillo to create a sort of clarete, although I’ve been reliably informed that viticultural practices and ambitions have changed significantly. Yet when you look at the figures, production levels have gone through the roof thanks to the increased use of irrigation, with a huge part of the production destined for distillation, often for Brandy de Jerez. Another “Hrm”.

Finca Antigua is an estate owned by the Martinez Bujanda family of Rioja, purchased in 1999 and opened in 2003. Whilst Airen dominates the overall plantings, Tempranillo is at home here for quality wine and seems increasingly bolstered by international varieties, as is the case here. A Tempranillo heavy blend, supported with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah then aged for 15 months in French and American oak. The 13.5% ABV is unusually light for such a warm, arid climate, suggesting some thoughtfulness when it comes to harvest dates and the resulting style of wine. I’m intrigued!

Tasting Note
50% Tempranillo, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 15 months in a mixture of French and American oak. 13.5% ABV

Deep ruby in colour, with already a bit of garnet-fade towards the rim. Quite aromatic on the nose, but unfortunately quite muddled; a real collection of ripe red and black fruits, caramel, vanilla, coffee, green bell pepper and leather. If anything, it’s the Cabernet Sauvignon that shines through (as is so often the case) with a strong note of black-currant. Muddled fruits and sweet oak on the palate, with soft tannins and a slight bitterness on the finish. I can see the market for this wine and it’s very ‘correct’, but it isn’t for me. Just too generic, muddled and far too much obvious oak to discern anything about it; it could have come from any warm climate in the world. A bit of a shame. 85Pts

Purchased from Vinissimus for €7.15