Variety: Grenache; Tempranillo; Monastrell; Carignan
Region: Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja, and Ribera del Duero – Spain
Cost: $20 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: The wine presents a dark, polished amethyst with aromatic notes of white pepper, tobacco, and black currant emerging from the glass. A silky mouthfeel with a palate of dark plums, black raspberry, and hints of French vanilla closes with subtle tart black cherry and a lengthy, structural finish.
My Review: I have, by and large, enjoyed the newest batch of Locations wines that I’ve gotten to try. I will say (spoilers!) that the WA5 was my favorite of the bunch. None of them were “bad”, but it was definitely the one that most appealed to me and that I would spend money on if all three were in front of me. So, knowing that, what did I think of the E5?
In the glass the wine was a dark red color with slashes of violet. On the nose the wine initially showed hot; it’s 14.5% alc/vol, so it’s definitely one you want to let open – it took a bit to open, so be patient. Once the wine had time to open, I finally got notes of white pepper and currant, but they were muted.
In the mouth, the wine showed flavors of dark plums and French vanilla at first blush, and while the finish was lengthy, it also had a hint of flavor that I could only identify as Robitussin. I don’t know how you were as a child, but I’d have rather been sick than take Robitussin. Still, it was only a hint, and the wine did get better the more it opened up.
My wife and I paired the wine with turkey burgers and spicy sweet potato fries. It was an…ok pairing. In hindsight, something with more body foodwise would have been a better pairing, though I did think the smokey spiciness of the sweet potato fries was an interesting pairing with the wine.
As I said, I didn’t dislike the E5, but the WA5 was still my favorite of the bunch, so take that for what it’s worth.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
