Wines of 2007: Spain, Portugal, and South America

South America

Santa Ema Merlot 2003 (Chile): (75) Very out of balance, way too much alcohol and acid. Not complex at all and not smooth like is typically seen in merlot. Even for the price ($7.99) it is definitely a pass.
Niento Senetiner Reserva 2004 Malbec (Argentina): (90) I was very impressed with this wine. It was a lot more than I was expecting. There was a lot of smokey, chocolate, coffee, and plum flavors, as well as some oak. Really nice and complex, and pretty well balanced.
Casillero del Diablo Reserve Carmenere 2005 (Chile): (90) Lots of chocolate and coffee flavors. Overall one of my favorite wines. I think it's really well balanced and a great wine for the price, and can cream a lot of wines in even higher price points. Similar to the Niento Malbec but a little less smokey. Yumm!
Concha y Toro Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006 (Chile): (88) For the price point, definitely not a bad wine. Not that complex, but definitely tastes like a South American Cab / Merlot. I could see this being used in an earthier sangria.


Spain

Luzon Verde Monastrell 2006: (89) Organic, lovesss it. A really great, smooth Spanish wine from Jumilla. Really smooth, and the best way to describe it is that it tastes like the spanish country side. It was a little harsh on popping, but soon it smoothed out. I would aerate it for at least half an hour before drinking.
Campo Viejo Crianza Tempranillo 2004: (88) Overall not bad, I sort of wish I had popped out the extra few bucks and gotten their Reserva instead, because this one was a little too acid and off balance. However, still a really good wine for the price, and it smoothed out a little after opening.
Codice Vino de la Tierra de Castilla 2005: (85) I was very disappointed with this effort, it was WAY over-oaked, and the oak was masking other flavors typical of this kind of wine. A little strawberry, and vanilla were present but hard to pick out because of the oak, any other flavors that might have been there were impossible for me to pick up. The oak was really making my jaw pucker. Similar to the Rioja Vega Crianza but that one I think is much better. I have no price comparison on that one though.


Portugal:

Casa do Conego Aragonez (Tempranillo) Reserva 1999: (91) If you can get your hands on this, do it. A really, really smooth, wonderful Portuguese tempranillo. Lots of red fruit characteristics and so unbelievably smooth. I've yet to hear someone say they dislike this wine and it was the best seller in our store for as long as we had it. We're just on the last few bottles now...