2002 Castell Roig Tempranillo-Merlot

Posted by CrushWine

While Penedès is best known for churning out gallons of bubbly Cava (Penedès produces more sparkling wine than any other region in the world besides Champagne), there are also some enterprising wineries who are experimenting with smaller plots of traditional red varietals like Ule de Llebre, Caranyena, Garnatxa Negre, and Monastrell, as well as international favorites Cabernet and Merlot.

It doesn't matter if you are into Cabernet Franc from the Loire or Cabernet Sauvignon from California - you will enjoy the Castel Roig for its excellent balance of fruit, structure, and minerality, whether or not you call it "Super-Penedès".

Here are our tasting notes:
"A surprising mix of power and elegance, especially for this price point. On the palate it displays beautiful, gentle extraction along with very pure red and black fruit and a nice bed of minerality that adds complexity to the finish. The wine is quite structured with extremely ripe tannins, suggesting that it will continue too improve with medium term (3-5 five years) cellaring. However, few will be able to hold off drinking now due to the winning combination of richness and structure."

The wine is a perfect partner to steaks, chops, burgers, kabobs, grilled portabellos, or just about anything else you throw on the grill. We can't think of a better wine for casual enjoyment at your weekend Barbeque and know that you'll agree.