Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon really is one of my favorite blends.

This Navarra has a strong nose of oak, pepper, tobacco, some christmas spice and a hint of rubber.

On the palate, medium body, stewed prunes and blackberries. A bit smokey.

FInish is very woody (some might say over-oaked) and slightly astringent.

This is certainly an old school, masculine and rustic wine, but I quite liked it.

A few years might soften it a bit, but for me it's ruggedness is the whole point.

Great value.

Last night, I decided to compare this wine with Marques de Valcarlos Reserva 2000 (Released on Nov27/09, 928853). This wine is quite light, unfragranced, acidic and tannic when first opened, it needs to be decanted for over an hour to show its full might. Once opened, this wine is fruity to integrated, light to medium bodied with aromas of raspberry, red currant and slight scents of pine and vanilla. This wine would benefit from 2-3 years of aging, but is good to drink now if properly decanted. It is tannic with a medium finish. My impression: just NICE. Tasted Mar/10.

Previous rating.
I am a fan of Marques de Valcarlos and thus I had to grab a bottle as soon as it came out. It is a nicely integrated wine with scents of oak, vanilla, raspberry and red currant. It is at its peak now, but can still gracefully age for another 5 years. The wine has refined tannins with a medium body and finish and needs 30 min to an hour to open. This wine could easily be sold at $17 without any complaints. Stock up before it's all gone, I am glad I did. My impression: NICE to BEAUTIFUL. Tasted Feb/10.

If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy