Tempra Tantrum

Trifecta…triple threat.. hat trick

So we decided that we would try a full suite of wines and review them as an entirety. So it’s the Tempra Tantrum wines from Spain, with each being a tempranillo blend. We’ve had them for a while now wanting to do this, but as you have probably guessed by the flurry of recent updates, we just haven’t really had the time to get around to reviewing wines (jokes….I make them).

Grenache/Tempranillo

Going into this, I had assumed this was likely to be my favorite. For the record I was terribly terribly wrong about that that. I had originally planned to equate both the taste and the smell of this wine to dirty socks, at which point I received an injunction from the sock lobby preventing me from making said comparison. Instead I shall liken it to gym clothes. The nose is just off and the flavor isn’t much better. The wine is flat, and while it has a long finish, you almost wish it doesn’t.

Shiraz/Tempranillo

Well…pinch me I am dreaming. The star of this show is the wine statistically speaking the one I am the least likely to pick out of a lineup. While I am a sucker for a petit syrah odds are I tend to start spouting incredibly pejorative things anytime the word shiraz is used in my presence. While it does have some larger than life characteristics, notably that somewhat jammy jam that comes with the territory, I found this to be the softest on the palette, almost like a gentle misting of flavor on the tongue (For the record: if that sounded like I was waxing poetic about a shiraz I will deny it in court). To its detriment, the finish is somewhat short, and the wine is a bit one note, but if complexity is not your destination, then this will certainly serve as a pleasant distraction.

Cabernet/Tempranillo

While I enjoyed the shiraz blend the most, this one I will crown the best wine (given the usually measures). I feel like it had depth, complexity and character. The cabernet had all the structure and body that the tempranillo was lacking, the nose was pleasant and the finish was about where you expected it to be. It’s a good solid functional wine, but despite all of its merits, it was somehow lacking in soul for me. Oddly, this is where all the quality in the world breaks down…I’d rather have an interesting wine, even if its flawed, rather than just a good one.

So what’s the bottom line? I’d probably pass on all three of these wines in the future. They aren’t that good, and I’m glad I don’t know what we paid for them. It was a fun experiment, and now that I’m done writing, odds are I am pouring a full glass of the Shiraz.

2008 Tempra Tantrum (Tempranillo Blends)

Well, since we haven’t done a review in 3 months, we decided to give you a 3-fer (or is that 3-for?). I can’t believe we’re opening 3 bottles of wine for the 2 of us on a Sunday evening, but hey…, it’s all for the cause.

Here are the facts:

2008 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Grenache
Variety: 60% Tempranillo, 40% Grenache

2008 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Shiraz
Variety: 60% Tempranillo, 40% Shiraz

2008 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 60% Tempranillo, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Tierra de Castilla, Spain
Aging: Micro-oxygenation
Winemaker: Rocío Osborne


My take
Tempranillo/Grenache

I would describe the nose on this as pinkish-purple. The taste and feel - I’m having a hard time describing the taste; the feel is easier. It’s a bit juicy, but not chewy. It has a round, full flavor up front with a hint of spice in the middle, and a moderately long finish (not short, but not long either). However, there’s not a lot of complexity in this wine. (Of course, for the price point, complexity isn’t something I’d expect.) It’s a bit dry as well.

This wine was fine as a sipping wine and might accompany food just fine, but in my opinion, it does not go well with grilled pork that has a southwestern flavor to it. Once I introduced the grilled pork to the picture, the wine turned purple and ashy.

Now, on to the...

Tempranillo/Shiraz

The nose on this is reddish; it brings strawberry to mind. The taste – a bit on the alcoholy side. Without food, it’s a bit chewy at first, then it falls flat. It’s short and feels like there’s no middle to it. This strikes me as new world in style – big and fruity. I just wish there were more going on.

The southwestern grilled pork we had for dinner actually made this wine fuller and extended the life of it in my mouth. Without food, this was my least favorite of the three. With the pork, this was my favorite. Just goes to show you how your experience of a wine can change given circumstances!

Tempranillo/Cab Sauv

The nose on this smells purple-black and a little green. It tastes much the same – rather dark purple and it definitely has some of that musty dampness to it that I love (that’s what I smell as green). This is the driest of all three, but not in a suck-your-mouth-dry-I-desperately-need-a-drink-of-water kind of way.

Again, after introducing the southwestern grilled pork, this wine turns ashy and unpleasant. Without the pork, this was by far my favorite. With the pork, it’s not the wine I’m reaching for.

If you want more info on the wine, vineyard, etc., check out their website at www.tempratantrum.com. They also make a Tempranillo/Merlot blend that I didn't pick up because I figured 3 was enough. :)

Price Point: Between $7 and $10 per bottle.