Spicewood Vineyards Texas High Plains Tempranillo 2012

I purchased this bottle of Spicewood Vineyards Tempranillo 2012 sourced from the Texas High Plains at the winery last summer during a trip to Austin. It was one of my favorites that I tasted that day so I bought a few bottles to take home. It is 92% Tempranillo and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and it was aged in 30% new American Oak and 70% neutral oak barrels for 12 months.

My daughter was away studying abroad in Spain for most of the spring and had returned with some saffron for me and a request for me to make paella. After a hectic May, I finally got around to it last Wednesday night. I opted to open this Texas Tempranillo to see how it was holding up and let her compare some of Texas' finest with what she had been drinking in Spain, the home of Tempranillo wines.

I am pleased to report that it was even better than I remembered. The Spicewood Vineyards Texas High Plains Tempranillo 2012 had pronounced aromas of ripe raspberry and blackberry with baking spice, it was dry with moderate tannins and acidity with a blackberry cobbler flavor and a long finish. It was very drinkable based on the speed that we went through this bottle and it is a recommended wine. It paired well with the paella which contained gulf shrimp, chicken and chorizo sausage.

Spicewood Vineyards is a family owned business located in the Texas Hill Country just a short drive from Austin. If you are visiting the area, it is well worth the ride to check out the vineyards, the winery and taste some award-winning Texas wines. They are open to the public Wednesday through Sunday.

Click here to read more about my visit to Spicewood Vineyards.

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