Tasting - GR-174 Casa Gran del Siurana

Name: Gr-174 Casa Gran del Siurana 

Variety: blend of Garnatxa, Caranyena, and Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Priorat

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $17.95

Winery Review: "The 2011 GR-174 was tasted from barrel and was due for bottling the following week. It has a more extravagant bouquet than the 2010 with kirsch, blood orange, and blueberry. The palate is full-bodied with a sweet entry. It is very extravagant with precocious red fruits and a smudge of alcohol towards the finish. It is a bit of a hedonist, but one that comes at a decent price. Drink now-2016."

My review: This was decidedly my favorite red wine of this particular Vintage Cellar tasting. The aroma was rich with cherry and had a noticeably more floral scent than the previous red wines. The wine itself had a full taste and wholly satisfied my palate. It had that characteristic bitterness, but it was an enjoyable one with a mixture of berries (most prominently a blueberry-strawberry taste) and citrus (most prominently a clementine-taste). I suspect I preferred this red wine over the three previous ones I had just tasted because it had a distinct fruity flavor that was not overpowered by the bitterness. The bitterness, in this case, was a supplement instead of a harsh statement. It was smooth and it slid down my throat like a velvet- a voluptuous and delicious texture. I dont' think my "wine vocabulary" is not rich enough to completely describe the sensory experience, but I know for a fact that I enjoyed this wine and I want this blog post to serve as a reminder to look out for this particular wine to enjoy later. I did not take this with food, but I would love to pair this with a variety of foods for a dinner entry. 

This concludes my first official wine tasting. A special thanks to the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg for an enjoyable experience! It went by a lot faster than I thought, and my boyfriend Pedro (who is also in this class) and I left within 15 minutes. We are looking forward to more eye-opening and aesthetic wine tastings from the Vintage Cellar and many more venues.