Tempranillo -
Spanish varietal finds a new home in the New World
by Al Hernandez

After attending the annual TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society) Grand Tasting and Seminar at Fort Mason in San Francisco, one thing is clear: Tempranillo (pronounced Tem-prah-NEE-yo) has found a new home in the United States. Vintners from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Texas all have found that the Tempranillo grape produces exceptional wines outside of its Iberian home.

In Spanish, "tempranillo" means early.  The Tempranillo grape earned its name because it ripens earlier than most red varietals. Tempranillo flourishes in its native home, Spain, where it became famous for the wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The blue-black grape produces a medium to full-bodied red wine with lower acidity, medium to strong tannins and full fruit flavors of plum, cherry, and strawberry, often mixed with an earthy profile. Only within the last decade or so has this versatile wine found a place in the US, even though it has been planted in California since about 1905.

Until now, Tempranillo has had limited success outside of Spain and Portugal, although die-hard Tempranillo lovers (including myself) will say that it is one of the wine world's best kept secrets because of its versatility and age-ability . With such great promise, why has Tempranillo taken so long to catch on in the New World?  There are several reasons for its limited success in the United States.  First, most Spanish and Portuguese Tempranillo are not sold as Tempranillo, but, instead, are sold as "Rioja" or other Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.C.) names.  To add to the confusion,  the Tempranillo grape is known in Spain, Portugal and other wine growing regions under numerous names.¹

Another reason that Spanish Tempranillo has had limited success in the United States is because it is aged longer than many New World wines.  Due to Spanish D.O.C.,which oversees the qualified designation of origin by law, Rioja wines are classified into Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva based on the amount of time they are aged in barrel and bottle.  In order to achieve such a designation, some wines are aged at the winery for years before being released to the public. Luckily for us, American Tempranillo isn't governed by these rules, so wine makers have free reign over how long the wine is aged, what barrels to use and when it is released. The increased flexibility available to American wine makers allows them to achieve an array of flavor and character that allows you to drink the wine young or to age it for several years.

One common thread at the TAPAS seminar preceding the tasting was that the speakers had travelled to Spain, discovered Tempranillo, and fallen in love with the grape.  Some of the producers who clearly have fallen for Tempranillo, if the quality of their wines is any indication, are Bokisch Vineyards, Coral Mustang, Curran, Tejada, Truchard Vineyards, Twisted Oak and Yorba.

After working at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa  and working in the wine industry in Spain, Markus and Liz Bokisch found their own piece of Spain in the Clements Hills, just east of Lodi, California.  The Bokisch vineyards are well suited for Tempranillo and other Spanish varietals, where Bokisch has been producing world-class sustainable wines since 2000. Their 400 case production of the 2006 Tempranillo has produced a seductive Spanish wine with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry and mocha. Nice acidity and soft tannins, along with raspberry and cherry flavors, make this wine reminiscent of some of the best wines in Spain.

Moving south-west of Lodi to the coastal area of Paso Robles, we find another outstanding Tempranillo producer in Coral Mustang.  With over 20 years of winemaking experience at notable wineries such as Jordan Vineyards and Winery and J Vineyards and Winery, Penelope Gadd- Coster started Coral Mustang wines with her husband, Frank Coster, in 2005. Their love of Tempranillo inspired them to make a single vineyard, 100% Tempranillo in two forms, a barrel-aged Tempranillo and a refreshing, fruit driven rosé. Both the barrel aged and the rosé wines are sourced from the Vista Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, California, but the grapes for the rosé are harvested earlier, at a lower brix level, than the grapes used in the barrel-aged wine.  This produces beautifully hand-crafted, balanced wines with a great sense of the varietal's flexibility and terroir.

Jumping over to Calaveras County, Twisted Oak offers delectable Tempranillo blends.  Twisted Oak's Jeff Stai, or as he is affectionately called, "El Jefe"(The Boss in Spanish), has produced Spanish varietals at Twisted Oak since 2002. Twisted Oak blends their 2005 Tempranillo from two different vineyards with 12% Cabernet Sauvignon for some added depth and complexity. In a more traditional Old World style, Twisted Oak's real showstopper is "The Spaniard," a blend of Tempranillo and other Spanish varietals which creates a deep purple wine with alluring aromas and flavors of dark lush berry fruit, peppery spice, elegant tannins and acidity that allows the wine to age for several years.

These are only a few of the delicious Tempranillo wines now being produced in the United States. I hope I have inspired you to sample, and become a fan of, Tempranillo in its new found home.  If you can't find Tempranillo, ask your local wine merchant to order some, or simply order directly from the various wineries. However, if the  TAPAS Grand Tasting  is any indication, Tempranillo wines  soon will be competing for shelf space in your local wine store with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Salud!(Cheers in Spanish)