Weinert Carrascal 2004
Bodega
Range
Wine
Vintage
Origin
Price
Appearance
Rich ruby red with orange hues.
Nose
Lush red currants, raspberries and dried figs.
Palate
Medium to full-bodied, round and warm (14% alcohol). Sweet and raisiny on the front palate, with dried figs dominating the red currant fruit. Reasonable tannic structure and acidity balances the sweet fruit, as well as imparting reasonable length. Some hints of tobacco leaf and oak on the back palate.
Overall
Pioneering Bodega Cavas de Weinert's ambition is to make sophisticated, French-style 'old world' wines, rather than fruity and vibrant 'new world' styles. This 'tinto', a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is a good example of the approach. The bottle discloses 18-30 months in French oak (the winery uses large 5000+ litre barrels rather than 225 litre barriques). The result is soft, velvety, with flavours and aromas of candied fruit - an almost liqueur-like impression. Not as tightly-structured as many old world wines, and certainly less fresh and acidic than most new world drops, it is however a very good value example of a blend that has had plenty of time to age in large barrels and develop caramely subtleties rather than the more common and obvious 'oakiness' often imparted by 3 to 6 months in barriques. Very good value, pleasant and fairly balanced for a slightly sweeter style.
***+
(August 06)