Penedès Spot Light Series: 2005 Tayaimgut Negre Sant Joan de Mediona

Finally back writing again after an amazing trip to Spain and Italy. I had the good fortune of visiting destinations like Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain with a chance to sample the local fare, which of course included just a little vino. With Barcelona in mind, the wines of the Penedes region was front and center in most of the wine bars, tapas bars [where we learned the origins of tapas] and restaurants where these wines seem to dominate the menus.

The 2005 Tayaimgut Sant Joan de Mediona Negre was highly recommended by the wait staff at a great little restaurant just down the street from the hotel Silken on Diagonal. The restaurant is situated on a large median which appears to run the full length of the city, full of people eating, with room for folks who may want to do some roller blading [still big in Barcelona], jogging and a little smoking n joking. I love the sense of community that is achieved from this kind of smart city planning. This was our night to have Paella and we were about to choose a different wine, when our very smart waitress pointed out that we must pair the Negre with the Paella, thus I deferred to her judgement and I was so glad I did, as the pairing worked out quite nicely with the smokey elements of the Paella.

The label itself is an unusual, yet eye-catching, a folded label hanging from the neck of the bottle, resembling an apron or bib. Interestingly enough it contains a thorough explanation of the ups and downs [in Spanish and Catalan] of each year’s crop and on the back a place to write a few notes perhaps about your impressions of their wine. The role of the label on the front of the bottle is quite smart: the aforementioned folded label stands out, can be easily torn away from the bottle, allowing potential customers to identify the wine for their next wine shopping outing. A brilliant marketing strategy I believe, which should encourage further wine sales.

Swirly, Sniff-sniff, and Slurp: In the glass a nicely dark ruby colored core. On the nose a nice bouquet of dark cherry, blackcurrant and intense floral aromas. On the palate is where this wine really shines as notes of plum, cherry and a touch of burnt strawberry flavors mingle among the light touch of vanilla and cinnamon. The tannins are soft and nicely polished, the fruit is dominate, but balanced with a pleasing acidity, structure and a low ABV of 13.5% this wine is the complete package. The finish is lengthy and persistent. A drink now and drink often wine that is great alone or perfect food pairing champ ready to take on all comers.

It sells for a mere $13 euros and we purchased for $18 euros at the restaurant [a reasonable mark-up]. Sorry to report that this wine cannot be found in the US, but hey Barcelona there's a shop in your area, stock up this is a great value. I gave this wine a score of 90 points and highly recommend to you. That's all I have for you today folks, so until next sip long and prosper, cheers!