Several weeks back, I made a stop at the county liquor store to pick up some Baileys to spike my hot cocoa, and, of course, I couldn’t leave without perusing the wine selection.  I immediately went to the Spanish wine section—I love bold Spanish red wines; it’s like my comfort wine—finding that it consisted of one whole shelf.  Taking in the shelf in one quick look, my eyes honed in on a $25 bottle of Abadia Retuerta, Special Selection, Sardon de Duero 2007.  It was the only interesting thing among several bottles of $10 Tempranillo, and the label noted that it won the Red Wine Trophy at the 2005 International Wine Challenge Awards.  I figured I couldn’t go wrong with an award winning special selection, given that “special selection” by definition means that it is among the winery’s best.  So I bought it, and today I opened it in honor of Wine Bloggers Wednesday 70, #WBW70.

I poured a glass of this special selection, a red blend with 75% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot, and noticed its beautiful ruby red color.  After taking a sniff, any excitement I had about this wine was tempered by its dull bouquet.  It smelled of earth and dark berries.  However, it tasted much more complex than the nose let on.  The special selection took my taste buds on a journey, or more like a quick road trip.  The overripe blackberries and notes of prune gently rolled across my tongue; then the tannins stood up to be noticed and hit me with rich leathery notes.  It lacked some balance, as the transition from supple and lush to rich and bold was not as graceful as I would have liked.  Overall, this was a nice full-bodied red that I would drink again.