2014 Tempranillo Griffon Creek Vineyard

2014 Tempranillo Griffon Creek Vineyard This winter was our Fourth near-by-neighbor’s wine tasting/drinking get together. The last three were sort of toss-it-together, where you brought your own bottle of something: red, white or sparkling. We usually get caught up about those damn moles, feeding back yard humming birds, and dogs: our dog, your dog, and the other neighbors’ barking dogs. But this year, one neighbor decided we were having a Spanish wine paring. Unlike past years, where we dusted, ran the vacuum, and sat out munchies, this year’s wines were Spanish Garnacha. The food was light appetizers, selected from Spanish recipes, to go with Spanish wines: very nice. Unfortunately, I don’t know the difference between Spanish recipes from Mexican recipes. Then, there’s the matter of foods from Northern Spain vs Coastal or Southern Spain. Even more confusing is that Northern Spain touches Southern France. So, is some French food similar to Spanish food? What I do know is the food was good and went well with the wine served. I dragged a ‘14 Tempranillo, grown in Southern Oregon. It, too, went with the Spanish food offerings. It had a fruity nose, plum. Color was deep red with solid legs. Further tasting offered up a hint of leather, black cherry, and a light tannin finish. Griffin Creek wines always have a genuine cork; this lets them keep across time in your wine cellar. This Griffon Tempranillo is good to drink now or store it for years to come. Yes. It fits with Spanish foods, or with hearty meats, or talking with friends & neighbors. One final thought: our hostess wrote individual’s names, using a felt pen, on the foot of each glass. That saves messing with those generic identification tags. But, do remember to put each name on the top of the foot, rather than underneath. That prevents folks from turning the wine glass upside down to read their name… Red wine spills on carpet are tough to clean up.