Dominio de Tares Baltos 2005

Welcome back to the K & J Sessions. For tonight's wine, we had to do a little research. Okay, a lot of research--but mostly because we're geeks for trivia. Our wine is comprised entirely of a little known grape called Mencia, from an even lesser-known region of Bierzo.
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TONIGHT'S WINE: 2005 DOMINIO DE TARES BALTOS

J: I picked this wine tonight...mostly based on the label. I mean, it's something i've wanted to try--but the label sealed the deal.

K: It's a completely bizarre label! I can't even discern what the hell is on it. Dogs?

J: I'm thinking it's bunnies or people.

K: And then there's some raised, textural thing on the surface...

J: Oh yeah, it's embossed!

K: It's just weird. Odd enough to pique our interest.

J: The grape is interesting too, after all our nosing around on the internet.

K: This should be a good evaluation, considering I'm a bit hungry and apparently you are a better taster when your mouth is salavating.

J: This wine is a ruby pink.

K: A bit fuschia.

K: I get salon scents right when I stick my nose in the glass. Remember when you were a kid, and your mom would take you along to the salon, and everything smelled like a perm? Like fruit overcome by chemical.

J: No berry scents at all on my end. Wood scents, like sticks. Kindling.

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FIRST SIP

J: No scents of berries...but berry flavors.

K: The berry is faint and completely unsweetened and raw. I get cigar box, too.

J: Yes.

K: There is something botanical going on in it--juniper. Gin drinkers, this is the red wine for you.

J: Dry and woodsy on the palate. It's aged very briefly in American and French oak. Not tongue-shriveling dry, tongue-tingling dry. I like it. I'm shocked at how cheap it is. About $15, right?

K: Yep.

J: I was thinking how Bierzo is this small (9,000 acre), isolated area of northwestern Spain, and I would think that as relatively tiny it is, the wines would be rather expensive.

K: I'm surprised about that too--but if you think about it, everything in this region is worked by hand. Fields and vineyards are still plowed by horse-drawn plows, and most people in this region live communally. There's probably low overhead. I mean, they still divide up land by Napoleonic code (meaning land is divided equally amongst heirs of deceased landowners).

J: I'm amazed at how this grape is intense and delicate at the same time. There's so much complexity to it, but apparently contains less alcohol content than the average Spanish grape--

K: Like a Tempranillo or Granacha.

J: Right. But it's just high-maintenance enough that it can't be blended with any other grape or else it loses all its flavor and nuance. It's just really unique.

K: Though I think most of the time red wine overwhelms pork, I think this could be good with some grilled Iowa chops.

J: Nothing too spicy with this. Burgers would be good. Or, ummm...chocolate pudding. Like a creamy chocolate dessert.

K: French silk pie.

J: Oh, my God.