Could benefit from additional time in bottle…
Name: Celeste Crianza
Vintage: 2014
Producer: Torres
Region/Country: Ribera Del Duero, Spain
Grape Varietal(s): Tinto fino (Tempranillo)
Consumed: On a Mediterranean cruise.
Recommended By: Selected from the wine list on the cruise ship.
Cost: $42 USD ($20.95 CAD at the LCBO)
Bottle Presentation: A clean, classy label, with a nice combination of dark blue and silver.
Appearance: Deep ruby-purple.
Nose: Pronounced nose of jammy fruit, leather, cedar, and dark cherries.
Taste: Light-to-medium body, high, young/grippy tannins, and high acidity, with anise, dark cherry, blueberry, bitter sap, and earthy notes. Although we enjoyed the complexity of the mouth, the green, bitter sap taste threw us off.
Finish: Short and earthy, very much in an old-world style.
Overall Impression: We found this young wine tough and, perhaps, not quite ready to drink. We would suggest cellaring it for two or three years, with the hope that the bitterness and tannins would soften. This wine improved when paired with food, but was over-powered by roast beef and grilled steak. After some cellaring, it could pair well with cured meats and cheese.
Rating (from 70 to 100): 80/100
Value: 1.5/5 for the USD cruise price, 2.5/5 for the CAD LCBO price