Cien y Pico, Doble Pasta Tintorera 2009
Elena Golokova and Zar Brooks, with some crazy compadres, Luis Ximénez and Nicola Tucci are responsible for this utterly delightful red. It’s made in La Mancha, Spain, on a high hot-and-cold plateau from ancient Garnacha Tintorera bush vines. It’s wildly scented, after the seductive Bal à Versailles perfume Jean Deprez launched in 1962: a scent with which long-legged damsels should douse themselves once they’ve popped on their mannish tux and Zorro boots and set that cigarillo afire. It has a disarming bittersweet flavour which is smoothly assimilated, but extremely complex, like Valrhona cooking chocolate, green coffee beans, tannic black tea, kalamata olives, pickled morello cherries and dark plum conserve. In spite of all those flavour triggers, the palate’s strapping and lithe in the bullwhip fashion; the aftertaste lip-smacking and more-ish. It’s very very sexy wine. Go get! $30; 13.5% alcohol; screw cap; 94++ points