2004 Coral Mustang Wines Paso Robles Tempranillo

Mission Codename: Mustang Penny

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Many Wine Spies Operatives have sent in recommendations for today’s winery. Respond to reports of fantastic wine from Coral Mustang Wines by sending Agent Red to investigate. If the wine is great, procure a supply for our thirsty Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Coral Mustang Wines

Wine Subject: 2004 Tempranillo

Winemaker: Penelope Gadd-Coster

Backgrounder: Tempranillo (Temp-rah-NEE-yoh) is primary red wine grape for much of Spain. It is also a principal blending grape in Port, and is known by the name of tinta roriz. Tempranillo vines tend to have a shorter growing season and thrive cooler climates. In California, winemakers have had great success with the varietal, despite hotter growing conditions. Hotter conditions can tend to introduce undesirable attributes, leading to wines that are indistinct or flabby. Somehow, despite the heat of Paso Rbles, today’s fantastic wine manages to be wonderful. Today’s California Tempranillo is a great wine with a fantastic QPR. Deeply impressed with today’s showing, read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Rich garnet with a deep and slightly murky dark heart, concentrated color right out to the bright edges of the wine with stubby legs that begin high up on the glass

Smell – Bright blueberry, cherry and chocolate dust at first, followed closely by darker fruits of plum and blackberry – then soft spices

Feel – An intriguing mouthfeel that is both soft and bold at the same time. The wine is round and soft, but also big and grippy. If this sounds contradictory, well, so be it. Personally, I love the duality!

Taste – A big and bright cherry with smoky blueberry, blackberry and dusky plum are followed by dark chocolate-covered cherry. Whereas Tempranillo can be overpowered by oak, particularly in California examples, this wine does not suffer at all from over-oaking. Rather, the wines superior fruit shines through

Finish – A Long finish, with lingering flavors cherries, chocolate and ripe dark fruits that go on and on

Conclusion – What a delightful wine this is! With a truly unique feel and delicious flavors and aromas, this rich and balanced wine is a really pleasure to drink! Tempranillo is built for aging, but I declare that this wine is ready to drink now. To think that it will only improve with age makes me want to sock a few bottles away for another year! The bright acidity in the wine makes it a great food wine. Winemaker Penelope Gadd-Coster has crafted a really wonderful wine here. the only thing that surprised us about the wine was the low price. This wine has a excellent QPR.

Mission Summary:

The phone call came in the middle of the night.

I tried to shake the sleep out of my head. As you know, late-night wake-up are not uncommon in this line work, but I was particularly tired on this particular night.

I had just spent the last 24 hours in Paso Robles, on the hunt for distinctive red wines. The mission had gone well. You know this because you have taken advantage of some spectacular recent offerings.

Trying to sound awake, I answered the phone, “He… (ahem) Hello?”

Silence on the other end. I said, “Agent Red here.”

The voice on the other end was a faint whisper: ”Anthozoa. Fera Equus caballus. Mane. “

Then, click, they hung up.

Great, another coded message – and in Latin at that! Can’t my field assets just give me straight-forward wine alerts?

Okay, Let’s see. Anthozoa. Easy, ”Coral”. My marine biology studies payed off on that one. Next up, Fera Equus caballus… ”Feral” and then, ”Horse”, of course. Wild Horse perhaps? Ahhh, too easy, Mustang.

What about the word, Mane. Several meanings, but in the context of wine? Easy again, Early. What wine name has the same meaning? Tempranillo!

Then it all came together easily. Coral plus Mustang, duh, CORAL MUSTANG, a winery I had just placed under preliminary surveillance. And, I knew that winemaker Penelope Gadd-Coster had a well revered Tempranillo wine.

Satisfied with my deductive reasoning, I sent Penelope an email, requesting a covert rendezvous. Given the lateness of the hour, I was surprised by her immediate reply. She agreed to a meeting in Paso Robles the next morning. It ‘so happened’ that she was in town, checking on the vineyards.

Hmmm. Was the late night call from her? Stay tuned for the next time that we feature another of Penny’s great wines. For now, please be sure to try this wonderful made-in-Paso, Spanish Tempranillo!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The Vista Creek Vineyards, where the Tempranillo grapes for today’s wine was gron, can be seen in this satellite photo.