Paso a Paso

Grape: Tempranillo

Region: La Mancha, central Spain

Vintage: 2007

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Paso a Paso is an opaque blackish-violet color with a deep core going out into a dark purplish-red rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: This wine is full of freshly pressed black cherries, juicy boysenberries and blackberry liqueur. There are spice elements present with hints of spearmint, dill weed and vanilla from American oak, commonly used in the production of Spanish wines. It is clearly a fruit-driven wine with just a touch of phenolics underlying.

On the palate: This full-bodied wine is supple and chewy with rich jammy black fruits. Early notes of black cherry vodka “blow off” and render a spice-laden fruit bomb with soft core huckleberries, marionberries and black plums. The midpalate shows finely balanced tannins interlaced with oak references that make a comeback on the finish, which is rich, lingering and spicy black fruit-laden.

Odds and ends: Paso a Paso is made from the classic Spanish grape varietal of tempranillo. It comes from a giant winegrowing region known as La Mancha, best known for producing delicious wine at bargain prices. Paso a Paso is no exception. I think 2007 is going to be known as a blockbuster vintage in Spain, as well as in such diverse regions as Rhone, France; California; and Chile. This is a wonderful wine to go along with the late-summer grilling of kielbasa sausages. Drink it now through 2011, and open it about a half-hour before consumption, since it is relatively young.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.