Abdal (Spain) Cabernet Franc/Tempranillo 1999
Abdal is a brand new name in the UK, the top range of wines from a well-established producer in the Pla de Bages region, which lies about 85 kilometres northwest of Barcelona, not far from the French border. This highly unusual blend of Rioja’s Tempranillo and Bordeaux’s Cabernet Franc spends a short time (4 months) in French oak barrels. It has a really lovely nose, redolent of tobacco, currants, woodsmoke, earth and spices, with a solid underpinning of berry fruit. On the palate it is medium-bodied and quite juicy in character, with plenty of fruit, little cedary nuances and a nice plum skin roughness that adds a savoury dimension. Good length, with balanced acidity and crisp tannins. All in all, a very distinctive and delicious wine. Lay and Wheeler 5.95