Bodegas Muriel, Rioja (Spain) 2009

Traditional Crianza often engulfs taste buds with the resinous flavors of American oak, but that situation seems to be changing as contemporary winemaking pulls back on the overt oakiness that has turned off many American wine drinkers in the past.  The oak in Muriel’s 2009 release is nicely integrated into the wine’s flavors of mature fruit and flavorsome notes of licorice.  The wine is distinctly fruity, but it lies fresh and graceful against the palate rather than fatiguing it.