Tempranillo is a grape that should thrive in California given its Mediterranean climate, with warm days and cool nights that mirror to some extent the conditions in Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions, where Tempranillo is the money grape. So far, though, California vintners have been reluctant to plant this grape. Matchbook’s 2012 Tempranillo should be a wakeup call however, for it demonstrates the potential of the grape in the right location. The Matchbook is firmly structured but with excellent weight and density. It should age very well and show off its delicious black cherry fruit at approaches maturity in another five to ten years. This wine was a Platinum award-winner at the 2016 Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition.
Matchbook, Dunnigan Hills (California) Tempranillo 2012
By Robert Whitley