Bella Luna Estate Winery, Templeton Gap District – Paso Robles (Central Coast, California) Tempranillo 2022

 This bears no resemblance at all to traditional Rioja, but if you know Spanish wines and the big, concentrated, intense renditions produced in Toro and Ribera del Duero, you’ll not find this overwhelming as a rendition of Tempranillo.  It is a big, muscular wine with striking physical density and very deep flavors, but thankfully, it hasn’t been hammered with oak, and has already largely absorbed what new oak was utilized in its aging.  Black cherry and blackberry are the lead fruit notes, with wonderfully explosive aromas and flavors.  Delicious now with something big like grilled steak, but this would reward cellaring for as long as two decades.