Vinos de Arganza Flavium Crianza Bierzo 2005

the comely brunette and i enjoyed this bottle of 100% mencia from spain recently. mencia is usually quite fragrant on the nose and is lighter in taste. this one fell into that category for sure. much bigger on the nose than on the palate. still quite drinkable and interesting enough to revisit at some time in the future. sells for about $11 making it attractive to those on a tight budget. the nose had some cedar, and orange along with sour cherry, and a earthy, meaty quality. on the palate, raspberry, cranberry, some subtle asparagus notes, and a little earth. nothing huge, and a medium finish. i would suggest decanting this as it did open up and soften as we finished the bottle. pasta and meat dishes would work with this one.

‘Petalos’ Bierzo 2006

i haven't had much luck with wines recommended by friends to date, but this one changed that luck. it is from spain and is made from a little known grape in this part of the world, the mencia grape. the nose on this one was very nice and it opened up on the second day even more. black cherry, earthy aromas like forest floor, some floral violet notes. very interesting smells that changed and developed as the glass opened up. on the palate, a variety of flavors that began with dark fruits like black cherry and and blackberry, followed by licorice and pepper. this isn't a huge wine but it is certainly complex, something that really gets me excited in a wine. a very interesting wine with a very cool label that sells for about $20, and well worth the price.