South Australian Outré Tempranillo 2020

About the Wine: 

The wine is dark red to purple with typical Tempranillo characters on the nose including dark fruit such as mulberry, subtle oak and enough complexity to know it’s there but not too much to have to think about it. The 14% ABV on the palate is perfect for this style of Tempranillo, rich fruit on the palate with a refreshing lick of acid and a dash of oak – grainy oak from the hogsheads and oak aroma from the alternatives – makes this a wine to be enjoyed with food at room temperature, or chilled! Yes, chilled!

Comments from Wine Buyer Steve:

I just love Tempranillo and Australia is now producing some absolute beauties. This South Australian Tempranillo is awesome with full berry fruit flavours. It has a nice rich flavour profile and well integrated oak. It will age well due to the rich fruit used. If you are thinking about barbequing some Chorizo and Holumi cheese then this wine will be perfect to accompany.

My score 91/100 – WACC Silver Medal  

About The Producer: 

The producer of this sensational South Australian Outré Tempranillo 2020 is making some fantastic trophy winning wines from quality fruit sourced from the Murray Darling region of Victoria and the Riverland region of South Australia. The owner and head winemaker Alex has a simply philosophy with which we agree ‘grow great fruit and produce great wine!’

What is Tempranillo? 

Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinta del Pais and several other synonyms) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano (“early”), a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes. Tempranillo has been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since the time of Phoenician settlements. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain’s noble grape. The grape has been planted throughout the globe in places such as Mexico, New Zealand, California, Washington State, South frica, Texas, Australia, Argentina, Portugal, Uruguay, Turkey, Canada, and Arizona.

Unlike more aromatic red wine varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir, Tempranillo has a relatively neutral profile so it is often blended with other varieties, such as Grenache and Carignan (known in Rioja as Mazuelo), or aged for extended periods in oak where the wine easily takes on the flavour of the barrel. Varietal examples of Tempranillo usually exhibit flavours of plum and strawberries.^[2]

Tempranillo is an early ripening variety that tends to thrive in chalky vineyard soils such as those of the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. Australia has now made big advances in the growing and production of some fantastic Tempranillo in regions.