Rock Solid Bargain: Bodegas El Chantre Ramos-Paul Ronda Proprietary Red 2004

Don't be surprised if a few bargains pop up in this recession. Here's a terrific wine that I found on sale here in Nashville. At its release price of around $50 and up, it was beyond my reach. But at $20, I took it home.

This is the kind of high-end wine I like, and wouldn't be disappointed if I had to pay the regular price. This is a very firm wine with a unique sensibility, a wine with longevity; some would say terroir. Some high-end wines are designed to appeal to people in higher income brackets. Ramos-Paul is something more rare than that, more genuine.

Ramos-Paul 2004 originates from southern Spain in Andalusia, near Ronda. This is a rocky area, very rocky. Bodegas El Chantre is owned by José Manuel Ramos-Paul, hence the namesake for this wine. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Tempranillo, 15% Syrah, and 10% Merlot.
There's plenty of debate about whether you can smell rocks, or other pure terroir characteristics in wine, but that was the first thing I picked up on in this wine. Then the perfumed fruit, spice and roasted notes materialized. Those aromas include blackberry liqueur, cedar, framboise and even dark chocolate and tobacco shop. On the tongue, this is a very young, big, bold wine. If you have one of those ingenious decanting devices, here is a wine to test it on. I like the very firm, gravelly, perhaps even chalky tannins. The fruit is liqueur-like, but bone dry of course. By liqueur-like, I mean intense and pure, not at all sweet. The finish demonstrates this wine's longevity.

Price: $20 (Nashville, Sale). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14%.