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<p> This Catalan Grenache blend is delicious, food-friendly, easy to drink and really light on the pocket book!  Two styles of Garnacha have dominated in Spain:  big, bold, fruit bombs and lean, mineral, more austere styles.  Both are delicious, but neither are for everyone.  This wine walks the line beautifully between the styles; it offers friendly fruit, but with good freshness and some nice mineral notes.  It feels like a big wine but doesn&#39;t tire you out...</p>

<!--more--><p>The appellation is the general DO Cataluña though the vineyards for this wine are located just outside Barcelona.  The blend is Grenache, Syrah and Cariñena (Carignan) and the wine gets 14 months in French oak.  The wine has great balance and the 2010 went really well with a challenging tapas meal, which included seafood, egg dishes, wild mushrooms, and steak tartare!   The 2009 I tried at a wine show and it fared well amongst some much more expensive wines.</p>

<p>The labels are very creative and change every year....fun!   The wine retails for about 14 euros and in restaurants in Madrid you can find it for the maxing price of only 22 euros!  I&#39;m working on finding it in the US and will be back with an update when I do.  </p>

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