2021 Conejo Joven Tempranillo

Why the name?

‘Conejo Joven’ (pronounce ‘j’ like ‘h’) is Spanish for ‘Young Rabbit’. A long time coming, this wine completes my immediate family of wines. The name also references my son, Tobias, who was born in the year of the Golden Rabbit in the Chinese Calendar. Rabbits are considered to be lucky or often represent luck. They don’t take unnecessary risks and are polite, peaceful, and funny. Rabbits are also meticulous and clean, and I hope Tobias will grow into these traits. In many ways, these characters embody this McLaren Vale Tempranillo. A clean, fruity, familiar and enjoyable wine with a bright and exciting edge.

What makes our Tempranillo Red Wine different?

This Australian Tempranillo is inspired by our desire to create a wine that reflects the personal influences of family and friends, whilst also acknowledging the country in which this wine was made. This elegant, medium-bodied wine is flavourful and intentionally addictive.

Designed to reflect the diverse cultural and social influences that Modern Australia embraces, one can enjoy this beverage with friends, whilst experimenting with flavours from across the world.

Best Tempranillo Food Pairings

It should come as no surprise that Tempranillo pairs well with tapas, given its mouth-filling tannins, spice, berry-fruit muskiness, and Spanish heritage. Tapas are a perfect fit for our Australian lifestyle since they are quick, simple, and offer variety of flavours in one meal. Open a bottle of Tempranillo with friends while sharing platters of chorizo, Jamon, patatas bravas, and gamey paella.

What flavour does Tempranillo have?

Wine, made from Tempranillo, can have a somewhat distinct flavour depending on where it was produced, like widely grown grape varieties. However, there will be some flavours that each bottle will have in common.

Tempranillo wine has black fruit that tastes like blackberry and dried fig. But Tempranillo wine also offers sophisticated savoury aromas, such as dill, tobacco, and woody scents.

When Tempranillo wine is matured in oak barrels, it develops a savoury flavour profile that is subtly present. The sturdy Tempranillo grape matures exceptionally well. While some winemakers have been known to age Tempranillo wine for decades, high-quality bottles are matured for at least 12 months.

Our handcrafted McLaren Vale Tempranillo is designed with details to please your taste.

How To Serve Tempranillo Wine

Care should be taken to get the best out of Tempranillo by ensuring it is not served to warm in the Australian climate.

The notion that red wine should be consumed at room temperature may be muting the delicate tastes in your bottle. Aim for around 20 degrees Celsius instead. Place your Tempranillo bottle in the refrigerator to chill, then remove it one hour before serving.

Tempranillo benefits from a wine decanter, so decant it for an hour before serving, if you have one. This step is especially important if you’ve been fortunate enough to get an aged bottle of Tempranillo. Since sediment can develop in an old bottle of wine, decanting before serving can capture any bits and prevent you from having an unpleasant experience.

Young Tempranillo can benefit from aeration. You can splash pour the wine into a decanter, (or any clean jug) and pour it back into the bottle before serving. This will open up the wine showing more aromas and flavours. Read more about decanting and aerating in my blog post.

Want to know more about our exquisite McLaren Vale Tempranillo You can contact us by using our chat with us option or call us at +61 8 7228 6183.

REVIEWS & AWARDS

Quite a meaty nose with marmalade-like notes – very Rioja-like! Soft and fresh in the mouth with a vibrancy of fruit flavours and good tannin/acid balance.

98 Points / 5 Stars Winestate Magazine. winestate.com.au

This is a nice little addition to the growing range of European styled red wines found around the country with fruit and power dialled down a touch, the result being casual wines well suited to a meal. This is your classic Joven Tempranillo, with delicious fruit purity and generosity of mulberry and dark cherry aromas with nice touches of spice and tobacco. There is then a good mouthful of fruit to begin before tightening up a little to quite a long and savoury finish. Not a serious wine but absolutely hits the spot for good mid-week drinking.

92 Points, Angus Hughson, winepilot.com

“This Joven Tempranillo has me thinking of chargrilled beef burgers and I’m not talking about HJs or Burger King. There is an unmissable meatiness and char factor ready to unleash itself on you. Winemaker Scott Heinrich suggests taco night is the go. Either way, you win.

Strawberry and raspberry fruit knit themselves between an earthiness, fine spices and those charry feels. A terrific food wine, there is an ease to its presence in the mouth as it flows through leaving some fine spices to peruse. Large pours come easy with wines like this. It will even take a slight chill. Now, where is that burger?

Drink to three years.”

92 Points, Steve Leszczynski, QWine reviews, February 2022