I always like it when I find a cheap, cheerful, and widely available wine that I enjoy. That is what I found in the 2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo. Before I get too lovely-dovey on the wine, let me go back to harping on an old pet peeve: the website needs some help. In the age of technology and information, every winery should have a website. Ok, good, we got that part right.
But then there is the information for me, the consumer (and pseudo journalist). I want to see how much wine is made there. I want to know the people that make it. And I want it expressed to me in a friendly, interesting fashion.I dug around and found a second (and MUCH BETTER) website for Campo Viejo. They seem to have a separate UK Website for the winery. That puts us Americans in our place. I would say it is strange that a company has multiple websites, but it really is not. However, to have such vastly different branding on the two different sites is somewhat strange.
But back to the wine. I found the nose to be smooth cherry, raspberry and slightly rustic, showing off the Rioja style. The taste was smooth, with scratchy raspberry, blackberry, and licorice. There was a lot missing from this wine that I would look for to make it "interesting," but overall the wine is exactly as billed for $14.
