"Smack Your Momma Good": Mauro Cosecha 2006

Since we had a quiet night last night, Pris and I decided to try a new wine that we picked up while getting some dinner at Feldman's Market Center.  We went with the Mauro Cosecha 2006, which was described by an un-named staffer as "smack your momma good."  After that ringing endorsement it had to be opened for dinner.  Let me just say, we were not misled.  Pris and I polished off the bottle in short order without realizing we had done so.  The Mauro Cosecha 2006 is an incredibly smooth Spanish wine.  The 2006 is made up of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Syrah (not to be confused with the 2007 which has a different varietal make-up creating a different flavor). 

The wine was smooth and balanced.  As with most tempranillo blends there was an excellent, if understated fruitiness,  balanced with subtle tannins.  The wine was perfect with our simple meal of Serrano ham, manchego cheese, olives with feta, egg salad, and hummus.  Steaks are fantastic, but there's something to be said for a lighter meal that you can just graze on while enjoying a great wine.

As a side note, this wine served as our inaugural bottle for a new Vinturi Aerator.  We picked up a travel one for my mom for Christmas, and she's raved about it ever since.  Then they used one at Cafe Shiraz the other night and we were sold.  The wine still needed a little time to open up, but the aerator really sped up to process if you don't want to spend the time letting the wine decant in the bottle or a decanter.

Mauro Cosecha 2006 is from the Castilla y León region of Spain. Its 14.5% alcohol by volume.  If you'd like more information on the wine you can find it at www.bodegasmauro.com.