Gemtree is high on the Tempranillo grape and it shows in the 2008 Luna Roja Tempranillo, a wine aged for 12 months in seasoned French oak. Purple-colored, it displays a slightly brooding bouquet of cigar box, Asian spices, Dr. Pepper, and black cherry. Elegant on the palate with a bit of underlying structure, this savory, spicy effort will evolve for 1-2 years and offer prime drinking from 2011 to 2019. Gemtree makes wine from estate-grown fruit (as they move toward fully biodynamic and organic farming). Gemtree also manages 1500 acres for other growers and sells some of their own grapes to other wineries. However, their focus appears to be on making quality wine as the new Gemtree collection is filled with outstanding value from top to bottom.Importer: Bacchus Importers, Dundalk, MD; tel. (410) 484-2700

Firm and focused, delivering a juicy mouthful of blackberry, loam and floral flavors that don't quit on the long and vivid finish. Drink now through 2013. 700 cases made.??–HS??Region: Australia / McLaren Vale Select to Add

Cropped at less than two tons per acre, this is a full-bodied, creamy-textured Tempranillo marked by vanilla-tinged oak. Black cherries and plums comprise the core, with embellishments of tobacco adding complexity to this lush, easy-drinking wine. Drink it over the next several years. ——J.C.(5/1/2011)—— 89