The 2009 Alicante Bouschet was aged for 8 months in a combination of French and American oak. Despite the relatively short time in oak, the woody character makes the fruit impossible to find. That said, I kept it open for a couple of hours and was gratified to see the sweet oaky notes begin to recede and the wine begin to show some steel underneath. It should make a lot of folks happy and it has enough structure to age in the cellar, giving the oak some chance to integrate further. This went through several stages, some more charming than others, but eventually wound up in a good place. It is approachable now, but you might be better off waiting until mid-2012 on it. There was an occasional moment when the alcohol (14%) seemed obvious, but it did not seem too distracting. Drink now-2019. The winery is also part of the Wine and Winemakers by Saven group, making some wines under “Azul Portugal.”Importer: Vino Cava, Wayne, PA; tel. (610) 688-8415; Iberia Wines & Spirits, East Hartford, CT; tel. (860) 291-8988