Tobacco, dried herb and balsamic notes frame cherry and light earth flavors in this lean red, which has a supple texture, then fades a bit on the finish. Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now. 250 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Penedès Select to Add

This muscular red offers dried cherry, tobacco, leather and woodsy flavors backed by solid tannins and balsamic acidity. There's good concentration, and enough freshness to keep this balanced. Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2021. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Penedès Select to Add

The 2009 Reserva Marti is very oaky, although in a different way to the Syrah Col.Lecció. It opens to a strawberry and coconut milkshake nose with a herbal touch, creamy notes of elevated ripeness and balsamic hints showing in an end-of-the-1990s way. The palate is medium-bodied with abundant, grainy tannins and oak-derived flavors that end a little astringent. Too oaky for my taste.

The 2008 Reserva Marti is a blend of 23% Tempranillo, 27% Syrah, 31% Merlot, 13% Caladoc – an obscure indigenous red grape – and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon from the oldest vines on the property. It is, without a doubt, the best red wine that I tasted, but it seems to share with its siblings an excess of oak. Here the fruit is fresher, with a mixture of red and black berry notes intermixed with plenty of spice, black pepper, cinnamon and vanilla and a palate that is medium-bodied with dusty tannins with a slightly drying finish, most probably from the two years the wine aged in new French oak barrels. Hopefully the wine will integrate the wood a little better with some time in the bottle. Drink now-2017. Albet i Noya is one of the pioneers in organic farming in Spain: the winery started producing organic wines in 1978. They produce a grand total of 1.2 million bottles, both still and sparkling. The latest news is that the sparkling wines will be sold under the Penedes appellation, leaving Cava as many others have already done. Importer: Opici Wines, Glenn Rock, NJ; tel. (201) 689-1200, www.opici.com

The 2007 Reserva Marti is a blend of 30% Syrah, 25% Merlot, 25% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from 51-year-old vines, aged for 24 months in 200% Allier French oak (i.e., the barrel is renewed after 12 months). Although I am not a fan of excessive new oak, I must admit that it handles the wood well with its plush ripe red berry, wild strawberry and dark plum fruit and touches of forest floor and truffle. That new oak does impinge upon the palate, making it difficult to discern the fruit profile, although I appreciate its smooth, harmonious texture. Perhaps with three of four years bottle age it will develop more personality, but as I leave the wine in the glass, the oak seems to become more pronounced. Albet I Noya is based at the 13th century Can Vendrell de la Codina estate, where since 1903, four generations of the Albet family have made wine. Of the 122 hectares, 76 hectares are under vine on the western slopes of the Ordal mountain range. There is a strong sense of organic farming here, presciently incepted by Josep Maria Albet I Noya way back in 1978. Importer: Opici Wines , www.opiciwines.com