In this frantic world of today, it is refreshing to see a winery offering bottle-aged and ready-to-drink wines at affordable prices. This is the case of the 2006 Crianza, where the brick color and the orange ring denote an aged wine. The nose shows very ripe grapes, has some black olive notes, intermixed with leather and a hint of dried roses. The bouquet is fine and complex. The palate is completely smooth with fully-resolved tannins, with the black-olive appearing again, and a savoriness that will make it a food-friendly wine. I’m looking forward to meeting this wine in a year like 2008. Drink 2013-2016. The official name of Tilenus is Bodegas Estefania, but everybody knows them by their brand name. The winery is owned by the Frias family, a name traditionally linked with the dairy business, and they were smart enough to hire Raul Perez as technical director for the winery. They own 40 hectares of vineyards, mostly around the villages of Pieros and Valtuille at around 800 meters altitude. The average age of their vineyards is very old, with some plots exceeding 100 years of age. They are one of the few producers in Bierzo offering more mature vintages; as you can see in this report they are still selling wines from 2004, 2005 and 2006. Imported by Classic Wines, Stamford, CT; tel. (203) 975-2522

The 2005 Crianza displays more obvious oak. Toasty, minerals, Asian spices, violets, and black raspberry aromas inform the nose of a round, mouth-filling, savory wine displaying both intensity and finesse. It will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age and will provide enjoyment through 2020. The Tilenus wines are produced by Bodegas Estefania. Importer: John Larchet, World Wine Headquarters; Tel. (800) 485-5753

Mature, soft, old-wine aromas of tobacco and vanilla, spice and red berries. Soft tannins, elegant. Good wine.

The Tilenus wines are 100% Mencia, the indigenous red grape of Bierzo The 2004 Tilenus Crianza was aged for 14 months in French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. Medium ruby-colored, it exhibits an alluring nose of rose petals, spice box, earth notes, and cherry. Firm on the palate, it has attractive but slightly compressed flavors leading to a medium-long, pure finish. Although it may soften with 1-2 years of cellaring, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 4-5 years.Importer: Andres Arribes, Wine Associates, Whitehouse Station, NJ; (908) 534-8946