The 2016 Sonnet Tempranillo is composed of 100% Tempranillo from the Gali Vineyard. Oncew fermentation was complete 38% of the wine was aged in Hungarian oak. The wine was then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 170 cases were produced. Tony writes, “In the 1980s, a summer had arrived and there was no acting work in sight, so I picked up my back pack and started hitch hiking throughout Europe. When I arrived in Spain, I came across a wonderful wine varietal, Tempranillo, and it had the most aromatic aroma I had ever noticed in any wine. Since I became a winemaker, I have been searching for a great Califonia Tempranillo vineyard and finaly found one a few years ago, and this is the first Sonnet offering from that quest. It shows an amazing depth of fruit, from plums and blackberry to hints of black cherry. It is a robust wine that has been aged for more than two years in oak barrels and will age gracefully in bottle for many years to come.”

Few food and wine pairings can top a delicious Tempranillo matched with grilled lamb chops. The Sonnet Tempranillo pairs nicely with medium to strong-flavored semi-hard and hard cheeses (Manchego), and dishes with tomatoes and tomato sauces. It also pairs beautifully with regional Spanish dishes such as caldo de temporada-Galician style pumpkin-chicken soup, smoked bacon, chorizo, potato and broccoli rabe, or costilla al vino tinto-Tempranillo-braised short ribs, confit potatoes and crispy leeks.