2012 2 Copas Spanish Red Blend

So a week or two ago I was at my favorite local wine shop, G. B. Russo's and as they usually do on Saturdays they had a small tasting of three or four wines, and of course how could I resist?  And one of the wines they were tasting was a 2 Copas, a label I've tried before and it was always a pretty descent value wine.  But this one was different, as it was a wine from Spain, so why not try it?  I'm glad I did, because I wasn't disappointed and it was as good or better value than I remembered!

The wine is a nice deep ruby color in the glass, suggesting it might be full of ripe fruit, and it is!  The nose is chock full of rich ripe fruit, blackberries, cherries, plum and cassis overlayed with just a hint of leather and cedar (enough to make you think about it!).  Despite the distinct jammy character of the nose, the taste takes a different direction.  There is great ripe fruit up front, with some lovely notes of plum, cherry and anise, but the fruit transitions effortlessly to some green grass and minerality midpalate.  The finish is surprisingly nice, with some tight tannins and mild acidity that accents the wonderfully dry finish.  It's really a best of both worlds sort of wine, very fruity up front yet still with a nice dry finish that you don't even notice unless you're thinking about it.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's not so much a spectacular Spanish red as it is a good Spanish red at a spectacular value!  I bought this wine for just under $6 including tax!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a last gasp of summer meal, a rare grilled Angus T-bone (though to be fair, looking at the filet this is really a porterhouse), baked heirloom potato and some grilled baby carrots (that I grew myself) and some grilled brussels sprouts that I picked up at a farm stand yesterday in South Haven.  Those grilled veggies really married the Autumn with the steak of Summer, which is a great testament to this wine.  It would be great with a summer dinner, but it could be fabulous with turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and all the trimmings of the holidays which are fast approaching!  Cheers!