Stella Bella Tempranillo

(tem - pra - nee - o)

Some of the most famous, most traditional and most contemporary wines of Spain are made from the “black” grape variety …Tempranillo.

The blood- plum colour implies a brooding depth of fruit. Hints of sweet spice, leather and a dusty earth perfume combine with warm red fruits on the nose.

On the palate, the concentrated core of dark savoury cherry is surrounded by juicy and soft, blood plum fruit.

The abundant and ripe fruit tannins act in sync to both focus and enlarge the palate.

For tasting notes on previous vintages please contact us directly on wines@stellabella.com.au

REVIEWS

STELLA BELLA TEMPRANILLO 2006

International Wine Challenge - The Worlds Best Wines 2008
Silver Medal - Spicy Red pepper perfumed nose.  Aniseed with a generous palate and dry tannins to finish with.

written by James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2009 edition.
90/100 Bright crimson; a mix of cherry, raspberry and lemon rind, with a nice savoury twist to the finish; overall balance and length are good.

Winestate Magazine - Best Of The West May/June 2008

4 Stars - Savoury nose with a black olive character. Fabulous cherry ripe palate with plenty of sweet wood and firm, grippy tannins with a soft finish.

Ray Jordan - The Weekend Australian - West Magazine March 2008

Stella Bella has been playing around with tempranillo for a while an the Stella Bella Tempranillo 2006 ($30) is a beautiful example of the Spanish variety. There is ample fruit in the middle palate but the dry, savoury and slightly dusty finish provides a tidy food friendly finish.

Scoop Magazine - March - June 2008

Awarded Silver (17) Mid red in colour, this wine has a nice bouquet of earthy rustic flavours and black plums leading to a clean fruity middle palate with strong tannins. At this stage this is a fairly structured wine just lacking mid palate fruit, probably reflecting the cool vintage, but very drinkable and a promising style for Margaret River from one of the leading winemakers.

Wine Business Magazine - February 2008

92 points. The Early signs for Margaret River Tempanillo look promising. This is an early-drinking style, made with Stella Bella's trademark brash confidence. Spicy dark cherry fruits amid gentle toasty oak smell ever bit the part. Full of deep, approachable flavour, it comes to life with a good steak.

STELLA BELLA TEMPRANILLO 2005

written by James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2008 edition.
88/100 Typically strong colour; the intriguing touch of lemon, herb and thyme seems to be the mark of the variety in Australia; red fruit flavours at the core, but the texture seems inadequate.

STELLA BELLA TEMPRANILLO 2004

GOLD MEDAL WINNER at World International Tempranillo Competition 2006

written by James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2007 edition.
92/100 Strong red-purple; fragrant, almost flowery aroma and flavours, with hints of nutmeg, spice and cherry pip; abrasive tannins need to soften.

written by Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell. The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2007
The Spanish workhorse red grape is becoming more and more popular in Australia, but there aren’t too many emanating from Margaret River. This one is made by Janice McDonald. The Stella Bella stable also includes the Suckfizzle and Skuttlebutt wines.

Current release 2004. The nose is a tad subdued but the action is all happening on the palate. It’s well endowed with peppermint, red-berry and faintly herbal flavours which are fruit dominant and fairly tight in the mouth – almost forbiddingly so. The finish dries off rapidly and the wine is improved by food, especially aged parmesan cheese.

STELLA BELLA TEMPRANILLO 2003

GOLD MEDAL WINNER at World International Tempranillo Competition 2005

written by James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2007 edition.
89/100 Fragrant; exotic savoury, lemony mix, then persistent lingering tannins; as much climate and winemaking as varietal character.

written by Max Allen,July 2005 Australian Gourmet Traveller.
TOP DROPS OF THE MONTH - RED
A robust, tannic, licorice black-strap expression of the tempranillo grape; full of blood plum and blackcurrant jube flavours. Not unlike the tempranillo from Spain's Toro region. DRINK WITH paprika-rubbed barbecued lamb chops.

written by Adam Lechmere, editor at large of Decanter Magazine, Olive Magazine (UK) May 2005
Fresh, soft woody and with a strong blackcurrant taste, this is a wine that should be opened up and quaffed, preferably outside (as is the case with so many wines) and, what's more, with a big plate of lamb kebabs and salad with a spicy dressing.

STELLA BELLA TEMPRANILLO 2002

Written by James Halliday, 28/01/2004 (The Weekend Australian)
90/100 A 2002 tempranillo ($28, 90 points) from 10-year old vines has the structure and texture missing from most Australian attempts, rollicking with dark plum and berry fruit.

written by Sally Gudgeon, The Age Sunday Life Magazine April 2005
This is a full-bodied, opulent style with juicy bramble and blackcurrant fruit and a lick of spicy oak. Try it with rinones (kidneys).

written by Huon Hooke, 24/01/2004 (Sydney Morning Herald)
02 Tempranillo ($28), which is remarkably powerful, rich and fleshy. Although it carries a fair whack of tannin, it's supple and ripe-tasting, with entertaining blackberry, blueberry and mulberry flavours. It's one of only a handful of good examples of this most popular of Spanish reds that I've seen made in Australia so far. It's highly recommended - and if you want to have a bit of fun, serve a bottle alongside a Spanish tempranillo and see which people prefer!

Written by Peter Forrestal, Feb/Mar 2004 Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine.Top 21 alternative reds.
This had great colour and remarkable power and fleshiness, but was controversial because of bitterness. In a split Pannel, Bourne and I were big fans. Bourne noted mulberry and warm earth flavours while I tasted mulberry, blackberry and blueberry flavours, marvellous depth of rich, sweet fruit and a lovely soft texture despite a high level of tannin. Bullied and stock found the concentration very good but the finish dominated by bitterness. We agreed to differ.