The 2009 Touriga Tempranillo gives a deep garnet-purple color and vibrant warm blueberry and black cherry aromas over vanilla, nutmeg and violets. Medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, it has great concentration and balance, finishing long, with lingering notes of blueberries and baking spices. Delicious now, it should remain good to 2015. Importer: Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376

Blended of 55% Tempranillo and 45% Touriga Nacional, the 2007 Tempranillo Touriga has a very deep garnet-purple color and pronounced notes of warm blueberry and plum preserves with some earth and Mediterranean herbs. Full-bodied with medium-high acid and firm chewy tannins, there’s just a touch of astringency in the long finish. Drinking now, it should keep fresh through 2014. Stephen Pannell not only has wine in his blood (his parents owned Moss Wood and now Piccardy in Western Australia) but he has spent considerable time working in the wineries of Bordeaux, Burgundy and South France not to mention some of Australia’s biggest names: Seppelt, Knappstein and Hardys. He’s now doing his own thing in McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills and producing some inspired wines these days with an emphasis on producing stellar Grenache whilst also trying his hand at a personal passion, that elusive grape Nebbiolo.Importer: Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376