Some of the world’s greatest red wines are Tempranillo based. In the presence of The Spaniard, one is easily reminded of Iberian icons such as Vega Sicilia, Pingus or Artadi but flagship wines from them nowadays cost hundreds, some a $1,000+ even, while right here under our nose, in the great Sierra Foothills, lies a – dare we say – equally outstanding flagship red that, thanks to the massive Wine Spies only 40% savings can be had for just $29.99!

Deep and dark with a heart of garnet evolving on the rim to a mahogany shade. Youthful with jammy blackberry, cassis, cherry, smoke, cedar, and sweet spices on the expressive nose. Full-bodied, dense, and concentrated with grenadine and a subtle licorice edge, filling the extroverted palate profile. Great purity and build, opulent, and full-bodied on the long, authoritative finish. Pair with savory, bold tapas, naturally, be it traditional or modern, or try with Jamon and Manchego.

Bodega, an independent blog dedicated to Spanish wine picked the top Californian efforts replicating Spain’s greatest wines and wrote; “Jeff Stai (also known as “El Jefe”) is the owner of Twisted Oak Winery and has been producing Spanish- and Rhone-based wines for about 15 years. And trust me, the boss definitely knows what he is doing! Everything about this winery is a bit “off” (in a good way!). Absolutely delicious wines from Calaveras and worth seeking out.” We could not agree more. Might we add that this 2014 is the current release as El Jefe likes his wines to be at their peak, with the intensity reserve to age further for at least another decade of immense drinking pleasure.

Here’s a great video on Twisted Oak by the Wine Lunatic: