I go to Reno frequently to visit my mother and the wine selections at most restaurants, especially the casinos and chains that dominate this city, are your boilerplate, KJ-esque family of wines. You pretty much know what you are going to get no matter where you go. So it was an extremely pleasant surprise that while having dinner at Washoe Steakhouse (click on the link to visit their superfluous website), I spotted the 2004 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrases. This Priorat gem was on the list for only $8.50 a glass. I think that a bottle of it retail is around 30 bucks so this is a real deal when you think about the astronomical markups on glass pours. A blend of Carignan, Grenache, and Cab, the 2004 was drinking beautifully; very elegant.
(Incidentally, my first choice for restaurants in Reno, 4th Street Bistro, is close by.)
This blend of primarily Grenache, Carignan, and Cabernet Sauvignon is a great introduction to the famed Alvaro Palacio. For a producer whose prices usually exceed the three digit barrier, the Les Terrasses 2004 is short on price but certainly not on taste. Aged for 12 months in mostly French oak, the wine is deep and rich with spice and power on the palate. This is a great wine if you’re just starting with Spanish wines because it offers the pleasantness of a new world wine with the tradition and pedigree of the old world. I like to drink wine with my Cuban cigars.I buy my Cigars Online.