Notes of damsons and cooked apples with cinnamon thrown in. The palate is medium-bodied, with sweet spice flavors and ripe black fruit.

Jammy aromas of blackberry and cassis start out gaseous and muddled but find their way with airing. This feels wide and low on zest. Flavors of prune and stewed berry end with toasty oak but also heavy ripe prune and berry flavors. Drink now

Cherry and plum flavors are ripe and fruity in this round red. Vanilla and light herbal flavors add interest. Light tannins and lively acidity impact focus and freshness. Drink now through 2018.

Aromas of ripe damsons and blueberries with a hint of minerality. A more savory and herbal palate with millings of black pepper and a gamey finish.

The 2011 Baltos, which was raised in used barrels for a short time (four to seven months), has the oak notes in the forefront, with plenty of chocolate, coffee and smoke with the ripe black fruit notes behind, and a hint of violets. The palate shows medium body, sweet tannins, the fruit coated with notes of cinnamon. Very good value. Drink 2013-2017.

Dark, ripe aromas of blackberry and cassis are accented by tree bark, baking spice and licorice notes. Flavors of blackberry, boysenberry, cocoa and loamy earth finish toasty and weighty. Drink through 2017.

Plum and blackberry flavors mingle with dark chocolate and toasty accents in this plush red. Light tannins support the generous texture, while herbal notes keep the finish fresh. Drink now through 2018.

There’s purity of fruit… with dark berry aromas such as blueberry and blackberry. Minerals too. Full body, firm and silky tannins. Long and full of finesse. Excellent value. Drink now.

Earthy and deep smelling, this Mencia is full, layered and nicely textured on the palate. As for flavors, look for equal parts dark fruit, toast, smoke and herb. Things dry out and fade on the finish.

Plump and juicy, this red delivers bright flavors of black cherry, plum, licorice, fresh herbs and lemon zest, with lively acidity and just enough tannins for grip. Racy and focused. Drink now through 2014.

Vivid ruby. Red berries and cherry pit on the nose, with complicating notes of smoky herbs and cracked pepper. Nicely focused dark fruit flavors are given spine by juicy acidity and show a touch of bitterness on the back. Gentle tannins add shape to the spicy dark fruit finish. This is drinking well now.

The 2008 Baltos offers up an earthy minerality along with aromas of cherry cola and spicy black fruits. Dense, rich, and layered on the palate, this juicy, pleasure-bent effort has enough stuffing to evolve for 1-2 years but can be approached now. It is an outstanding value.  The latest releases from Dominio de Tares are uniformly outstanding.

While a seemingly simple wine at first, with juicy, ripe raspberry flavors, this develops complexity as it takes on air. Meat and leather aromas converge over the compact tannins, youthfully tense. For duck.

A round, tender texture carries black cherry, cola and smoke flavors in this plush red, which has enough acidity to keep it fresh on the floral finish. Drink now through 2013.

The 2006 Baltos is dark ruby-colored with a nose of earth, mineral, pencil lead, and red and black cherry. Ripe, balanced, spicy, and smooth-textured, this elegant Bierzo has the potential to evolve for 1-2 years and will provide pleasure through 2015.

Bright purple. Spicy blackberry and plum on the nose, with intriguing tobacco, espresso and licorice accents. Bitter cherry and dark plum flavors are braced by firm tannins and vibrant acidity, with slow-mounting sweetness carrying through the finish. Impressively energetic and pure, closing with fresh, vivid blackberry and plum.

Mineral, crushed flowers, black olive, dark fruit and herbs carry the hefty bouquet toward a round, earthy and fully packed palate that offers accents of cured meat, leather, creamy oak and some heat. It’s definitely a big wine that’s warm on the finish, but not tannic. A good deal at $16.