Wine Review: Rojo Mojo Shiraz

I had a glass of the Rojo Mojo Shiraz at Riddle's the other week, and was pleasantly surprised at how light it was. I was even more pleasantly surprised to see it for $8 at my neighborhood Schnucks. I highly recommend this wine as an "everyday red." It's particularly nice during these days where it might be a bit cooler, but it's not full fall weather yet, so if you want red wine, you need a summer red. It's a beautiful crimson color, and the nose is not overwhelming. The official tasting notes say the nose is "intensely stewed cherry and blackberry fruit characters followed by tobacco, cinnamon, black pepper and cloves." The fruit is definitely there, and I get a hint of the tobacco, but I don't particularly like peppery reds, and I didn't sense any here. The palate notes say "A full bodied expansive wine providing a big fruit blast with firm yet friendly tannins," but I feel that's over blowing it a bit. I feel it's more medium bodied, for a red, and it doesn't "blast" fruit as much as infuses your mouth with a flow of dark fruit. Blackberry, cherry, and I want to say the slightest hint of pomegranate, and I do again get a hint of tobacco, but it's not spicy. It's got a soft finish, with just the memory of the first taste lingering on your tongue, whispering sweet nothings to your taste buds. The tannins are definitely friendly, and it's very slightly dry. I definitely agree with the "pleasant and satisfying finish" in the notes. A quick Google search will reveal that it scores highly and is repeatedly recommended as a "refrigerator wine" and a bargain buy.

Rojo Mojo is grown in the Villarobledo region in La Mancha in Spain by a fourth generation family winery and was harvested the week before my birthday in 2005. Grape yield was 30% smaller than the previous year, leading to a higher quality wine for this vintage. It's 100% shiraz and aged 100% in stainless steel.

I recommend pairing it with cheese.

Cheers!