Past Issues: Bargain Wine, feb/mar 2007 --
Condesa de Leganza

In this regular feature, we spotlight those wines that offer great bang for the buck -- under $15 bucks, to be exact. Here you'll find our everyday wines, house pours, and occasionally a great new find. Have a favorite Bargain Wine? Tell us about it at editor@wineskinny.com! 

We love the idea of Bargain Wine - great wines at surprisingly good prices that add up to great values. That being said, we kiss a lot of frogs for this column. Wines that may be cheap, but taste overly simple, or cloying, or downright awful.

So when we tasted four wines from Spain's Condesa de Leganza - and really liked each one of them - we were completely pleased! They were great over an evening of casual food and a spirited game of canasta! Everyone liked the wines so much that they practically disappeared before our eyes, with generous pours and frequent gulps.

Condesa de Leganza was founded in 1994 by the Martinez family, owners of Bodegas Faustino, Rioja's largest producer of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines. The Leganza wines come from the 1,500-acre Finca Los Trenzones estate near Quintanar de la Orden in the province of La Mancha. With its high elevations, hot days and cool nights, and good rainfall, Julio Martinez believes the La Mancha region is a prime spot for good winegrowing.

Here are our notes on the wines:

Condesa de Leganza 2005 Sauvignon Blanc La Mancha ($10). Fresh and citrusy, with appealing concentration, texture and focus. Tropical flavors linger on the moderate finish. Ready to drink now.

Condesa de Leganza 2005 Tempranillo Rose La Mancha ($10). Soft strawberry and red cherry flavors are lush and creamy, and brightened with lively acidity. Vanilla-laced finish lingers nicely. Ready to drink now.

Condesa de Leganza 2002 Crianza La Mancha Condesa ($10). Appealing chocolate aromas and flavors accent round, ripe red cherry and berry fruit and warm spices. Lipsmacking finish. Ready to drink now.

Condesa de Leganza 1998 Reserva La Mancha ($13). Rich, ripe black plum and black cherry fruit is accented with sweet tobacco, dark chocolate, baking spices and toasty oak. Long, lush finish. Ready to drink now.

Condesa de Leganza is imported by Palm Bay Imports.

Check out previous Bargain Wines selections!
This now-fabulously-named column used to be called Easy To Find One Figure Wines, for reasons that we cannot currently remember but were surely enthusiastic about at the time. Anyhoo, check out our Past Issue Index for more great value-priced wine selections!