Tempranillo: Spain vs. Temecula Valley

While still very much under the radar in California, Tempranillo is increasingly showing up as a varietal wine in warmer regions such as the east side of Paso Robles and the Temecula Valley where high diurnal temperature swings and an arid climate bear striking similarities to its native Spain. With these parallels providing a sort of talking point, “The Crush” recently decided to organize a blind tasting of wines in a sort of showdown fashion. Three Temecula Valley Tempranillos were grouped together with four Spanish Tempranillos in a blind format…