Seven Red Wine of Spain

One the heels of the red blend review we did yesterday, tonight we’re checking out another red blend called Seven.  This one comes from Spain and is produced by Bodegas Osborne, one of the oldest wine producers in Spain dating back to 1772.  And today, after all those years, the company is still run by descendants of founder Tomas Osborne Mann.

Seven comes in a three liter bag-in-box package.  But it’s not just your average box, it’s an “Octavin” which is an octagon shaped package that looks a little nicer than a square box.  It’s also not your average boxed wine juice inside the bag.  Skeptics of boxed wine will be pleasantly surprised by this one.

The box holds three liters of wine and is said to keep the wine fresh for up to six weeks after opening.  I can attest that I’ve had bag-in-box wine a few weeks after opening it and it has been as good as the first day.

Guess how many grape varieties are in Seven.  It should be obvious, and if you guessed seven, you got it right.  This wine is a combination of 24% shiraz, 24% cabernet sauvignon, 11% graciano, 11% garnacha, 10% tempranillo, 10% merlot and 10% petite verdot.

The nose of this wine is a nice medley of red and blue fruit, with cherry, blueberry and raspberry aromas, but it doesn’t stop there. It also shows some interesting spice notes, chocolate and a hint of leather.  In the mouth it’s lively with cherry and raspberry flavors, which are abundant in fruitiness but don’t have a lot of concentration.  In other words, it’s a little watered down — but just a little, it’s not totally thin.  The finish is a blend of red fruit, nutmeg and mineral.  It’s not bad for a light, fruit-forward wine.

Wine: Seven
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating:  84
Price: $21.99 for 3 liters (equivalent to 4 bottles)

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.