Bipolar ... bottled up.

This is Urban Uco, a 50/50 blend of Tempranillo and Malbec, grown in Argentina.

You see the deep, mulberry color at first, but be patient. There is a finesse to the wine that catches you off-guard....that is the tempranillo taking over. Very rustic (leathery...baseball mit kind of leathery, but surrounded by dark berries). The lean, old world nature of the Tempranillo grape mixes with the Malbec (which is also an old world grape, but entirely different). The malbec fleshes out the tempranillo... makes it rounder and fruitier. Then it catches you off-guard again, as it packs a wollop. The bottle is stating 14.5%, but I am guessing more like 15% alcohol. But the wine is perfectly balanced. No heat, just intriguing flavor.

This is a wine presented by the Spanish importer, Jose Ordonez. He is known for choosing interesting wines at modest prices. This wine goes under $10 and is a good sipper.