Bodegas Comenge is a predominantly organic labelled winery in the Ribera del Duero wine region. Settled in a valley with view of the vineyards and a beautiful castle in the background, this is one of those ideal places for some nice photos. The winery Bodegas Comenge has made the move in recent years to the production of high-quality wines and thus, wanted to raise the bar. Was this a good choice ? Time will tell… Upon tasting their wines, I felt a kind of general disappointment as the quality wasn’t there unfortunately. Plus above all, these wines are far overpriced compared to their quality level, unless they didn’t express their total potential ? Here are my tasting notes of the Bodegas Comenge.
Wine 1 : Carmen by Comenge 2019
A rosé wine with a mixture of 50% Albillo white grappes and 50% red grapes where dominantly Tempranillo (Fino Tinto) and others. This gives a nice medium pale salmon colour to the wine with clear pronounced aromas and flavours of grapefruit on nose and palate. Still in a development stage, this dry rosé wine has a high acidity, light tannins, medium alcohol level, full bodied and has a long finish. Balance, intensity and complexity are on point, yet there still needs to be some more length in order to be a nice rosé (1-0,75-1-1/1). This rosé wine is meaned for direct consumption and hasn’t any ageing potential.
Wine 2 : Comenge el Origen 2018
An entry-level medium deep ruby wine with clear pronounced black fruit aromas and flavours. This dry wine with high acidity, tannins and alcohol, is full bodied and still in an early development stage. Long finish. Where balance and length are on point, it misses intensity and lack of complexity (1-1-0,75-0,75/1). The wine doesn’t express its total potential and is for immediate consumption without potential for ageing.
Wine 3 : Familia Comenge 2017
A clear medium pale ruby wine with black fruits aromas and flavours once more and in a developing stage. This wine is dry, high in acidity, high tannins and alcohol as well as full bodied with a long finish. Balance, length and intensity are on point while it misses some concentration (1-1-1-0,75/1). The wine doesn’t express its total potential and is for immediate consumption without potential for ageing.
Wijn 4 : Comenge Albillo Mayor
This white wine has a clear pale lemon colour with on the nose a bit of typical wooden Albillo notes as well as grapefruit and light peach aromas. While for the flavours, grapefruit, peach and floral notes like chamomilla are dominant. Being in a developing stage, the wine is dry, high in acidity, high in alcohol and full-bodied. Balance, length, intensity and complexity are on point (1-1-1-1/1), still this easy wine is for immediate consumption with no ageing potential.
Wine 5 : Don Miguel Comenge 2016
This clear medium pale ruby wine is 100 percent Tempranillo and supposed to be one of the better wines of the Bodegas Comenge. Like the other wines tasted from this winery, this wine has solely dominant black fruits aromas and flavours. The wine still being in a developing stage, dry, high in acidity, high tannins and alcohol as well as full bodied and a long finish. While balance and length are on point, it is clearly below level for intensity and complexity (1-1-0,5-0,5/1). A disappointing wine with no ageing potential and immediate consumption.
Wine 6 : Jacobus 2014
This clear medium to deep ruby wine is supposed to be the flagship, most exclusive as well the most expensive wine (210 euros on the Bodegas Comenge website !!) of the winery at the time of tasting in October 2021.
With 90 percent Tempranillo and 10 percent Merlot according to their technical sheet, this wine has clean aromas of black fruits with easy to identify aromas and flavours of black sherry and black currant as well as secondary vanilla oak. Being in a developing stage, this dry wine is high in acidity, tannins, alcohol and full-bodied. On top, we may have a nice long finish. While balance, length, intensity and complexity are on point (1-1-1-1/1), this wine can be consumed immediately and has a potential of ageing of 3- 7 years more.
Now we may ask ourselves, is this worth 210 euros ? I don’t think so. Did you taste this wine before ? What are your thoughts ?
