Big, burly with a meaty, beefy nature, this wine is like a classic Barossa Shiraz with a steroid injection.
Luchador, by R Wines, was a lucky find for me; the result of Carey and I arriving the park completely unprepared, with only two lowly Blue Moons in tow, which I am sure you already read about. This actually was a calculated manipulation on my part—a stealthy plan to give me unfettered access (on Carey’s behalf) to a wine store I don’t frequent much any more. With no corkscrew, a screw-top bottle was the only precondition. I wasn’t exactly expecting to have to purchase new stemware (singular, we shared), hoping they would have some plastic cups or something, but I did get a pretty cool Burgundy glass for 8 bucks.
Not to mention, we looked pretty cool sitting in the park sipping from an oversized Pinot glass.
I found the Luchador on a wall of select 90+ rated wines under $30. It was Australian, hence a screw top; certainly interesting, hence the wrestler portraits; and the price was right, at about $13.
- Opened with uncharacteristic, but pleasing, pine and cedar aromas.
- Round and smooth from the start, no alcohol burn-off, this is not an overly earthy or savory-spiced wine, nor a tannic one.
- Chocolate and mocha flavors play huge roll with Luchador.
- Soft, sweet baking spices and cigar box/pipe smoke add to the generous layering.
- Black fruit based – blueberry, black cherry and currant.
- The flavors are extracted and apparent, deep and brooding, velvety and lush.
I wasn’t surprised to see a pretty serious buzz online around Luchador. After three vintages, all scoring 90 points and above on Parker, the only thing holding this wine back is its production numbers, of which I am unaware.
If you like big, juicy, flavor nuanced Australian wines, this is it. More than just a jammy A-bomb, this wine is a rare find.
Can’t wait to try this one and love seeing the (now vintage) blue and white quilt, a wedding shower gift circa 1972!
Just ran across your Luchador review and it’s most appreciated. We’ve done a shout-out on the Luchador Wines facebook page (link http://bit.ly/9EiXTB) Your blog is…elegant.
[…] not sure we had any readers then… haha. We just got a nice mention from Luchador Wines on the subsequent review Rob wrote after this post, and it’s inspired me to pop out and buy a bottle after work. And repost […]
Where can I buy this particular wine, in the area. I had it once and LOVED it. Go Shiraz 2007 LUCHADOR!
I used to be able to buy it in a local shop in Saratoga Springs called the Saratoga Wine Exchange. You should call around to your local shops, it is an accessible wine, they may not have it but could certainly get it. Most decent wine shops are going to have some R Wines products in there Aussie section anyway. It is also widely available online. The prices varies quite a bit, which usually has to do with shipping costs so check a handful out. I hope that helps!
Thanks for commenting! Let me know how your search goes!
Had not heard of this wine till my neighbor emailed this morning to say he bought the 2007 at a World Market (a.k.a Cost Plus) store in the Seattle area for $6.99 yesterday (Thur Mar 17, 2011) and loved it, calling it “divine.”….I told him I was stopping by on my way home to pick some up after work and he asked that I buy three bottles for him…
Three for him, 6 for you!