Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta Vermut Lacuesta Rojo

Appearance: When poured, this vermouth initially appears to be walnut brown but when held against a white background it is red amber. It is clear with no particulates. Aroma: Mulled claret, orange and cloves, cinnamon, red currants, cranberries, a hint of ginger, dark cherries and a suggestion of liquorice. Flavour and Texture: Cinnamon, nutmeg, red currants, cranberries, pomegranate juice, a little gentian, a hint of ginger, plums, dried figs, orange peel and a drop of anise. The palate is sweet but with just the right amount of bitterness to provide balance. It has an earthy quality and lots of luscious, soft tannins in the foundation. The texture is excellent, being full and rich but not as dense as sherry or port - just like a vermouth should be. Lacuesta vermouth rojo has been made in the Rioja Alta region of Spain since 1937. The recipe employs 30 different herbs and spices that are macerated for several months in a white wine base. The vermouth is aged in American oak casks and then further aged for seven months in medium-toasted new French oak barrels. It is a delicious and versatile red vermouth, semi-sweet and certainly not dry, that can be enjoyed in many ways. It is not as rich as Carpano Antica, not as sweet as Noilly Prat Rouge and not as fruity-dry as Cocchi Rosa. Its earthiness is distinctive, compelling and reminiscent of Dolin Rouge, but I prefer this. It is very good neat at room temperature as an alternative to the more usual fortified wines. It is excellent chilled with a twist of orange as an aperitif, and this it can be lengthened with ice and soda to make a very pleasant aperitivo. It also makes a supurb base for sangria. As a cocktail ingredient it works very well in a Manhattan but it is in a negroni where this truly shines – and it shines most spectacularly. Last weekend I had two mates over and we used this to make what in my humble opinion was one of the best negronis I’ve ever tasted. There is something about the earthy balance on this vermouth that just sings in that particular drink. We used a highly juniper-forward navy-strength gin (Never-Never Juniper Freak 58% abv) in a 1:1:1 ratio and it was sublime. Recommended, particularly at the very reasonable price, and it gets a thumbs-up for the great old-style label. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Rating: 14/23 N: Richer and less astringent and sugary than Noilly Prat Rouge. It's fuller with less minerality as well and more of a savoriness, a little bit like sharp cheddar. Not terribly complex, but decently enticing. P: Richer, oilier, and more bitter than Noilly Prat Rouge. Less sweet, watery, and ... metallic? This is a little more like an amaro, though it is clearly a sweet vermouth. Pomegranate and red grape skins come through here. It isn't terribly complex and it might be a tad bitter but it's well balanced. I get just a hint of that sharp cheddar funk coming through too, though not much. A hint soapy as well. F: Bitter with that classic sweet vermouth medicinal red fruit flavor remaining. A solid finish. I'm not quite sure that this is an improvement over Noilly Prat Rouge and I'm highly skeptical that it is a better value for the money given that is costs more than twice is much. Tragically, I don't have enough to also try it in a cocktail because all I had was a single sample. Therefore, I'm rating it based on its flavor neat and my best conservative guess as to how it would do in a cocktail. I suspect that this would hold up a bit better, sort of like upgrading from Ezra Brooks to Wild Turkey 101 to add more fullness. Still, that's pretty speculative. I think I need to go with a 14 here. I could imagine it being as high as a 15 or as low as an 11, but I'm going with 14. If I had to go strictly with the neat flavor, I'd probably lean toward 13.