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Featured Monthly Tasting:
SPANISH WINE
and New Gems from Greece,
Portugal, Italy and California
January 2008
Spainish Wines
Spain is divided into regions called comunidades autonomas. Except for Cava, the country’s 60 Denominaciones de Origen (DO’s) are located within the boundaries of these 17 regions. The Spanish wines evaluated in this month’s report are listed according to DO. Wines made outside DO boundaries or that do not comply with DO regulations are called either Vino de Mesa [Table Wine} or Vino de la Tierra.
DO Rias Baixas
DO Bierzo
DO Ribera del Duero
DO Rueda
DO Toro
DO Rioja
DO Calatayud
DO Navarra
DO Jumilla
DO Cava
Castilla-La Mancha
DO Rias Baixas
The Rias Baixas DO is located in the Galicia region of northern Spain. Over 90 percent of its production is white wine, mainly from the Albariņo grape. Torrontes and Godello are other white varieties grown in the region and permitted under DO regulations. The young white wines from this DO often feature acidity and freshness.
Adegas Valmiñor 2006 Albariño Rias Baixas ($17) 89
Bright lemon yellow color. Displays a honeyed nose of pear and melon. Brisk, with bold acidity on the attack accompanied by a dash of petillance and zest. Stony minerality and lemon-citrus flavors dominate. Long, very dry finish. Great wine for shrimp sautéed with garlic and lemon zest.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd.
Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes 2006 Albariño Rias Baixas ($20) 88
Owned by Juan Gil, the Palacio de Fefinanes was the first producer to bottle wine under the DO Rias Baixas. This Albariño is medium straw-yellow color with a fresh floral gardenia nose. Attacks soft and round with good citrus fruit intensity and a touch of petillance. Finishes dry.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
DO Bierzo
The Bierzo DO is situated in the northwest corner of the Castilla y Leon Region. The dominant native grape varieties are Mencia for reds and Godello and Doña Blanca for premium whites. The bulk of the vineyards are planted on alluvial soils situated on slopes and terraces from 500-600 meters.
Orellan 2006 Godello Bierzo ($18) 88
100 percent Godello grapes cold-fermented in stainless steel. Straw gold color and aromas of very ripe tropical fruit, mango and anise. Tropical fruit follows through on the palate along with good acidity. Finishes crisp.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
DO Ribera del Duero
The Ribera del Duero DO is one of the most successful wine-producing regions in Spain. It boasts many outstanding wines made from the Tempranillo (or Tinto Fino) grape, by far the dominant grape. There are currently more than 230 wineries in the DO. For an in-depth view of Ribera del Duero, see the i-WineReview’s report #8 The Wines of Ribera del Duero.
Convento Oreja 2005 Roble Ribera del Duero ($24) 87
100 percent Tempranillo aged 4 months in French and American oak. Medium ruby color with youthful, bright black cherry aromas. Exhibits a very fruit forward style with a soft attack, low acidity and a soft finish. A successful, albeit commercially styled, wine for easy and early drinking. A great party wine.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Convento Oreja 2004 Crianza Ribera del Duero ($27) 85
Dark ruby color with black and red fruit aromas. Has a soft attack, spicy mid-palate, and somewhat drying tannins.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Ebano 6 2005 Crianza Ribera del Duero ($18) 88
Spends 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby color with a ripe, concentrated black cherry aroma accented by wood spice. Round and soft on the medium bodied palate, with sweet plum and rich black cherry flavors dominating. Very approachable now.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Ebano 2004 Crianza Ribera del Duero ($36) 87
Dark ruby opaque color with a concentrated, ripe nose of vanilla and red and black currant. Attacks softly with nice black cherry and wood spice flavors Somewhat light on the mid-palate but finishes with ripe, soft tannins.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Pago de Carraovejas 2005 Crianza Ribera del Duero ($57) 90
Modern, elegant. 85 percent Tempranillo, 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 percent Merlot from a single vineyard. Aged 12 months in French and American oak. Ruby, opaque. Mushroom, huckleberry, kirsch and coconut vanilla aromas. Lovely, lush rich textured attack of concentrated violet. Although somewhat light on the mid-palate and finish compared to the 2004 vintage, it is a delicious wine.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Pago de Carraovejas 2004 Reserva Ribera del Duero ($80) 93
Opaque ruby color with a lovely nose of licorice and black fruits. Reveals a soft, lush attack of spicy oak and blackberry flavors. This is a beautifully balanced, complex, and elegant wine showing ripe, rounded tannins on the lingering finish.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Vina Buena 2006 Tinto Joven Ribera del Duero ($11) 87
100 percent Tempranillo. Medium ruby color with ripe plum aromas. Quite pretty on the palate with perfumed, light plum flavors and soft, easy round tannins. For easy drinking now.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
DO Rueda
The Rueda DO is best known for its white wines produced from the native Verdejo grape, Sauvignon Blanc and Viura. The best examples are fruit rich with freshness and crisp acidity vinified in stainless steel vats, using cold fermentation, inert gas and other reductive winemaking techniques. The Verdejo grape exhibits a distinctive gooseberry aroma.
Hijos de Alberto Gutierrez 2005 Cascarela Rueda ($10) 87
50 percent Verdejo and 50 percent Viura. Pale lemon yellow color and an almond and floral bouquet with citrus notes. Has a nicely balanced, soft attack and a steely character on the palate with hint of almonds.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Bodegas de Crianza de Castilla la Vieja 2006 Palacio de Bornos Rueda ($13) 87
Green tinted straw color. Floral and somewhat pungent gooseberry, lime-citrus aromas. Attacks crisply with good acidity, clean citrus flavors, and a dash of minerality. Shows a hint of sweetness on the finish.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
DO Toro
The Toro DO is located directly west of the Rueda DO with most vineyards situated at 600-750 meters. The most widely planted grape is Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo), which produces powerful blockbuster red wines full of extract, flavor and grip.
Finca Sobreno 2005 Crianza Toro ($17) 89
100 percent Tinta de Toro from 30-year-old vines planted at very low density. The wine is aged in American oak for 7 months. Ruby opaque color with ripe red and black plum aromas. Ripe and lush in the mouth with delicious plum fruit and generous oak on the mid-palate and finishing with nice gripping tannins.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodegas Ramon Ramos 2005 Monte Toro Joven Toro ($10) 87
Medium to light ruby color with strawberry marmalade and plum nose. Soft, fruit forward attack of uncomplicated red plum and strawberry flavors. Nicely balanced and easy drinking in a fruity style.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Bodegas Ramon Ramos 2004 Monte Toro Roble Toro ($15) 89
100 percent Tinto de Toro aged in American and French oak for 5 months. Opaque dark ruby in appearance with a bouquet of concentrated black fruit and a touch of violet. Very soft, velvety mouthfeel of nicely extracted blackberry fruit. Has a lovely soft finish of ripe, round tannins.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Bodegas Ramon Ramos 2006 Monte Toro Malvasia Zamora ($10) 86
Light gold straw color with floral and tropical aromas. Shows a very soft, sweet attack of honeydew melon and a light mid-palate. Finishes dry.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
DO Rioja
Rioja is Spain’s most famous DO and produces some of Spain’s best Tempranillo-based wines. Winemaking in the DO varies from the traditional to the ultra-modern. Rioja wines range from barrel-fermented whites with spicy oaky hints to venerable and elegant gran reservas with depth of raisiny fruit and complexity. The International Wine Review will undertake an in-depth assessment of Rioja wines in 2008.
Bodega Valsacro 2004 Dioro Rioja ($55) 90
This winery located just outside the Rioja DO boundaries produces both DO and Table Wines [Vino de Mesa]. From an excellent vintage, the 2004 Dioro is a blend of 40 percent Tempranillo, 40 percent Garnacha and 10 percent Graciano. Aged in new French oak for 12-14 months, it displays a dark ruby color with dark smoky plum aromas and a touch of sandalwood. Lush and ripe, it has a very soft attack, light mid-palate, and a flavorful, fruity long finish.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodega Valsacro Razon 2005 Table Wine ($13) 86
Made from old vine Garnacha grapes 70+ years old and aged in American and French oak for 6 months. Extra ripe grapes are left on the vine after the main harvest and then harvested by hand when they are partially hydrated. This vineyard is located just outside the Rioja DO boundaries and only allowed to put Table Wine [Vino de Mesa] on the label. The wine is medium ruby in color with a nose of cherry kirsch. This is a soft, easy drinking wine of medium body and a fairly short finish.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodega Valsacro Razon 2006 Table Wine ($13) 87
Also, medium ruby in color. More complicated than the 2005 with a bouquet of sweet, ripe plum and strawberry in a light vanilla veneer. Sweet oak and medium plum flavors show on palate.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
DO Calatayud
The DO of Calatayud is located in the Valley of the Ebro River in the western part of the region of Aragon. The vineyards are situated on the stony soils of the southern slopes of the Sierra de la Virgen mountain. Garnacha is the mainstay of production accounting for over 65 percent of total vineyard acreage. Wines made from low-yielding old-vine Garnacha are especially noteworthy.
Agustin Cubero Garnacha Vinas Viejas 2006 Calatayud ($9) 92
100 percent Old Vine Garnacha. Opaque ruby color with a complex bouquet of licorice, black fruits, allspice and Asian spice. Has a lovely, elegant attack that reveals pure, concentrated dark fruit flavors of black cherry, exotic spices and smoke. Beautifully balanced with a long finish. A truly exceptional value.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Agustin Cubero Syrah 2006 Calatayud ($9) 88
Black opaque ruby color showing aromas of spice and inky, black fruits accompanied by licorice and herbal notes. Has a velvet soft attack with perfumed flavors of violets, pepper and blueberry- accented black fruit. Densely textured with assertive tannins on the finish. Great value.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Agustin Cubero Tinto 2006 Calatayud ($8) 89
75 percent Garnacha, 25 percent Tempranillo. Medium dark ruby color with ripe, rich red fruit aromas of plum and cherry. Sweet, nicely concentrated fruit and oak on the palate. Smoothly textured and well balanced. Another incredible value.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Bodega Nino Jesus Tinto Figaro 2006 Tinto Calatayud ($9) 87
Made at the Bodega Nino Jesus cooperative owned by some 150 grape growers. This 100 percent Garnacha is medium ruby in color, revealing fruity red plum aromas accented by vanilla coming from a short stay in oak barrels. Has a soft sweet attack of raspberry and very ripe plum fruit with a touch of vanilla spice. Although not very complicated, this is an honest, pleasing wine, and a good value, too.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodega Virgen de la Sierra Yasa 2006 Tinto Calatayud ($9) 90
100 percent Garnacha from 40-year-old vines. Dark ruby color with aromas of spicy dark plum and herb spice. Attacks soft and velvety with a tasty mélange of dark red fruits. Very flavorful, nicely balanced, and an exceptional value.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodega Virgen de la Sierra Yasa 2006 Old Vines Macabeo Calatayud ($12) 90
From low yield bush vines 50+ years old planted in vineyards as high as 1000 meters above sea level. Medium lemon gold color with fruit forward aromas of apple, peach and melon and a hint of almond. Soft and round on the palate with honeyed, tropical ripe flavors and good acidity. Match with sautéed chicken breasts and shaved almonds.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Tres Ojos 2006 Old Vines Garnacha Tinto Calatayud ($9) 90
Tres Ojos is produced at the Bodega San Gregorio, a cooperative located in the Ribota River Valley. It is named for the three arches of a local viaduct in the valley which is the origin of the 92 percent Garnacha (40+ years old) and 8 percent Tempranillo in this wine. Medium dark ruby color, the Old Vines Garnacha Tinto is aged 12 months in large steel vats. It has a rich, fruity nose of red plums and spice and reveals ripe tannins and dark plum fruit on the soft, nicely textured palate. A well-balanced wine with a long finish, and a truly excellent buy.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Tres Ojos 2006 Rosado Calatayud ($9) 87
This 50 percent Garnacha, 50 percent Tempranillo Rosado is light cherry color with a fresh, ripe strawberry confiture nose. Shows bright strawberry and cranberry fruit on the palate and finishes long. It is delicious when served well-chilled.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
DO Navarra
The Navarra DO lies close to both France and to the Atlantic ocean. Traditionally famous for its rose wines, Navarra has in recent years begun to produce high quality and innovative red wines from Garnacha (Grenache), Tempranillo and other red grapes, which today represent 75 percent of total production.
Flamarique 2005 Garnacha Viejas Cepas ($9) 87
From 45-year-old Garnacha vines and aged 4 months in American oak. Medium dark ruby color with scents of perfumed red plum and oak. Has an almost spritzy attack of medium red fruit. Highly quaffable and competitive with other Spanish wines in this price category.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
Flamarique 2003 Crianza ($12) 89
50 percent Tempranillo, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot aged 12 months in American oak. Medium ruby-garnet color with a butterscotch vanilla nose. Has an attractive cigar box, mushroom and leather character with good underlying red plum fruit. Nicely balanced, complex wine with ripe tannins and a good mid-palate, followed by a long finish of oak and plum fruit.
Importer: Bodega Bodega Selections
DO Jumilla
The Jumilla DO is located in the Castilla-La Mancha region. It is adjacent to the region of Murcilla on the east and is close to Spain’s Mediterranean coastline. Surprisingly, Jumilla was never attacked by the phylloxera virus in the 19th century, so its vines were never grafted onto American root stock. However, phylloxera finally did hit in 1989, leading to a massive replanting of vineyards with native grape varieties, especially Monastrell, which represents 85 percent of all plantings in Jumilla.
Bodega Torre Castillo 2006 Monastrell Jumilla ($13) 88
100 percent Monastrell from dry farmed, ungrafted vines and aged 4 months in new American oak. Medium dark ruby color with a rich nose of ripe red and black fruit. Rich, ripe and elegant on the well-balanced palate, showing sweet black raspberry flavors and sweet vanillan notes. Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
DO Cava
The Cava DO is unique in that it refers to a style of wine-making instead of a specific wine region. Indeed, producers who use the methode champenoise required for Cava DO status are located in eight different regions of Spain, although 95 percent of the country’s cava is produced in Penedes in Spain’s Catalonia region. Three principal grape varieties are mainly used to produce cava: Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada.
Cava Privat (Carmenet Winery) Laieta 2007 Cava Reserva Brut Nature ($ 35) 89
Carmenet is an atypical cava producer in that it uses Chardonnay and Pinot Noir rather than the traditional Spanish varietals to make its cava. The Laieta is pale gold with a rose tint. Has a medium bead and aromas of minerals and green pears. On the palate, the Laieta is tart, crisp and spritzy with a lush, full mouth feel. The finish is medium long with a sweet fruit note.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Castilla-La Mancha
Located to the south and southeast of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha is one of the 17 autonomous regions that constitute Spain. It includes 17 distinct DO’s, including Jumilla and La Mancha. In addition, in 1999 the region created a new category of wines called “Vino de la Tierra de Castilla” that includes wineries that lie outside the established DO’s but within the boundaries of Castilla-La Mancha. One must be careful not to confuse this category with “Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon” that refers to wines originating in the entirely different region of Castilla y Leon.
Bodegas del Muni Corpus del Muni Viña Lucia Seleccion 2004 Tierra de Castilla ($18) 92
Bodegas Muni is a small family winery located in Villatobas, Toledo, just south of Madrid. It was established in 2001 by the Perea Contreras family and has the good fortune of owning some 17 hectares of old vine parcels averaging 70+ years. The winery currently produces two high quality wines.
100 percent Tempranillo from the Viña Lucia vineyard located in the comarca [county] of La Mancha, aged 12 months in American and French oak. Opaque ruby-rimmed color showing a concentrated, meaty nose. Very soft, velvety, balanced and concentrated on the nicely-structured palate, showing black fruits and earth. This superb wine is better than when we first tasted it back in April 2007 and will improve still further with a little bottle age.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Bodegas del Muni Corpus del Muni 2005 Roble Tierra de Castilla ($14) 89
75 percent Tempranillo, 20 percent Syrah and 5 percent Garnacha from vines averaging 70 years old and aged in French and American oak. Dark ruby, almost opaque in color displaying a sweet cola and herbal nose. On the palate, cola, black cherry, coconut and sweet vanilla flavors compete for attention. This is a real crowd pleaser and has improved with bottle age.
Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd
Casas de Benitz 2006 Tempranillo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla ($10) 85
Medium ruby. Bright cherry aromas, carbonic maceration. Soft, vanilla and strawberry flavors with sweet oak highlights. Should probably be served chilled.
Importer: Spanish Vines, Inc. Columbia, SC
To submit wines for review, contact the publishers at info@i-winereview.com or call 703-448-5566