Some interesting wines that we have tried in recent months. Photo credit: A.C.
This is the first of three articles focused on wines that we have enjoyed in recent weeks but didn’t make it to our Wine of the Week section or other pieces we have published this year. As they deserve to be reviewed is some detail, here are a few red and rosé recommnedations. The next couple of weeks we will write about whites, sparkling and fortified wines.
Part of the successful range of village wines launched by Legaris in the 2015 vintage, this new release is the first rosé ever produced by this winery owned by Raventós Codorníu group. Made like the traditional clarete wines in Ribera del Duero, this is a blend of 60% Tinto Fino and 40% Albillo sourced respectively from an 80-year-old vineyard on clayey soils and a sandy six-year-old plot. The red grapes come from a cold exposure vineyard and bunches were picked a bit earlier but avoiding green tannins. Fermentation started in stainless steel tanks and ended in concrete vats where the wine was aged on its lees for six months. This a clean, fresh wine with red berries, tangerine zest and stone fruit aromas. The palate is sapid with a certain weight and good length. A mouthwatering rosé to drink throughout the summer and one that will surely please discerning wine lovers. 4,400 bottles. €23.
Another rosé that we have enjoyed this year. The only secret behind it is the place where the grapes are grown: a hundred-year-old vineyard at 700m elevation on a north-facing, steep slope near the border between Bierzo and Galicia, and planted to a delightful assortment of varieties (50% Mencía plus Aramón, Estaladiña, Palomino, Negreda and Alicante Bouschet). The three months that the wine spent in 600-litre barrels have rounded it off wonderfully. A serious nose with wild red berries and herbal aromas and a broad, juicy palate combining depth and delicacy. The finish is long and finely-textured with hints of infused herbs. This rosé, tried at a Bierzo tasting that I conducted a few days ago at The Wine Studio, is a real treat. Winemaker Nacho Álvarez is doing a great job recovering ancient vineyards and signposting the plots with the names of the growers who kept them alive and prevented them from being grubbed up. Álvarez, who worked as technical director at Jorge Ordóñez’s wineries in Spain, has returned to his hometown to embark on a project that comes from his heart. 3,000 bottles. €18.
Here is one of the highlights of a new project set up by Valtravieso, a producer in Ribera del Duero, to recover old vineyards in lesser known regions like Ribera del Júcar, Jumilla and Arlanza. The latter is probably the most appealing of the three as they have greater access to vineyards thanks to the help of distributor and producer Luis Martín, who knows the area well. This wine is named after the mountain range that protects the village of Covarrubias from the cold northern winds and contributes to shape a particular micro-climate that allows to grow vines slightly over 1,000 metres above sea level. Las Mamblas is a blend of various plots scattered around the village and has been aged for 12 months in 228- to 500- litre barrels. It is fragrant, with hints of flowers and ripe fruit; medium-bodied and with tension despite its 14.5% abv. and original given that is an old-vine field blend -Tempranillo plus Monastrell, Bobal, Garnacha.... A red with its own distinctive character and relatively expensive at €40 seeking to shine a light on their best vineyard. For the time being, it is mainly sold outside Spain. 3,230 bottles.
Born in a non-vinegrowing village in Pla de Bages (Barcelona), Josep Grau left behind the hectic world of finance to carve out a life as wine producer in Montsant and Priorat, where he is focused on indigenous Mediterranean grape varieties like Garnacha and Cariñena. His wines, sourced from organically farmed old vines, are increasingly refined. It is difficult to choose just one cuvée in his portfolio -we had the chance to taste almost the entire range at a tasting offered by his distributor Montenegro a few months ago in Madrid. Perhaps Territori, a blend of equal parts of Garnacha and Cariñena aged in Austrian foudres for 14 months, offers a good introduction to his style. Expressive, delicate and dominated by red fruit notes, it is a juicy red in which the sweetness of Garnacha is balanced by the tension of Cariñena. We love the way the landscape and the varieties take centre stage in the glass. €23.
Although still quite difficult to find and often high-priced, Caíño Tinto is emerging as one of Galicia's most promising red varieties and a cornerstone to make Atlantic-style wines. This one is produced by Anónimas Viticultoras, the joint project of Cristina Yagüe and María Falcón, two women with extensive experience in the wine industry whom we met at the last BWW edition. The wine provides all the freshness expected from Rías Baixas (bramble, wild red berries), but without the green, rustic edge that sometimes blurs local reds. The gentle texture is really pleasant and inviting. The winemaking is very simple: grapes are destemmed and let to ferment in plastic vats practically untouched so many whole berries undergo a semi carbonic maceration process. Malolactic fermentation takes place partly in wood and partly in stainless steel tanks; then the wine is racked and left to decant for several months. This is our kind of summer red. €17.
This is a new and truly exciting venture in Ribera del Júcar in Castilla-La Mancha, even though the wines are labelled VT Castilla. It is the brainchild of partner winemakers Micaela Rubio, who lends her name to the project and knows the area well, and her husband Aurelio García, technical director at Bodegas Valquejigoso in Madrid. They are work on three villages -Pozoamargo, Casas de Benítez and Casas de Guijarro-, forming a triangle in the southeastern tip of Cuenca province. The area's large pebbles, reminiscent of those in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, retain moisture and prevent evaporation. The portfolio of wines is designed according to how deep the limestone horizon lies below: 2-3m for the entry-level El Reflejo de Mikaela; barely 30cm for the top single vineyard La Infanta de Mikaela; and 80cm for Mikaela. Made from three small plots close to each other, Mikaela sets a new bar for Bobal: fine, floral and spicy over a chalky background; definetely aromatic rather than structured. A real find. €32.
Generational change is bringing much joy to this "cosechero" bodega on the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountains. Ricardo Fernández, one of this year’s 100 Young Gastronomic Talents (under 30) according to the Basque Culinary Center, is bottling some of the best vineyards owned by his family in the village of Ábalos (Rioja Alta). After releasing a carbonic maceration red made from old vines and a varietal Mazuelo sourced from a cold area, Carronillo, a single-vineyard red, certainly places him among Rioja's rising stars. Grapes are sourced from a 50+-year-old vineyard planted on shallow clay-limestone soils on the upper part of the village (630m elevation). Much of its distinctive character probably comes from the mix of varieties that are co-fermented as a field blend: 88% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 4% Viura. Garnacha leaves its mark on the nose with hints of crunchy red fruit (strawberry) adding definition and finesse. The palate is savoury, fruit-driven, with very good acidity and persistence. An excellent terroir-driven Rioja. €36
Change is afoot at the second venture of Bodegas Frontonio in Aragón. Headed by Master of Wine Fernando Mora and winemaker Mario López, Cuevas de Arom has moved from Campo de Borja to Calatayud, where the duo have teamed up with Bodegas San Alejandro. The main reason behind this unusual move is an obsessive search for freshness in their Garnacha-driven wines. The mountainous orography of Calatayud means higher elevation (up to 900m) and more favourable exposures. Other prized features include slate soils, hillsides and old vineyards where Garnacha is often found alongside other grape varieties. For the time being the focus is on the villages of Alarba, Acered and Murero. The range of wines remains virtually unchanged, although the labels have been redesigned. The single-vineyard Os Catals comes from an old goblet-trained vineyard planted at 700m above sea level on ferrous soils. It was fermented with 50% whole bunches and aged in concrete. The wine is more fluid and less structured than the former ones at Campo de Borja. Definitely more floral and herbal, with direct fruit, fine texture and remarkable length. Aragón continues to improve its standing among Spain’s fine wines. Os Cantals is set to be released by the end of July. €44.
Born in Sheffield (UK), but established in Castilla y León more than 20 years ago, Nicola Thornton has ample experience exporting Spanish wines. In 2016 she founded Spanish Palate to develop a diverse range of wines made from traditional vineyards all over the country, as well as to represent small producers unable to have their own export departments. This wine, together with a novel white that blends grapes from different wine regions of Castilla y Léon, is the first in the Secret Cellar premium range.
El Alma de Gildo is made from Tinta de Toro and honours Hermenegildo García de Tiedra, "Gildo", a local grower who turned 100 recently and to whom she regards as her “adoptive grandfather”. The wine comes from carefully selected old vineyards (40 to 90 years old) planted on sandy, clayey, and chalky soils, which are not too common in the area. The plots are cofermented and undergo malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks; the wine is then aged in barrels of various sizes, with several batches spending some time in tanks, thus significantly limiting the presence of oak. The wine bursts with fruit and shows great depth. The palate has tension and notable length, with ripe, high quality tannins that evolve beautifully on the glass. It has the structure expected from Toro but with unusual elegance. The unconventional label, assembled by hand, requires consumers to lift a tab to unveil the full name of the wine. 12,944 bottles. €45.
Lauren Rosillo, winemaker at Martínez Bujanda group, has found his own hidden playground in Malaga's Axarquía, where he pioneered Romé reds. This grape variety, mostly destined to homemade wine, was never seen as refined as the widely grown Moscatel de Alejandría. Rosillo has patiently proved that reds can also have a future in this rugged region with steep, vertiginous slopes. The distinctive feature of this new wine is the soil it comes from: white or yellow slate, rich in quartz. In this case, Romé vines are scattered among white grapes in a plot planted in 1920 and destined to the white wine Laderas de Sedella. As a result, production is tiny (989 bottles). With just 12% abv., the wine displays the fresh, mineral profile that is characteristic of the area. There is certainly a rustic edge, but also a silky texture and vibrant acidity. Decanting is highly recommended to avoid reduction. Nevertheless, these low intervention wines develop beautifully for several days once the bottle is uncorked. A wine for open-minded, curious aficionados. €30.
