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That's probably a good way of making sure I don't get invited to Rioja.
Not that I have anything against them - far from it, there are some
outstanding wineries in the region making lovely wines. But, when faced
with an enormous amount of bottles up for tasting at the Wines from Spain
annual bash in London (Feb 2007), I decided to shun Spain's best
known area in search of a few different things. Something newer or sexier perhaps.
So in this report, you'll find around 25 red and rosé wines - or rather rosado, or rosat from Catalonia - made mostly from the Garnacha,
Monastrell and Tempranillo varieties
(with a few French grapes thrown in) coming from regions such
as
Toro, Jumilla, Yecla, Alicante, Ribera del Duero, Campo de Borja, Navarra
and Terra Alta.
Toro
This very up-and-coming region is found to the west of Ribera del Duero in
Castilla and Leon (click on each of the dark blue region titles in caps
for more info on Wines from Spain's website). Winemakers are doing
exciting things with Tinta de Toro, the local name for Tempranillo, and so
far charging reasonable prices for the results.
Covitoro
2004 Cañus Verus, Viñas Viejas (Tinta de Toro
= Tempranillo) - vanilla and cedar notes backed up by ripe plummy fruit,
grip and power to finish. £8-£10 87
2005 T Rosado (Tempranillo Garnacha)
- creamy redcurrant and raspberry aromas, quite chunky and weighty (13.5%)
with a touch of tannin v fresh length. £5 85
Quinta el Refugio
2005 Tinto (Tempranillo)
- more serious wine (but not price), lightly rustic fruit v very firm
build, yet rounded on the finish too. £5-£6 89-91
2004 Vetus (Tempranillo
Cabernet Sauvignon) - quite extracted and dry tannins but again has
lush dark fruit and power on the finish. £10-£15
89
Jumilla
I like wines from Jumilla (located in Murcia in the southeast), especially
those based on the region's wonderful Monastrell grape variety. Another
area once known for bulk wine, there are many new wineries worth checking
out. The fact that Torres has bought vineyards here must say something
about potential quality.
Bodegas Juan Gil
2006 Monastrell - nice juicy ripe
black cherry and olive notes, light tannins and savoury finish. £5-£6
87-89
2004 Silver Label Monastrell -
more extracted and leathery, liquorice fruit v firm framework, tangy black
olive finish. £8-£10 90
Casa de la Ermita
2004 Monasterio de Santa Ana (Monastrell)
- black cherry and olive with meaty herbal tones, the 14%+ alcohol is
quite noticeable but the wine has character. £5
85-87
2001 Reserva (Monastrell Cabernet
Syrah) - savoury black olive and ripe black cherry with liquorice
edges; nice texture and weight, firm v rich fruit. £12
90+
Navarra
Neighbouring Rioja in north-eastern Spain, Basque-side, Navarra seems to
have established its own identity with often successful red blends of
Bordeaux and Spanish varieties, as well as some of the country's best
rosados. Wineries need to watch any excessive penchant on the style and
price front!
Bodega 1877
2002 Altoro crianza (Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon) - smoky plum with vanilla
undertones, maturing ripe fruit v solid grip. £6-£8
89
Bodegas Ochoa
2005 Lágrima Rosado
(Garnacha Cabernet Sauvignon) - delicate
fruit, quite tight and fresh v good balance of weight and crunchy red
fruits. £8 87
Bodegas Otazu
2000 Altar (Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo Merlot)
- spicy oak on a quite rich and extracted palate, shows concentration and
grip with attractive maturing fruit underneath. £21
88-90
Bodegas Iñaki Nuñez
2003 Pago de Cirsus, Selección de Familia (Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot)
- new wood v rich yet elegant fruit, chunky modern blackberry with a touch
of finesse too. Good but £35? 89+
Ribera del Duero
Hailed as one of the most exciting regions along with Priorat, Ribera's
almost cult status has lead to sometimes very high prices and over-the-top
winemaking (see Valtravieso's VT below for an example of an impressive
competition wine, although not the most exaggerated by any stretch).
Having said that, there are many superb wines with controlled extraction
and oak usage at more reasonable prices, as you can see below.
Bodegas Ismael Arroyo
2004 Mesoneros de Castilla roble (Tinto Fino
= Tempranillo)
- big yet elegant wine showing dark fruit and dry tannins v fair alcohol
and fresh bite; good concentration and balance, value too (for this
expensive region). £6-£8 92+?
2001 Valsotillo Reserva (Tempranillo)
- more farmyard and meaty soup in tone and texture, maturing savoury fruit
v firm yet rounded framework. £15+ 89-91
Pago de los Capellanes
2005 Tinto roble (Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot)
- juicier with cassis and plum notes, very firm and powerful balanced by
lovely fruit. £10-£15 90-92
2003 El Nogal (Tempranillo) - smoky
leather aromas with meaty prune undertones, vanilla oak backdrop with
power and extracted tannins. Wow but a little unbalanced. £15+
89
Bodegas Valtravieso
2005 Dominio de Nogara (Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot)
- ripe perfumed black cherry with light leather notes, firm tight
mouth-feel with fresh elegant style too. £8 87-89
2004 VT Vendimia Seleccionada
(Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot)
- broody nose leads to rich extracted palate, very firm and dry with ripe
fruit and oak roundness. Impressive to taste but difficult to drink? £38
87
Bodegas Félix Callejo
2003 Selección Familia (Tempranillo) - a
bit strange: perfumed vanilla v meaty aromas; big and grippy, quite
extracted but it works somehow. £20 87
Cillar de Silos
2003 Torre Silo (Tempranillo) - nice
chunky fruit with background oak, savoury development v grip and length.
£25 89-91
Priorat
Catalonia's most famous, highish-altitude region
needs little introduction (click on the title to zoom to the WFS
website); and for some reason, I only tasted one wine whose winery
provenance is also a bit of a mystery...
2004 Osmin - rich chunky fruit and texture, quite oaky but not too
much. 88-90
Yecla
This small region adjoins Jumilla in Murcia province and similarly is fast
becoming a source of delicious good-value Mediterranean reds.
Bodega Castano
2002 Pozuelo crianza (Monastrell
Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo) - smoky
earthy nose with ripe creamy fruit, attractive grip and elegant length.
£6-£8 87-89
Campo de Borja
Head south from Navarra into Aragon and you'll find this still obscure
wine area, where Garnacha in particular appears to be shaping their
promising future. I haven't tried many wines from here but Borsao below is
a pretty reliable name.
Borsao
2005 Tres Picos Garnacha - spicy oak v
rich ripe fruit, nice dry grip on the perhaps a bit too oaky finish.
85-87
Alicante
Located not far from Valencia, Alicante also has large plantings of yummy
Monastrell; although I appear to have picked one of the dearest wines from
this talented and otherwise good-value region!
Bodegas Sierra Salinas
2003 Mira Salinas (Monastrell Garnacha
Cabernet Sauvignon) - quite tight and firm
mouth-feel with vibrant black olive and liquorice fruit, powerful finish.
£15+ 89
Terra Alta
One of Catalonia's least known areas, in contrast, found to the west
of Priorat. Traditional and French varieties seem to work well together,
and this region has one or two very good co-operatives who offer rich
'modern' Med reds at affordable prices.
Celler Pinol
2005 Sacra Natura (Cariñena Tempranillo
Syrah Cabernet, organic) - meaty chunky wine with grip and power
(14%), nice dark fruit in the background. £10
87-89
Conca de Barberà
This region poised above Tarragona (west of Barcelona) came to the
limelight quite a few years ago but still doesn't exactly trip off the
tongue. However, it's home to one of Torres' flagship estate wines that
incorporates obscure local varieties making a comeback.
Torres
2001 Grans Muralles (Monastrell Garnacha
Garró Samsó Cariñena) - Garró and Samsó are old lost Catalan
varieties that Torres has resurrected. Smoky complex nose with 'sweet' and
savoury mix, grip power and length on the palate. £45
88-90
Posted June 2007 |
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