Undiscovered Spain: Castilla y León

"The vast evocative Castilla & León region, which lies roughly between Madrid and the north coast stretching almost from Rioja across to Galicia and Portugal, isn't exactly "undiscovered," for Spanish wine lovers at least. Hip Ribera del Duero needs little introduction and other areas such as Toro (for reds) and Rueda (for whites), which are found to the east, south and west of Valladolid, appear to have gained some ground in the recognition stakes in the UK and US. But on this winery tour..."

CLICK HERE for the full works (at the bottom of this long Spanish archive page)...

"Saucy winery fresco @ Zamoranas"
by Brett Jones

Roussillon: Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls-sur-mer

Latest HERE featuring their 2000 Vieilles Vignes Banyuls tasted with fine chocolate (December 2013)...

Jean-Michel Parcé puts together quite a diverse range of traditional reds (mostly Collioure) and Vins Doux Naturels, sourced from different plots lying in first-rate sites around the Banyuls-sur-Mer area, which usually age well - he doesn’t tend to release them until he thinks they're ready. Jean-Michel, whose winery and cellars are located right in the town centre, has been at the helm of Mas Blanc for over 30 years continuing the pioneering work done by Doctors Gaston (grandfather) and André (father) Parcé. So, a few generations of Doctors (Who?) then, for those of you who don't know them and get the tangential "joke" ((w)ho (w)ho).
On the Banyuls VDN front, he makes just about every style imaginable (and a couple more besides), which makes Mas Blanc a good place to learn something about these distinctive wines. For example, his ‘Rimage’ La Coume, built from rather old Grenache, is intensely "sweet and sour"; and Colheita-style ‘Excellence’ impressive, quirky and complex. As for Collioure reds, Clos du Moulin (the name of the vineyard, pic. above) is made from about 80% Mourvèdre supplemented by Counoise and is something of a solid meaty forte; and his half-Syrah Cosprons (again, a single vineyard site) is rich, smoky and savoury. Jean-Michel has also started producing more whites (e.g. the promising ‘Signature’ below) and rosés, as well as a few balsamic-style Banyuls vinegars (see website at bottom for details).

Spring 2009:
2008 Signature white Collioure (Grenache blanc Marsanne Roussanne & Tourbat) - exotic fruit and banana notes lead on to zesty citrus vs a touch of yeast-lees creaminess, finishing with nice fresh mineral length. €12.50 87-89
2006 La Llose red Collioure - already turning smoky and savoury with minty herbal undertones and nice cassis fruit too; tangy vs soft mouthfeel with subtle concentration, attractively lively and firm vs easy and supple on the finish. €9 87
2004 Cosprons Levants red Collioure - smoky leather touches although still a bit closed up surprisingly; maturing ripe resiny fruit vs hints of wild herbs on the palate, enticingly elegant savoury and tasty finish. €18.50 89+
2004 Clos du Moulin Collioure (mostly Mourvèdre) - meaty black olive aromas with dried fruits too; attractive elegant palate showing a lush savoury side vs firm but accessible tannins, dry yet quite fine finish. €23 89+
2005 Les Junquets Collioure (mostly Syrah) - very cassis nose although perhaps a tad reduced; cleaner palate, pretty solid at this stage with 'sweet' vs herbal fruit, tight closed up style but give it 1 to 2 years. €28 90
2006 Rimage Banyuls - oxidising meaty edges vs nice intense sweet raspberry vs dry grip all lending good balance. Still young. €21 87+
2004 Collita Banyuls - more liquoricey with dried / cooked fruits, spicy too vs firm textured, lush and sweet vs meaty leather tones. €15 88+
Cuvée du Docteur Banyuls - more oxidised with toffee and sweet nuts; oily texture vs dry grip, nice traditional style with a warming Christmas pudding finish. Just what the, erm, Doctor ordered (groan). €13 89+
1998 Vieilles Vignes Banyuls - maturing "cheesy" aromas, intricate and savoury; rich toffee vs again that dry texture, nutty and long. Yum, all comes together nicely. €30 92+
2000 Excellence Banyuls "Colheita style" - unusual nose showing toffee, banana, caramel and baked Brazil nuts with an interesting "herbal" backdrop; sweet vs structured and punchy mouthfeel with delicious "sweet & savoury" mix, dry grip vs liqueur-like flavours. Wow. €35 92-94
Hors d'Age Sostrera Banyuls ("solera" style) - really oxidised and sweet, very complex and Madeira like although more raspberry syrup; again firm palate yet minty or something too, fine mature wild cheese notes then structured and still lively finish. A one-off. €45 92+
This "bin-end" was found in a LeClerc store (north Perpignan), early summer 2009 (I assume as it was only €5 and bottled with a screwcap, so I doubt originally destined for French supermarkets):
2005 Les Piloums Collioure rouge (13.5%) - attractive mature supple style with dried, smoky, savoury fruit; lacks a bit of substance and class but quite a bargain though. 85


And this is what I said back in September 2005:
2003 Banyuls blanc (Grenache Blanc Malvoisie Muscat d'Alexandrie 16.5%) - Unusual bromide nose leads to minerally palate, finishing more Muscaty and aromatic; good balance of alcohol and residual sugar. 85
2001 Banyuls Rimage, la Coume (Grenache Noir 17.5%) - Fairly oxidised nose (intentionally) showing lovely spicy 'garrigue' fruit with perfumed wild flowers, attractive grip of tannins v sweetness with good bite and length. €38 92-94
2001 Clos du Moulin, Collioure (80% Mourvèdre + Counoise) - Lovely ripe smoky complex nose with sweet berry, liquorice, mushroom and lavender; soft v structured mouthfeel, dry texture with bite of tannin and acidity layered with rich wild raspberry fruit, subtle elegant length and concentration. 90-92
2003 Mosaique, Collioure - More up-front and straightforward than the Clos Moulin, ripe blackberry fruit then quite structured closing up a little on the finish; again shows richness v elegance v firmness. €15 87+


9 Avenue Général de Gaulle, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tel: 04 68 88 32 12, www.domainedumasblanc.com.

Roussillon: Domaine Berta-Maillol, Banyuls-sur-mer

Domaine Berta-Maillol

This "perhaps 400 year-old estate" is found a few kilometres inland from Banyuls-sur-Mer town centre (where they also have a shop), not far from the Maillol museum (well-known 20th Century artist who is a relative) and the riot of a 'road' that eventually climbs over the Col de Banyuls into Spain. The Berta-Maillol family loves to chat enthusiastically about the region's wines - how they're made, history, what to eat with them - while tasting with you in their old cellar. In fact, there are some lovely recipe ideas on their website (see below). Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel is obviously their pride and joy - the appellation stretches across the sheer rugged slopes behind and between the seaside towns of Collioure, Port-Vendres, Banyuls-sur-Mer and Cerbère - and these fortified, Port-style red wines slowly improve as they mature...

2004 Collioure Arrels (mostly Grenache plus Mourvèdre Carignan Syrah) - perfumed blackcurrant and cherry with lavender notes, quite tangy yet attractive fruit to finish. 85
2004 Collioure Barral - grippier and a little spicier with background oak v chunky fruit; odd sort of glue smell to start but has a better finish. 83-85
2005 Banyuls blanc (Grenache blanc & gris plus Muscat) - nice aromatic style, sweet honey and flowers v fresh zingy finish; somewhat youthful showing promise. 87
2004 Banyuls (Grenache) - appealing black cherry, prune and leather notes; not very sweet with lively alcohol and light tannins on its good length. 87-89
2003 Banyuls - more oxidised and sweeter, delicious liquorice and prune fruit followed by nice bite. 87
2001 Banyuls - meatier with stronger leather tones, lovely rich liquorice flavours within its complex developing fruit; long and well integrated tannins/alcohol, a bit drier than the 03. 90+
Banyuls Hors d'Age (solera method: average age 5 to 8 years with a tiny proportion much older) - intricate savoury v toffee aromas, rounded and tasty palate with roast beef and prune notes; very long finish, a real treat. 92-94

Updated spring/summer 2009: affable brothers Jean-Louis and Michel Berta-Maillol have made some changes in winemaking techniques and style, which show through nicely in their richer fruitier 2007 and 2008 Collioure reds; as well as new dry white wines and a chunky rosé. And a new blog too: http://bertamaillol.zeblog.com. All the 2008s I tasted were unfinished tank or cask samples:
2008 Collioure blanc (Grenache blanc & gris) - exotic and "fat" with attractive apricot and quince aromas/flavours mingling with hints of pine essence; quite rich vs zesty with a tangier side vs creamy yeast-lees notes, dry mineral bite with fresh acidity vs rounded and weighty. 87+
2008 Muscat sec (Alexandria) - lively perfumed orange peel zest vs grapey "Muscaty" notes; zippy and gummy palate with a dry twist. 85-87
2008 Collioure rosé (Grenache Syrah) - lively red fruits with creamy edges, gummy "boiled sweet" tones with off-dry finish. Nice style. 87
2008 Collioure rouge (50+% Grenache plus Mourvèdre Carignan Syrah, ageing in big tuns) - delicious black cherry and blueberry fruit, spicy and minty too; firm and dry mouthfeel vs vibrant floral liquorice flavours. Yum, will be lovely.
2008 Collioure Barral (more Grenache and Syrah than above plus Carignan, ageing in barriques) - deeper colour with a touch of chocolate oak, more liquorice and spice too; much firmer palate but concentrated too with floral vs "sweet" fruit, good balance and style showing power and grip vs freshness vs ripe texture. Promising.
2007 Collioure Barral - powerful yet perfumed with dark cherry fruit; rich rounded and liquoricey vs dry and solid, chunky and weighty vs lush and tasty. 90
2008 Banyuls Rimage (Grenache) - Black Forest Gateau richness vs quite raw alcohol (not surprising at this stage), firm and fruity finish.
2007 Banyuls Rimage (Grenache, 6 months in barriques) - mellower showing more cooked cherry aromas / flavours; lush vs structured mouthfeel, lively at this stage of course with lots of substance and fruit, attractive grip and texture vs sweetness. Very nice style and again promising. 88+

Mas Paroutet, Route des Mas, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tel: 04 68 88 00 54, domaine@berta-maillol.com, http://www.bertamaillol.com/.

Roussillon: Mas de Lavail, Maury

Nicolas, Marie Laure and Jean Batlle have 50 ha (124 acres) around their handsome tree-shaded farmhouse off the main road near Maury - which is less common in this neck of the woods, growers around here often owning smaller parcels in a few different sites - plus another 25 or so towards Tautavel. The family has a long grape growing history but only bought the Mas in 1999, which is still being renovated. They've created a stylish cosy lounge reception area, adjoining a small barrel cellar, and a gîte, which during the vintage houses a merry band of guitar playing, multiple dog owning new-age-travelling pickers. Some thirty people are taken on for one month as the whole estate is hand-harvested and sorted. Lavail produces about 100,000 bottles and sells off the rest in bulk.

These wines tasted on 5/9/2006: see 6th Fenouillèdes wine fair and read on below for updates.
Cuvée le Sud blanc, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Grenache Blanc & Gris, 14%) - nice mealy tones with subtle oak adding roundness and creaminess; fresher 'celery' bite v ripe fruit to finish. 87+
2004 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Syrah Grenache) - lovely herbal black cherry and olive notes, quite rich and pure with fine tight grip and length. 89+
2003 La Désirade Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Syrah Grenache) - darker richer black cherry with blackberry spice, developing liquorice resin and garrigue notes; powerful (15%) mouthfeel with chocolate textured tannins and tight length, lingering 'sweet v savoury' fruit too. 92
2003 Cuvée Ego, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (100% Grenache) - delicious pure ripe Grenache nose, rounded and lush v dry palate, powerful with lingering fruit; somehow still fairly elegant despite the 'wow' factor. 92-94
2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes - intense grape orange peel and lychee flavours, fresh acidity v alcohol (usually 15%+) but still a bit too sweet (110 grams per litre residual sugar) despite this and good extract.
Maury blanc (Grenache Blanc) - light choco toast aromas and texture, not so aged in style and a bit fruity-sweet bland against only light bite. Not so attractive on its own, but Marie Laure said it's good with a dish like scallops in Noilly Prat sauce!
2004 Maury Expression 'Vintage' (100% Grenache, 16%) - black cherry and choco with savoury gravy notes, lightly oxidised edges yet lovely fruit and coating of dry tannins that lend a fresher, tight finish offsetting the rich sweetness (80g/l residual sugar). Yum. 92
To buy these wines in the UK, contact Leon Stolarski Fine Wines. Also available in the US: 2007 update the whole range is now distributed by Domaine Cazes' sales company, headed up by namesake nephew Lionel Lavail.

Update spring/summer 2009 - son Jean (or is it Nicolas? Apologies for my rudeness...) Batlle (tricky Catalan surname pronounced "bye-ya" I believe) took me through their latest vintages. For some reason, I appear to have been a bit less wow-ed this time..?
2007 Le Sud (Grenache blanc & gris) - lightly toasty coconut notes, exotic and spicy; "salty" mineral palate turning nutty, quite nice style. 85+
2006 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Carignan Grenache 14%) - attractive herbal cassis notes, turning into richer black cherry; nice and juicy vs dry mouthfeel, medium-bodied and straightforward yet quite elegant with appealing fruit on the finish. 85-87
2006 La Désirade Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Grenache Carignan 15%) - one year in oak: smokier and spicier on the nose; tighter quite closed palate, firm with hints of chocolate vs attractive depth of fruit and structured finish. Promising. 89
2005 Ego (Grenache 15%) - delicious ripe liquorice aromas, peppery lush and "sweet"; taut mouthfeel with solid framework vs maturing savoury flavours, surprisingly balanced despite that alcohol with enticing juicy fruit vs dry finish. Yum. 90-92
2007 Expression Maury - lovely raspberry and black cherry nose; lively fruit with leathery edges, nice dry vs sweet style. 87-89
2006 white Maury - unusual honeyed exotic and spicy aromas / flavours vs orange peel and nutty oxidising tones; lush and sweet vs dry grainy mouthfeel and nutty bite. Different and complex too, with attractive underlying freshness vs ageing. 89+
2006 Muscat de Rivesaltes (Petits Grains) - very Muscat, still lively and floral with zesty orange peel, attractive zing vs oily finish. 87

18 Rue Henri Barbusse, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 59 15 22, masdelavail@wanadoo.fr, www.cazes-rivesaltes.com.