Catching up - Tastings Spring 2010
26-Jul-10 - I have been very remiss in falling behind with notes on some of the wines which people have sent me over the past six months, but it has, of course, been the busiest time of the year in the wine trade. I offer a consultancy service to people in the trade, particularly exporters looking for an importer in the UK, details here. Companies usually send me new wines in their portfolio or new vintages of established wines and, as it says in the brief, 'Option 2' clients get a detailed report with tasting notes, price comparisons, probable retail prices in the UK and my personal comments on branding, labelling, presentation, etc. 'Option 1' clients send wines, as it were, 'on spec' and if I happen to be writing about that particular area, and if the wines are up to scratch, then I'll ask for more information and include them. If I don't happen to be writing about that particular area, then I may feature them on this blog. Not everything I receive is worth talking about, I have to say: I still have a dozen or so samples from last year which are barely fit to cook with, but I'm always reluctant to pour wines, however duff, down the sink.
Anyway, to my shock I discover that I have more than two dozen bottles with scribbled post-it notes on them, from nine different companies. I list them in no particular order, with contact details where appropriate, and a general mark for quality across the range. Prices where quoted are per bottle, either retail in country of origin (in euros) or in the UK, and must be taken as approximate. Pictures are from the producers or their websites, and may represent different vintages from those tasted.
Vinos de Finca, DO Bierzo, www.losadavinosdefinca.com
UK www.wine-source.com
2007 Losada - £9.60
2007 Altos de Losada - £14.90
Officially opened las week (26-Jul-10) by Elena Espinosa, the Minister of Agriculture, the bodega was founded in 2005 by a group of shareholders and winemaker Amancio Fernández, of medal-winning Domino de Tares (also DO Bierzo) fame. These wines prove once again that the Mencía is a world-class grape in the right hands. Excellent quality - 17-18/20
Codorníu Group
2007 Legaris Crianza, DO Ribera del Duero - www.legaris.com - UK Oddbins £14.99
A recent venture by the group, established in 1998 with a first vintage in 1999. The wines have gone from strength to strength since then - classic Tinto Fino with a little Cabernet-Sauvignon for aroma - 16-17/20
Cava Codorníu Clásico, D Cava - www.codorniu.com
UK Co-op £8.99
The oldest 'commercial' Cava house (1872) and this is classic Cava rosé, made from Monastrell, Garnacha and Trepat - 17/20. You'll have to imagine that it's pink as I couldn't find a picture.
Fernandez de Piérola - www.pierola.com
UK www.albionwineshippers.co.uk - £8-£30
[Note - 14-Jan-11: this bodega has a new importer - www.eltorodistributors.com]
This is a family concern - new generation inherits vineyards and, instead of selling grape builds a new (and very stylish) winery (1996) with support from friends and neighbours. Initial quality was good, and has continued to improve since. The company now has wineries in Ribera del Duero (the rosado is splendid) (17/20) and Rueda (16/20) as well as Rioja (17/20).
2009 Fernández de Piérola Blanco barrel-fermented, DOCa Rioja
2006 Fernández de Piérola Crianza, DOCa Rioja
2005 Fernández de Piérola Reserva, DOCa Rioja
2009 Cyatho Verdejo, DO Rueda
2009 Traslacuestas Roble, DO Ribera del Duero
2009 Traslacuestas Rosado barrel-fermented, DO Ribera del Duero
2009 Chobeo de Peciña barrel-fermented, DOCa Rioja - www.bodegashermanospecina.com - UK seeking importer
A new departure for this old-established Rioja House with a 100% barrel-fermented Viura, very nicely done. 'Chobeo' is the family's nickname in San Vicente de la Sonsierra (17/20).
Bodegas Valdemar, DOCa Rioja - www.valdemar.es
UK- www.worldwines4u.com - £12-£30
A brilliant new range from the Martínez-Bujanda family who 'wanted to do something different' from their mainstream Conde de Valdemar range. These are premium wines, and the most fascinating is the Tempranillo Blanco - according to the bodega they have the only commercial plantation of this grape in the world (17-18/20).
2005 Inspiración Colección Varietales, DOCa Rioja
2005 Inspiración Graciano, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
2004 Inspiración Edición Limitada, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
2009 Inspiración Tempranillo Blanco, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
Griffith Park - Something good and good value for the summer, while it lasts - the wine won a best-value award from WHICH? Magazine in the spring (16/20). The bottles, rather beguilingly, have a peel-off back label so you can stick it on your fridge to remind you to buy some more - www.griffithpark.co.uk
UK - Asda £8-£9
Griffith Park Sparkling Rosé, South Eastern Australia
Griffith Park Sparkling Brut, South Eastern Australia
Celler La Muntanya is a most unusual new project in Muro, province of Alicante, but not a member of the DO Alicante. Founded in 2004, it owns no vineyards but has inaugurated what it calls 'Microviña' which exploits small parcels of vineyard land in the area according to the ancient principles of 'Mediterranean Mountain Farming'. The winemakers used old-vine parcels of such as Garnacha Tintorera, Giró, Boval and Bonicaire beside the traditional Garnacha and Monastrell, and the wines are quite spectacularly good, especially the Dolç, which has a hint of Botrytis (17-18/20) - www.cellerlamuntanya.com - UK seeking importer.
2008 Muro Negre
2008 Lliure Albir Blanc
2006 Almoroig
2008 Celler La Mutanya Dolç
Fernando Remírez de Ganuza is one of the great success stories of the Rioja Alavesa, established in 1988 and geared up to make the most premium of modern premium wines. Grape-handling and fermentation are meticulous, including double hand-sorting and even cutting bunches in half to make two different wines (Fernando believes that the top of the bunch gets more sun and is therefore riper). Exemplary in every way (18-19/20) - www.remirezdeganuza.com
UK www.winedirect.co.uk £40-£50
2004 Remírez de Ganuza Reserva, DOCa Rioja
2005 Remírez de Ganuza Reserva, DOCa Rioja
Finca Élez was one of the first DO Pagos (single estates - this one in Alabacete) created in 2003, and is owned by the famous film and theatre director Manuel Manzaneque. Escena ('scene') is his homage to the theatre and made from hand-selected old-vines Tempranillo. Elsewhere the estate grows Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah, and the wines are beautifully crafted (16-17/20) - www.manuelmanzaneque.com - €12-€20
UK seeking importer
2004 Finca Élez Escena
2006 Finca Élez Crianza
Finca Élez Chardonnay
Anyway, to my shock I discover that I have more than two dozen bottles with scribbled post-it notes on them, from nine different companies. I list them in no particular order, with contact details where appropriate, and a general mark for quality across the range. Prices where quoted are per bottle, either retail in country of origin (in euros) or in the UK, and must be taken as approximate. Pictures are from the producers or their websites, and may represent different vintages from those tasted.
Vinos de Finca, DO Bierzo, www.losadavinosdefinca.com
UK www.wine-source.com
2007 Altos de Losada - £14.90
Officially opened las week (26-Jul-10) by Elena Espinosa, the Minister of Agriculture, the bodega was founded in 2005 by a group of shareholders and winemaker Amancio Fernández, of medal-winning Domino de Tares (also DO Bierzo) fame. These wines prove once again that the Mencía is a world-class grape in the right hands. Excellent quality - 17-18/20
Codorníu Group
A recent venture by the group, established in 1998 with a first vintage in 1999. The wines have gone from strength to strength since then - classic Tinto Fino with a little Cabernet-Sauvignon for aroma - 16-17/20
UK Co-op £8.99
The oldest 'commercial' Cava house (1872) and this is classic Cava rosé, made from Monastrell, Garnacha and Trepat - 17/20. You'll have to imagine that it's pink as I couldn't find a picture.
Fernandez de Piérola - www.pierola.com
UK www.albionwineshippers.co.uk - £8-£30
[Note - 14-Jan-11: this bodega has a new importer - www.eltorodistributors.com]
This is a family concern - new generation inherits vineyards and, instead of selling grape builds a new (and very stylish) winery (1996) with support from friends and neighbours. Initial quality was good, and has continued to improve since. The company now has wineries in Ribera del Duero (the rosado is splendid) (17/20) and Rueda (16/20) as well as Rioja (17/20).
2006 Fernández de Piérola Crianza, DOCa Rioja
2005 Fernández de Piérola Reserva, DOCa Rioja
2009 Cyatho Verdejo, DO Rueda
2009 Traslacuestas Roble, DO Ribera del Duero
2009 Traslacuestas Rosado barrel-fermented, DO Ribera del Duero
2009 Chobeo de Peciña barrel-fermented, DOCa Rioja - www.bodegashermanospecina.com - UK seeking importer
Bodegas Valdemar, DOCa Rioja - www.valdemar.es
UK- www.worldwines4u.com - £12-£30
A brilliant new range from the Martínez-Bujanda family who 'wanted to do something different' from their mainstream Conde de Valdemar range. These are premium wines, and the most fascinating is the Tempranillo Blanco - according to the bodega they have the only commercial plantation of this grape in the world (17-18/20).
2005 Inspiración Graciano, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
2004 Inspiración Edición Limitada, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
2009 Inspiración Tempranillo Blanco, Valdemar, DOCa Rioja
Griffith Park - Something good and good value for the summer, while it lasts - the wine won a best-value award from WHICH? Magazine in the spring (16/20). The bottles, rather beguilingly, have a peel-off back label so you can stick it on your fridge to remind you to buy some more - www.griffithpark.co.uk
UK - Asda £8-£9
Griffith Park Sparkling Brut, South Eastern Australia
Celler La Muntanya is a most unusual new project in Muro, province of Alicante, but not a member of the DO Alicante. Founded in 2004, it owns no vineyards but has inaugurated what it calls 'Microviña' which exploits small parcels of vineyard land in the area according to the ancient principles of 'Mediterranean Mountain Farming'. The winemakers used old-vine parcels of such as Garnacha Tintorera, Giró, Boval and Bonicaire beside the traditional Garnacha and Monastrell, and the wines are quite spectacularly good, especially the Dolç, which has a hint of Botrytis (17-18/20) - www.cellerlamuntanya.com - UK seeking importer.
2008 Muro Negre
2008 Lliure Albir Blanc
2006 Almoroig
2008 Celler La Mutanya Dolç
Fernando Remírez de Ganuza is one of the great success stories of the Rioja Alavesa, established in 1988 and geared up to make the most premium of modern premium wines. Grape-handling and fermentation are meticulous, including double hand-sorting and even cutting bunches in half to make two different wines (Fernando believes that the top of the bunch gets more sun and is therefore riper). Exemplary in every way (18-19/20) - www.remirezdeganuza.com
UK www.winedirect.co.uk £40-£50
2005 Remírez de Ganuza Reserva, DOCa Rioja
Finca Élez was one of the first DO Pagos (single estates - this one in Alabacete) created in 2003, and is owned by the famous film and theatre director Manuel Manzaneque. Escena ('scene') is his homage to the theatre and made from hand-selected old-vines Tempranillo. Elsewhere the estate grows Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah, and the wines are beautifully crafted (16-17/20) - www.manuelmanzaneque.com - €12-€20
UK seeking importer
2004 Finca Élez Escena
2006 Finca Élez Crianza
Finca Élez Chardonnay
Remember that you can usually find wines at
www.wine-searcher.com
www.wine-searcher.com
To sponsor a weblink or picture for any post, please contact john@johnradford.com
posted by John Radford at
17:26
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