More Tastings... And Labels, Labels, Labels Please!
30-Jun-11 - Yes, I know, it's been ages, and I am trying to catch up, but since my last post I've been to Spain three times and done several away gigs in the UK, so, as ever, I'm trying to catch up.
First, though, a plea: I get samples of wine from all over the place, as part of consultancy projects, for researching articles and (at the moment) the Rioja book update, and sometimes even as a gift (thanks very much!). Many of them come with a brochure or explanatory leaflet, but the problem is that, as the bottles move from kitchen to cellar and back again, very often the paperwork becomes separated and I then can't tell who sent what (I do like to write and acknowledge receipt of samples). So I always ask 'please, please, please affix a sticky label to the bottle with a contact name, e-mail address, and some kind of guide price (ex-cellars, retail in country of origin or rrp in the UK)'. That way I can properly acknowledge where a wine has come from if I am recommending it and, if necessary, get further information about it. Something like this is perfect:
OK - these are some of the wines I've been trying lately. Prices, where quoted, are approximate and as listed by www.wine-searcher.com:
Bodegas Valduero, Gumiel del Mercado (Ribera del Duero)
Profile from THE NEW SPAIN (2004 edition)
www.bodegasvalduero.com, valduero@bodegasvalduero.com
EST. 1983 - in beguiling old Castilian cellars which were formerly part of a co-operative, this bodega has one of the region's most famous female consultant winemakers - Yolanda García - who has inspired a whole generation of young women to train in the profession. The bodega has 200 ha of vines and although it built a spanking new winery about 2 km out of town in the early 2000s, the oldest wines - and visitors - still go to the 16th-century labyrinth in Gumiel.
2008 García Viadero Albillo, IGP Castilla y León - 12% abv - £9-£10
Hurrah! Another formerly-despised grape variety back from the dead, proving the Radford apophthegm that there is no such thing as a crap grape, just crap winemaking. Under the skilled hand of Yolanda García the Albillo gives us a delicious, herby fruit, fresh acidity and a crisp, bone-dry finish. 17/20
2004 Valduero 6 Años Reserva Premium - old-vines Tempranillo - 14% - 24 months in oak (from 4 different countries) plus 48 in bottle - £55-£60
'Meaty', blackberry fruit, rich, subtle oak on the nose, gorgeous rich fruit and toasty oak on the foretaste with some working tannins under the surface, lovely fruit on mid-palate, tannins on length, needs another few years. Best 2014 onwards. 19/20
We team-tasted this with an £85 bottle of Rioja, and the Valduero won, especially with slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with leek and rosemary in a red-wine marinade. It had a neck label announcing that Robert Parker had given it 94 points. I didn't need to know that (although I do understand that, for the uninitiated, it's a useful marketing tool) but here's another Radford apophthegm, (paraphrased from the late and mightily unlamented Herman Göering) - 'when I hear the name 'Robert Parker' I reach for my revolver.'
Bodega Estrella Murillo Carrascal, Fuente de Cantos, Badajoz (IGP Extremadura)
I'm not sure where this came from (no sticky label, not even a website address or telephone number on the bottle, and neither Google nor wine-searcher could find one) so, sorry, but if you'd like to get in touch I'll add the details later - come on, you types. It's no good making something worthwhile and then not telling anyone how to contact you!). Just one wine, but what a performer!
2007 Bodioncillo - old-vines Tempranillo - 14% - 12 months US Oak
Loved this to bits. They (whomever they are) generously sent three bottles, and I opened a second to see if the first was a flook, but it wasn't.
Background: some years ago I was in a vineyard in Andalucía which produced a white wine from an unbelievable cocktail of grapes, and in the tasting room I seemed to detect such as thyme, rosemary, sage and other herbal flavours. The winemaker explained that the vineyard was surrounded by wild herbs, and that he believed that the microflora from the herbs, carried by the wind, attached themselves to the bloom of natural yeast on the grape so that, during fermentation, some of the characteristics of those herbs flavoured the finished wine. (anybody remember those stories about Australian winemakers leaving eucalyptus leaves in with the grapes during the crush? Not really relevant but you know what I mean).
One that (almost) got away!
In a previous post (24-Apr-11) I mentioned l'Avi Arrufi ('wrinkly grandpa') from Celler Piñol in the DO Terra Alta, but later discovered another sample from the same bodega (no sticker!!), and from their organic range (pic.: www.vintageroots.com):
2008 Sacra Natura (organic) - 14% abv - French oak - £9
'hearty' nose with soft, warm fruit, starts blackcurranty and then goes to damsony, big spice on the mid-palate, good weight, warmth, ripeness, big structure with tannins on the finish, alcohol a bit prominent - needs food. 16/20
Salentein wines newly on the UK market: Trade distributor Matthew Clark has taken on the portfolio from this Argentine company, and they very kindly sent me a couple of samples.
2010 Callia Reservado Torrontés, Tulum Valley, San Juan - 13.5% - £7.50
I love what they are doing with the Torrontés in Argentina, although I'm told that it's not the grape of the same name as grown in Spain and Portugal. It does, however have a delicious 'crunchy' fruit with some herby characteristics, and an underlying richness whilst remaining completely dry on the finish. This one apparently won the trophy in the 2011 Argentine wine awards, and justly so - fantastic value, too. 18/20
2009 Portillo Pinot Noir, Uco Valley, Mendoza - 13.5% - £6.80
This was something of a revelation. I have been to the Uco Valley (see post of February, 2008), and its high-altitude vineyards really do provide opportunities for grapes such as the Pinot Noir to ripen well without excessive sugar-levels. This particular wine had a nose of fresh cherry fruit, clean and delicate, which followed through on the palate, with delicious, lovely fruit, not noticeably Pinot Noir but some richness, nice warm, long finish. Just delicious, and another fantastic-value wine. 18/20
The reason it was a revelation is that, unlike many Pinot Noir wines from hotter countries, it wasn't trying to be Burgundy or New Zealand or even southern-Chile PN, but had a character all its own. Should be a winner.
First, though, a plea: I get samples of wine from all over the place, as part of consultancy projects, for researching articles and (at the moment) the Rioja book update, and sometimes even as a gift (thanks very much!). Many of them come with a brochure or explanatory leaflet, but the problem is that, as the bottles move from kitchen to cellar and back again, very often the paperwork becomes separated and I then can't tell who sent what (I do like to write and acknowledge receipt of samples). So I always ask 'please, please, please affix a sticky label to the bottle with a contact name, e-mail address, and some kind of guide price (ex-cellars, retail in country of origin or rrp in the UK)'. That way I can properly acknowledge where a wine has come from if I am recommending it and, if necessary, get further information about it. Something like this is perfect:
2008 Finca Estado Malbec
www.fincaestado.com
Roberto Mascagani
mascagni@fincaestado.com
€4 ex cellars
OK - these are some of the wines I've been trying lately. Prices, where quoted, are approximate and as listed by www.wine-searcher.com:
Bodegas Valduero, Gumiel del Mercado (Ribera del Duero)
Profile from THE NEW SPAIN (2004 edition)
www.bodegasvalduero.com, valduero@bodegasvalduero.com
EST. 1983 - in beguiling old Castilian cellars which were formerly part of a co-operative, this bodega has one of the region's most famous female consultant winemakers - Yolanda García - who has inspired a whole generation of young women to train in the profession. The bodega has 200 ha of vines and although it built a spanking new winery about 2 km out of town in the early 2000s, the oldest wines - and visitors - still go to the 16th-century labyrinth in Gumiel.
Hurrah! Another formerly-despised grape variety back from the dead, proving the Radford apophthegm that there is no such thing as a crap grape, just crap winemaking. Under the skilled hand of Yolanda García the Albillo gives us a delicious, herby fruit, fresh acidity and a crisp, bone-dry finish. 17/20
'Meaty', blackberry fruit, rich, subtle oak on the nose, gorgeous rich fruit and toasty oak on the foretaste with some working tannins under the surface, lovely fruit on mid-palate, tannins on length, needs another few years. Best 2014 onwards. 19/20
We team-tasted this with an £85 bottle of Rioja, and the Valduero won, especially with slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with leek and rosemary in a red-wine marinade. It had a neck label announcing that Robert Parker had given it 94 points. I didn't need to know that (although I do understand that, for the uninitiated, it's a useful marketing tool) but here's another Radford apophthegm, (paraphrased from the late and mightily unlamented Herman Göering) - 'when I hear the name 'Robert Parker' I reach for my revolver.'
Yolanda García, winemaker extraordinaire
(all pics from the bodega's website)
(all pics from the bodega's website)
Bodega Estrella Murillo Carrascal, Fuente de Cantos, Badajoz (IGP Extremadura)
I'm not sure where this came from (no sticky label, not even a website address or telephone number on the bottle, and neither Google nor wine-searcher could find one) so, sorry, but if you'd like to get in touch I'll add the details later - come on, you types. It's no good making something worthwhile and then not telling anyone how to contact you!). Just one wine, but what a performer!
Loved this to bits. They (whomever they are) generously sent three bottles, and I opened a second to see if the first was a flook, but it wasn't.
Background: some years ago I was in a vineyard in Andalucía which produced a white wine from an unbelievable cocktail of grapes, and in the tasting room I seemed to detect such as thyme, rosemary, sage and other herbal flavours. The winemaker explained that the vineyard was surrounded by wild herbs, and that he believed that the microflora from the herbs, carried by the wind, attached themselves to the bloom of natural yeast on the grape so that, during fermentation, some of the characteristics of those herbs flavoured the finished wine. (anybody remember those stories about Australian winemakers leaving eucalyptus leaves in with the grapes during the crush? Not really relevant but you know what I mean).
Well, this isn't from a high-altitude vineyard in Andalucía and it isn't white, but it does have those wonderful savoury herbal scents and flavours, particularly sage. As I haven't been able to contact the winery I don't know the situation of the vineyards, but the palate has lovely, rich Tempranillo warmth and fruit, and the finish is truly savoury. 18/20. Sorry I can't tell you where to get it but I did find a Spanish website (www.santa-elena.com - it's their pic.) which is offering it locally in Extremadura for an astonishing €4.75, which makes it for me the best-value wine of 2011 so far.
One that (almost) got away!
In a previous post (24-Apr-11) I mentioned l'Avi Arrufi ('wrinkly grandpa') from Celler Piñol in the DO Terra Alta, but later discovered another sample from the same bodega (no sticker!!), and from their organic range (pic.: www.vintageroots.com):
2008 Sacra Natura (organic) - 14% abv - French oak - £9
'hearty' nose with soft, warm fruit, starts blackcurranty and then goes to damsony, big spice on the mid-palate, good weight, warmth, ripeness, big structure with tannins on the finish, alcohol a bit prominent - needs food. 16/20
Salentein wines newly on the UK market: Trade distributor Matthew Clark has taken on the portfolio from this Argentine company, and they very kindly sent me a couple of samples.
I love what they are doing with the Torrontés in Argentina, although I'm told that it's not the grape of the same name as grown in Spain and Portugal. It does, however have a delicious 'crunchy' fruit with some herby characteristics, and an underlying richness whilst remaining completely dry on the finish. This one apparently won the trophy in the 2011 Argentine wine awards, and justly so - fantastic value, too. 18/20
This was something of a revelation. I have been to the Uco Valley (see post of February, 2008), and its high-altitude vineyards really do provide opportunities for grapes such as the Pinot Noir to ripen well without excessive sugar-levels. This particular wine had a nose of fresh cherry fruit, clean and delicate, which followed through on the palate, with delicious, lovely fruit, not noticeably Pinot Noir but some richness, nice warm, long finish. Just delicious, and another fantastic-value wine. 18/20
The reason it was a revelation is that, unlike many Pinot Noir wines from hotter countries, it wasn't trying to be Burgundy or New Zealand or even southern-Chile PN, but had a character all its own. Should be a winner.
Remember that you can usually find wines at
www.wine-searcher.com
To sponsor a weblink or picture for any post, please contact john@johnradford.com
posted by John Radford at
10:41
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