Planeta Vino

A whole year later and a world away!

marievin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:39:28 +0000

It’s been a long crazy year and I find myself living an ocean away from my home of ten years in Madrid. I’m currently in Miami and looking to settle in the DC area eventually. Culture shock is hitting me hard, but you have to laugh at yourself….and it’s great to be in the Miami sun for winter!

I plan to start looking at Spanish wines and food state side and Miami is a great place to start. The word “Spanish” seems to be liberally interpreted in the US, nowhere more than here, where Spanish influence is seemingly so important.

Honestly, I’ve been feasting on all the things I couldn’t get so easily in Spain for the first few weeks, but I’m getting back on track!

My second goal is to stay up on what’s new in wine in Spain and wine places in Madrid. I’m off for my first trip back in a couple of weeks….so excited to get back!

A few posts may slip in on cool local food and wine places…..the world does not revolve around Spain!

Starting a new chapter….nostalgic yet excited!

Back to Wine Blogging….version 2011

marievin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:27:17 +0000

The only consistency I ever show is trying to get back to wine blogging every year….sadly it doesn’t extend to the blogging itself. This year it’s with the added burden that the site is not even semi-presentable. The blog appears as just an ugly list of titles instead of thumbnails and the whole website is in desperate need of a re-design. Hopefully the first minor problem can be addressed soon and the major one in the not too distant future.

It’s been an exciting year of Spanish wine with some competitive crisis prices and some new finds. Consistency in quality remains high, though I remain burnt out on the big, oaky styles that are the norm in many areas. They exhaust me! To be honest, I’ve been drinking a lot of German Riesling!

So I’ll start reviewing a few wines and few new food places too! Let’s hope 2011 is a more consistent year for me…

Wine lovers visiting Madrid: I feel your pain!

marievin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:15:27 +0000

I get a ton of requests for wine resources from visitors to Madrid. We originally offered sign-up classes on Monday nights to address that need partially but unfortunately no longer do. Madrid is still a town sadly lacking in tasting opportunities and that even has very few good wine bars.

For wine lovers visiting Madrid there are a few vital stops I would recommend.

1. The wine store Lavinia at Calle Ortega y Gasset 16. It a modern, beautiful store, not inexpensive, but with a lovely restaurant and bar upstairs. You can get a bottle in the store and drink it at store price upstairs. Also there are autoservice Enomatic wine dispensers to try some really great Spanish wines. You get a card at the register and charge it with some money and then you can help yourself to some tasting pours of some top wines…lots of fun and unique in Madrid!

2. Casa Lucas at Cava Baja 30, near Plaza Mayor. My favorite wine bar in Madrid. Not only because the wine selection by the glass is excellent and the tapas outstanding, but especially because the service and the welcome is unfailingly warm and inviting. These guys are awesome! My favorite tapas are the Cariñena tosta, the Arroz cremoso, the carpaccio de pulpo and canelonis de curry….really unique and delciious food. I tend to order wine by the bottle and they alwasy ahve new and great recommendations…but by the glass is great too. Go early, they open at 8PM, to get a seat if want to order food. (Make sure you don’t confuse them with the famous Casa Lucio across the street…definetely not my favorite!)

3. Taberneros at Calle Santiago 9, near Plaza Mayor: Excellent wines and excellent tapas in a gorgeous setting, though the service is never what it is in Casa Lucas. It has remained one of my favorites over the years…love the cecina, the scallops, the potatoes and eggs with truffles and many more. Great selection of dessert wines by the glass…very hard to come by in Madrid.

4. Mercado de San Miguel: Newly added to my list. It is not perfect and sometimes it can be closed for private events, but Pinkleton, the wine bar in the Mercado has some of the best wines in Madrid. I love to go there with my friends…we usually order by the bottle, but the by-the-glass selection is excellent. These guys know their stuff and can recommend a great bottle of wine for a good price. Last time we didn’t spend more than 20€ a bottle. If you like the bottle you can even buy one at a reduced price to go. Grab a table and go around the market and get a few tapas to go with your wine. The cheese stand is outstanding as is the olive stand. My personal favorites are the Sorlut oysters at the oyster stand. Lots of choices at different price ranges. Love it…a great addition to central Madrid!

Wine rating: Gramona Brut Imperial Gran Reserva 2004

marievin — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:09:25 +0000

A lot of cava is aggressively bubbly and quite bitter but this cava shows Spain can give France a run for its money in sparkling wine. Cava is the Spanish sparkling wine made in the champenoise method in Cataluña and some other regions in Spain. The traditional grapes are Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, but increasingly Chardonnay is being used in the blend. Unfortunately many Spaniards and foreigners are only exposed to the cheapest of cavas, the under 8€ crowd from big producers. Few of these are any good and most are frankly, quite bad. Cava is a good value, if very different alternative to champagne, but I don’t understand how anyone thinks it should be that cheap. The great cavas are between 12 and 25 euros…above 25 euros I find small producer champagnes better for the money….few of the really high end cavas really impress me either. My favorite cava producers are medium or smaller outfits, my all time favorites are any cavas from Gramona, Raventos I Blanc and Sumarroca. One of the frustrations of living in Madrid is that many smaller Catalan producers don’t have good distribution here…internal Spanish political tensions affecting the wine market. Just today, I had one of my top picks…this is the cava I drink the most….it’s a top quality wine, good value and readily available in Madrid. The Gramona Brut Imperial is a steal at about 15€. It‘s a wonderful, mellow, wine-like cava, where apply fruit mixes with leesy, toasted aromas. The mouth is round, fresh and the carbonic is terrific, super integrated and not at all aggressive. The finish is very persistent with a very slight, pleasant bitterness. This wine is a great example of the quality Gramona offers…this Penedés-based company also makes great still wines, dry and sweet. Read on for more information on the Gramona Brut Imperial.

Wine: Brut Imperial Gran Reserva Brut 2004
Winery: Bodegas Gramona
Denominación de Origen (DO): DO Cava (Penedés, Cataluña)
Alc: 12%
Grape varieties: 50% Macabeo, 40% Xarel.lo, 10% Chardonnay
Aging: champenoise or traditional method used, 36-48 months aging before disgorgement
Price: about 15€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Pale golden color, very fine bubbles, medium vigor
Nose: Very vinous nose, apple, lees, a bit of toast. Attractive, almost sweet.
Mouth: Medium intensity, round, smooth. Wonderful carbonic, very subtle, well-integrated. Very wine-like in mouth…fullish, fruity. Apple, lemon, honey, toast…nice acidity, but not tart. The finish is very long, apple and toast. There is a final, slight bitterness that is quite refreshing.

Conclusion: This cava is in every way a wine, a versatile wine that can be drunk with many meals. It is mellow yet interesting and offers a great balance between the freshness and fruit a young cava offers and the mellow, complex aromas that long aging bring. I have yet to meet a client that hasn’t liked it….even some who don’t appreciate sparkling wines. Great value wine.

Wine rating: Finca Terrerazo 2005

marievin — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:24:09 +0000

This is a top notch red from the southeastern Utiel region of Spain. I recently rated this winery’s bargain wine Mestizaje and more recently tasted the Finca Terrerazo wine, which is their intermediate wine at about 25€. The winery also has a top cru called Quincha Corral. As I mentioned in the previous article, these wines are released under a Vino de la Tierra Category, in theory table wine, and are based upon the local grape Bobal. Bobal is a mediocre grape when over cropped, but can make some unique, top quality wines with a lot of care. The Ficna Terrerazo 2005 is a Bobal blend, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Very complex nose, with tobacco, menthol and black fruit. The mouth has all those elements plus surprisingly fresh acidity and big, smooth tannins. I tasted the wine a day later and it was even better…smoother and more in balance. It has a whopping 19 months in new French oak, but the intensity of the wine allows for it. Shows what Bobal can do…this is a good value wine, considered the complexity it gives you. Read on for more details on Finca Terrerazo 2005.

Wine: Finca Terrerazo 2005
Winery: Bodegas Mustiguillo
Denominación de Origen (DO):Vino de la Tierra El Terrerazo
Alc: 14.5%
Grape varieties: 60% Bobal, 20% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak regime: 19 months in new French oak, malo in barrel
Price: 22-25€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Opaque purple ruby color
Nose: Very complex nose, with sweet black fruit, tobacco and touches of menthol. At first a little closed…needed air to open the fruit. The next day the nose had a much bigger fruit element.
Mouth: Big intense mouth, though aromatically it needs air to open up. Lots of tobacco and menthol, red fruit…quite acidic. Big, full body, long tannic finish. Tannins are very smooth. Really complex and impressive. A day later, the Cabernet was more evident with touches of green pepper, but the fruit was much bigger and sweeter. Better mouth balance the second day.

Conclusion: Complex, intense, lots of personality. Really interesting wine that is also very drinkable. Though a bit pricy, it is worth every penny.

Wine rating: Acústic 2007

marievin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:52:31 +0000

Another great red wine from the Montsant area of Spain. In recent articles, I’ve rated Finca L’Argatá and Brunus. Montsant is the great value area that surrounds the cult wine area of Priorat. Many of the vineyard sites in Montsant offer similar great terroir as those in Priorat but at a fraction of the price. But, it’s best to know your producers….there are still some fairly rustic wines out there. The Acústic 2007 is my favorite kind a Montsant: super mineral, intense black fruit, huge but smooth tannins. Admittedly it’s a bit closed at first, but it’s a 2007 and needs some air and even some time in bottle. Acústic has that distinct Montsant character that gives it real originality. Also interesting in this wine is the use of Samsó, an obscure regional variety that is coming back into favor lately. It is an intense, structured grape that really plays well with the old vine Garnacha so typical of the area. Acústic Celler also makes a higher end wine called Braó, that retails for about 22€ and is more a more typical Montsant blend of old vine Garnacha and Cariñena. Read on for more information on Acústic 2007.

Wine: Acústic 2007
Winery: Acústic Celler
Denominación de Origen (DO):Montsant
Alc: 14.5%
Grape varieties: old vine Samsó and Garnacha (35-65 yr old vines)
Oak regime: 10 months in French oak (light toast)
Price: 13€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Deep purple color
Nose: Intense mineral and black fruit nose, a bit earthy, a touch of garrigue. Quite complex, but the fruit really opens up with some air
Mouth: Mouth a bit tight at first, with some air, the wine really explodes in them mouth. Very silky texture, intensely structured with good acidity and big, ripe tannins. Long, intense finish.

Conclusion: Not the easiest wine to drink at first, so intense, yet tight. The air really opens it up by bringing the fruit more into play. This is a wine that will definitely improve in the bottle for the next couple of years. After one week on the nitrogen machine, it was so much more approachable…though it retained that unique personality that is so characteristic of the area. Love it!

Wine rating: Caliza 2005

marievin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:50:52 +0000

Caliza is the value wine in the Marques de Griñon Dominio de Valdepusa line. Dominio de Valdepusa is the estate wine appellation or vino de pago located in Toledo province to the southwest of Madrid. The estate specializes in very ripe, big wines from mostly French varieties, though they are starting to work with Graciano, a Rioja grape. The estate has been very important in the evolution of Spanish wines over the last 25 years, and has been innovating in terms of grape varieties and technologies in the vineyard. I’ve previously written posts about the wines and the winery, but the Caliza was not part of the line-up back then. Previously, the estates wines started at about 19€, topping out at about 45€. I’ve always loved these wines but often found them a little pricy. Now the winery has come out with a lower end wine, the Caliza, that is much more reasonably priced at 12€. The Caliza, made from Syrah and Petit Verdot, is soft and full, with wonderful black fruit. It is not super complex, but has surprising freshness for such a hot weather wine and has quite a long finish, with very ripe tannins. I really think it is a lot of wine for a good price….and it’s perfect to drink this year. I don’t love the label though…it looks like a bland version of Didier Dagueneau’s original Silex label…also the shape of the stone looks a little like the outline of Africa. Read on for more info on Caliza 2005.

Wine: Caliza 2005
Winery: Marques de Griñon
Denominación de Origen (DO): Dominio de Valdepusa (estate appellation)
Alc: 14.5%
Grape varieties: 65% Syrah, 35% Petit Verdot
Oak regime: 10 months in French oak
Price: 12€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Deep ruby color
Nose: Very attractive nose, very intense. Ripe, sweet black fruit and a little oak spice. Not super complex, but with some air, some interesting smoky, meaty notes came out.
Mouth: Big, soft mouth….sweet black fruit, good acidity, and a big, long finish with fruit aromas and very ripe, smooth tannins. The alcohol, though high, is really well balanced with all the other elements. With some air a bit of complexity arrive, with some very interesting smoky aromas.

Conclusion: Easy to drink and attractive, the 2005 is in its perfect drinkable moment this year. Really show the good qualities that a well-made La Mancha wine can bring to the table. Very good value, a very nice price for a good wine.

Wine rating: Louro do Bolo 2007

marievin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:54:43 +0000

One Spanish white grape I’ve written quite a bit about is Godello, a high quality grape from Galicia in northwestern Spain. My all-time favorite Godello is As Sortes by Rafael Palacios, a wine I’ve rated and written about a couple of times. Rafael Palacios is very passionate about Godello and determined to make world class wines out of the grape…something he’s already done. Today’s wine is As Sortes little sister, Louro do Bolo, a delicious Godello that is much more approachable and also half the price! I love the As Sortes, but it is so intense steely, and complex that it is not the friendliest wine before it gets some air. The Louro do Bolo is much more round and aromatic from the beginning, albeit less complex. It offers aromas of lees, pineapple and lemon in the nose, as well as a bit of smokiness and oak spice. In the mouth it has all those aromas as well as really fresh acidity. It’s a really great example of Godello at a really friendly price: 12€. Read on for more details on Lour do Bolo 2007.

Wine: Louro do Bolo 2007
Winery: Rafael Palacios
Denominación de Origen (DO): Valdeorras
Alc: 13.5%
Grape varieties: 100% Godello
Oak regime: fermented and aged in large format foudres
Price: 12€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Pale straw color
Nose: Quite a complex nose: aromas of oak spice, lees, pineapple and lemon. There is also a bit of smoke and flint.
Mouth: Sharply focused mouth…great acidity. The smoky, mineral and fruit aromas all translate form the nose. The oak is a bit more noticeable on the mouth, but it is very well integrated.

Conclusion: Another great example of Godello, though much more complex than the basic un-oaked ones. It is a near perfect blend of complexity and intensity with easy fruit and oak notes.

Wine rating: Groc 2007

marievin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:49:27 +0000

One wine region I rave about but never write about is Rueda. The region is a mainstay in my tastings because I think they are some of the most consistent and best value white wines in the world. You can get a reliable bottle for between 5 and 8€ retail. These are unoaked, fresh whites made either from Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc. Verdejo is the local variety that has a similar Sauvignon grassiness but with more tropical fruit and some refreshing bitterness in the finish. Though still not common, oaked versions of Verdejo are coming on….Verdejo handles oak beautifully. A few of my favorite wineries are José Pariente, Naia, Belondrade y Lurton, and Aura. It is because of Rueda that cheap white wine is more reliable than cheap red wine in Spain. It is available by the glass in bars throughout Spain and is usually much better than the corresponding house red….usually a thin Rioja. When in doubt as to the wines on offer in Spain…order Rueda…you’ll almost always get some at least decent. The wine today is Groc…what an unfortunate name; the label is very cute and somewhat unusual in the Spanish world of plain Jane wine labels. The wine is the entry level wine of the winery Ossian, known for its top flight oaked Verdejo…one of the top whites in Spain. It is made from low-yield old vines. I really loved this wine, much more austere and focused than many Ruedas…many un-oaked Ruedas have intense grassy and pineapple aromas…sometimes a bit excessive. It was quite a refreshing alternative, though perhaps it lacks the easy, soft attractiveness these wines typically offer. Read on for details about the Groc 2007

Wine: Groc 2007
Winery: Ossian
Denominación de Origen (DO): Vine de la Tierra de Castilla León (Rueda)
Alc: 13%
Grape varieties: 100% old-vine Verdejo
Oak regime: no oak
Price: 8€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Pale straw color
Nose: Much less intense nose than a typical Rueda. A bit grassy, citrus fruits, fennel.
Mouth: More intense in the mouth, though quite austere…super fresh acidity, lemon, fennel, some grassiness. Not the longest finish but very attractive vertical mouth, finishing with a bit of typical bitterness

Conclusion: Not the easiest Rueda, a bit intense and austere…none of the sweet tropical fruit that dominates most Ruedas. I love it! Such a refreshing change…the one note tropical fruit version can be a bit tiring at times.

Wine rating: Baltasar Gracian Viñas Viejas 2006

marievin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:54:21 +0000

In a recent article I compared two great Garnachas from France and Spain: Atteca and a Cairanne Côte du Rhône. I’ve since wrote about many great Garnacha’s from around Spain. Today’s wine is an old vine Garnacha, from Calatayud, the same region in north-eastern Spain that the Atteca comes from. This region, though still rustic, is producing an amazing array of old-vine Garnacha wines that are great value. An interesting thing about Calatayud is that the cooperatives are producing some of the top wines. Cooperatives in many regions produce pretty ordinary stuff, but here they can excel. The Baltasar Gracian 2006 is from one such cooperative…San Alejandro…their whole range of inexpensive old-vine wines are really worth trying. This wine is easy-drinking, but offers exuberant, attractive fruit, some spiciness and some good intensity and decent complexity. For about 5-6€, it’s a steal! Read on for more details on the wine.

Wine: Baltasar Gracian Viñas Viejas 2006
Winery: Cooperativo San Alejandro
Denominación de Origen (DO): Calatayud
Alc: 14.5%
Grape varieties: 100% old-vine Garnacha (60-80 yrs old)
Oak regime: 10 months in French and American oak
Price: 5-6€ retail in Madrid

Tasting notes
Visual: Medium intensity, fresh ruby color
Nose: Medium intensity…red, sweet raspberry fruit, some spice. There is a touch of chalk and some raspberry leaf. Super attractive nose.
Mouth: Soft sweet fruit mouth, medium intensity…almost restrained for Garnacha. Raspberry jam, leafy, good fresh acidity…tastes light despite it’s 14.5% alcohol content. Not the longest wine, some soft tannins and red fruit.
Food: A great summer wine, like so many of these Garnacha’s…great with barbecue.

Conclusion: So easy to drink, soft, yet with grip…amazing price. The one major criticism is the length, but it has a very decent length for this price point.