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SPAIN: Table Wines
The table wines from the Rioja region are certainly world
famous and in the cellars of connoisseurs around the world.
We're seeing a dramatic improvement to the wines of Spain and there are still great
bargains to be found here. For many years we've been exploring this delightful area
of the wine universe. You'll find, as a result, we have a substantial stock of
Spanish wines.
The Lay of The
Land...Backgrounder on Spain
Some Wineries We Like:
- VIÑA IZADI
 The Izadi winery is a
relatively new producer, being founded in 1987. It's Via Villabuena
and Izadi is their brand name. They're in the Alavesa sub-region of Rioja.
Apparently they made a small change in direction which has had a positive
impact on their wines. They hired "flying winemaker" (that's
what they call consulting wine wizards) Mariano García, who had been
working with the famous Ribera del Duero estate, Vega Siclia, as a
consultant.
What we especially appreciated about their wines is that they taste
like they're from Rioja!
The 2004 Crianza is a lovely wine. It's medium-bodied and I found more
of a spicy element in it than the normal oak character. The vintage is
said to be a good one and so perhaps the oak is merely soaked up into the
background of this wine, rather than being in the spotlight? It's
quite drinkable now and should cellar well for 3-5 years.
Their 2001 Seleccion comes from a parcel of vines which are about 35 years
old. The wine is 80% Tempranillo and 20% Graciano and was
matured in brand new French oak for about 16 months. The wine is a
medium-full bodied Rioja...very showy and drinkable now. We suspect it
will cellar nicely for 3-8 more years.
Also impressive is their 2000 vintage of a wine called
"Expression." This is a selection of what the Izadi team
thinks is their best wine of the vintage. As we understand it, this
comes from a parcel of vines which are a hundred years old. All new
oak. Big, deep and impressive. -
- Currently in stock:
2007 Rioja Blanco (Viura) $19.99
2004 Tinto Crianza (Tempranillo) $18.99
2001 Seleccion (List $60) SALE $49.99
2000 Expression (List $90) Sale $79.99
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- PAGO FLORENTINO
 You might think
"Florentino" is an Italian wine, but it's not. This comes
from La Mancha, a vast wine region south of Madrid, a place where loads of
everyday, simple wines have been produced.
Of course, it's possible to make really superior wine in La Mancha, but this
takes desire, drive and dedication. The grapes are already there, but
if they're farmed for quantity, you're pretty much out of luck in making
something special.
This is an off-shoot of Bodegas Arzuaga and and I prefer this to their
Arzuaga wines frankly. Lavishly oaked, deep in color and teeming with
black fruit, it's a delicious, modern style of winemaking. You can put
this on the dinner table in place of good Napa Cabernets or Bordeaux.
We had suggested this to a fellow recently who was dining across the street
in the new Italian place, Rocca. I finally got the doors shut, about
20 minutes later than official closing time on that Monday. A few
moments later there was a frantic tapping on the front door. This guy
had returned.
They'd just opened their bottle of Pago Florentino and
immediately were smitten, realizing one bottle was simply not going to be
sufficient. Another customer had ordered a mixed case of
"good value" wines to serve to guests after a special event...he
reported back that everyone was thrilled by our selections and he
particularly liked the "killer Spanish wine." He ordered a
case to be sent to the office. Try a bottle for yourself and see
why...
Currently in stock: 2007 Pago Florentino $21.99 (back in
stock!)
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CODICE
 The Eguren family has been making wine since 1870. They
currently have four wine-making facilities: Dominio de Eguren, SEÑORIO
de San
Vicente, Vega de Toro and Sierra Cantabria. They are presently building a
fifth and sixth facility, one in Toro and another new one near "headquarters" in
Rioja. We visited their "Sierra Cantabria" installation in Rioja a few
years ago and were impressed by the new cellar teeming with American oak barrels.
I
have been more fond of one of their modestly-priced wines than some of their high-roller
bottlings. This comes under the Codice label. It's made entirely
of Tempranillo and spends about 6 months in oak.
The 2007 is remarkably good in this price category. You'll find a wonderfully sweet fragrance to the nose,
the wine displaying lots of cedary notes from the oak. Importer Jorge Ordoñez
credits the enhanced oak to a new cooperage regime. What a
difference! It's medium-bodied and
smooth. We like serving this cooled to cellar temp, about 55-60 degrees.
Currently available: 2007 "Codice" $9.99
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- BORSAO
 Borsao comes from a cooperative winery
(actually, it's three wineries!) in the Aragn region of
Spain. They have something like 1500 hectares of vineyards, primarily in Garnacha
vines. The official name of the winery is the Sociedad Cooperativa Agricola Limitado
de Borja, so you can see their name Borsao is certainly much easier to remember.
With a price tag of about six bucks-and-change, it's hard to forget! The wine is made for
immediate consumption, being primarily Garnacha with a bit of Tempranillo. They do a
fermentation in the style of Beaujolais....a whole berry fermentation which minimizes the
tannin and highlights the red fruit notes (raspberry, strawberry, zesty
plums, etc.). This is best served at cool cellar temp and you will
want to drink this in its youth as it's not made with the idea of needing 5
years of bottle aging.
A visitor from Los Angeles was poking around a few years ago, admiring all the
interesting and famous California wines and he saw a little sign on this wine.
"How can this be any good for five bucks?" he asked quizzically.
"Why don't you buy one and find out?" I replied.
He put some money on the counter and departed with a bottle of this.
About four days later he called from L.A. and arranged to have a dozen bottles shipped to
his front door.
- Currently available: 2008 Borsao "Campo de
Borja" (list $9.00) SALE
$6.49
- LA RIOJA ALTA
 Located in Haro, this
is a very traditional, old-time winery. They grow enough fruit to supply about half
of their production, buying grapes from growers to meet the demands of the market.
A
very high percentage of the wines here are Reserva or Gran Reserva designations.
They have more than 30,000 barrels in the cellars! I have tasted their wines over
the years and while I know they are praised for their older wines, I have
often preferred
their "Viña Alberdi," a Reserva wine with a relatively modest price tag. The
2001 is probably the best of this bottling in several years, with the wine
showing wonderful oak and a silky texture.
The 1996 Via Ardanza is delightful and "classically-styled"
Rioja. You'll find plenty of oak and the usual woodsy notes of
patiently matured Spanish red wine. It's very drinkable now, though it
ought to last for five+ years more.
The 1992 Gran Reserva #904 is a very smooth red. Medium-bodied, this
can be paired with both white or red meats. It's quite good now.
Lots of woodsy, oaky notes. The acidity is crisp, giving the wine
the ability to cleanse the palate when you're bombarding it with
garlic-seasoned grilled lamb chops, por ejemplo. We suggest
opening this and allowing it to blossom in a decanter for an hour or so
before dinner.
 The Gran
Reserva #890 from the 1994 vintage is just being released at the end of
2007. Here's a remarkable, very traditionally-made Rioja wine.
It comes from old vines which yield few grapes. It's approximately 85%
Tempranillo and the rest is Graciano and Mazuelo. Six years of
aging in wood!! Imagine that! Once bottled, the wine was then
stored for another 6 years and it's offered to the market in 2007! The
bouquet is lovely, woodsy, cedary and shows a note of cigar box...It's dry
on the palate, but not "plush" in the fashion of modern-styled
wines. Pair this with a roast or grilled meats. Very special.
- Currently available: 2003 "Viña Alberdi"
Rioja Reserva (List $25) SALE $19.99
1992 Gran Reserva #904 $49.99
1996 Viña Ardanza $32.99
1994 Gran Reserva #890 List $160 SALE
$149.99
MUGA Also located in Haro,
this family-run producer also has its own cooperage associated with the winery. They
buy wood, season it themselves and there's a cooper on hand to build and repair
barrels. While many wineries in Rioja are using stainless steel for their
fermentation, Muga clings to the past, fermenting in wooden vats! They are using
French and American oak for their wines, having more than 10,000 barrels in their
impressive cellars.
 Muga's
long-time prestigious bottling of "vino Tinto" is called Prado Enea. This
is predominantly Tempranillo with about 20% split amongst Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo.
Matured for an extended period in oak, the 2000 is just now coming to market!
It is drinkable now and should be in tip-top form for another 5-8 years, maybe
longer!
Torre Muga is the "reserve-reserve" bottling. It is a big
time red wine and the 2005 is the current release. It's a three grape
blend, 75% Tempranillo, 15% Mazeulo and 10% Graciano. The juice gets a
long period of skin contact and the wine is matured in wood for
approximately two years, 18 months being in brand new barrels. Here's
a thoroughly modern wine made by a fairly traditional winery...You can pair
this with grilled or roasted red meats...drinkable now, it may cellar well
for another 5-10 years...
- Currently available: 2003 Muga "Rioja
Reserva" Sold Out
2005 Torre Muga (list $95) SALE $84.99
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BODEGAS LAN
 Logroño,
Alava and Navarra contribute their first letters to form
"LAN," the name of this enterprising bodega. These are the
three regions intersected by the Rioja region. The winery was
founded in the early 1970s and became the property of a gentleman who made
batteries and plastic tubing.
The winery has been on a mission, after making serious investments in
stainless steel tanks, oak barrels and other winemaking tools. What
it lacked was vineyards and grapes. LAN began its search for better
fruit and they've made great investments to assure top quality
grapes. You see, they're paying above-market prices for grapes and
the quality of the LAN wines has risen handsomely.
They produce a large quantity of wine and we find some of their vintages
to be spot on and price-worthy.
Currently we have a 2005 "Crianza" in the shop. It's made
entirely of Tempranillo and aged about a year in small American oak
barrels. While it's not the most compelling bottle of Rioja we've
run across, it is the best buy in good Rioja...it costs a mere ten bucks,
unheard of these days. Try finding an entry level red in Napa for
$9.99. Buena suerte as they say in Spanish.
The 2005 Crianza is a medium-bodied red. Nice woodsy notes from the
oak and some red fruit elements from the Tempranillo. It's drinkable
now and you can cellar it for a few years. -
- Currently in stock: BODEGAS LAN 2005 RIOJA
"Crianza" $9.99
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MARQUES DE DAROCA
 This winery is located in an unknown region of northeastern Spain.
Aragon has an area known as Valle del Jiloca and it's between Rioja and
the east coast of Spain.
This firm seems to be on the right track, making wines which have a bit of
soul to them (unlike the schlock you find from California's Central Valley
or the big production "coastal" wines from Beringer or Mondavi,
for example).
The 2007 blend of Grenache + Syrah is remarkably good. You will detect the berryish notes of both varieties and a
hint of spice, too. The tannins are not huge, making this drinkable
now. And you can't beat it for good value! They changed
the label to the less "noble" Daroca and dropped the "Marques
de" since maybe nobody there is of noble heritage. Who knows?
Currently in stock: 2007 Grenache/Syrah $7.99 (case discounts,
too!)
BODEGAS JUAN GIL
 There has been
a succession of Juan Gils at this winery, which traces its roots back to the
early 1900s in south-eastern Spain. After the first Juan, maybe they
should have named these guys by number, Two Gil, Three Gil, etc.
I think the current owner is Four Gil.
They're located in the Jumilla region, a place where the Monastrell vine is
king.
- We were curious to taste a current vintage from this producer, having read
an article in a French magazine indicating the Juan Gil wine fared very well
in a blind-tasting comparison of Mourvèdre wines, most of which were from
France's Bandol appellation. And you know the French often believe
they have exclusive "rights" to all things of culture, whether
it's wine, food or art, so when you read a French journal praising a Spanish
wine that's a fraction of the price of the Bandols...well...
The 2007 is made entirely of Monastrell and matured for about a year in
small French oak barrels. It's a fairly hefty red wine...robust, but
soft and fairly smooth on the palate. Lots of dark fruit notes, some berries
and vanillin along with a touch of cedar. This is best consumed
in its youth...the acidity is not terribly high, so it's not a candidate for
cellaring.
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- Currently in stock: JUAN GIL 2007 Jumilla Red $14.99
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