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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 Garca, 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!
A few cases of a deliciously oaky white wine arrived in the Bay Area...it
seems the fruit comes from older vines which were inter-planted with
Tempranillo in order to produce a field blend. Today they pick more
selectively and collect the white grapes, in this case, Viura for the most
part, and vinify them separately. The wine has a wonderfully
woodsy, toasty character, in part due to the "battonage."
This means they leave the spent yeast from the fermentation in contact with
the wine and stir this periodically. It contributes a smoky note to
the wine, much like you'd find in a good Chardonnay from California or
Burgundy. The 2005 is new and shows a fair bit of oak presently.
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:
2005 Rioja Blanco (Viura) $15.99
2001 Tinto Crianza (Tempranillo) Sold Out...Waiting for the 2003 as
the 2002 was a dud in our view.
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: 2004 Pago Florentino $19.99 (back in
stock!)
LA PLANTA- The Arzuaga winery has a game preserve called "La Planta" and
it's also the name of their rather splendid young red wine from the Ribera
del Duero region.
This area is, of course, famous for the "cult" wines of Vega
Siclia and Pingus. Since most of our customers realize they need not
spend $300-$400 a bottle to put a good wine on the table, we're delighted to
report the 2005 "La Planta" is delicious. It is the second
vintage we've had of this wine and it's easily as good as the first!
This wine spends about six months in French and American oak. It
displays a wonderful plummy fruit character of the Tempranillo. I
brought a bottle to a dinner celebration at a Spanish place and was
cautioned by my friend to not bring too much wine. "These people
don't drink very much." she advised me.
Well, I don't know what wines she served this crowd in the past, but these
people drank like fish with the wines I brought! The La
Planta bottle was emptied very quickly and I realized I should have brought
at least a second, if not a third bottle!
It's a smooth, vinified-to-drink-now sort of wine. Modern style,
certainly. And it's a good value.
((A rep from a firm that sells many $50-$100 Napa
Cabernets asked for a suggestion of a good bottle of wine in the "under
$15 price category." I sold them a bottle of the 2005 La Planta.
They returned the following week with their eyes bulging out of their
head. "That was really good. It's even better than a lot of
the stuff we sell!" Plus, it's affordable.))
Currently in stock: LA PLANTA 2006 Ribera del Duero Sold
Out
CELLERS CAN BLAU This is a
relatively new winery, but they have rather mature vineyards in the Montsant
region of Spain. It's part of the "Oro Wines" group, of
which U.S. importer, Spanish wine ambassador, Jorge Ordoez is
involved. Another partner in this enterprise is ngel Gil of the
Jumilla winery, Juan Gil. -
- Some people will tell you the Can Blau vineyards should have been
classified in the more prestigious appellation of Priorat, rather than
Montsant. That might not change the wine, exactly, but having the
Priorat name on the label would certainly elevate the price.
I think the winemaker is Sarah Morris, who's from Australia.
Apparently she must habla Español competently, because she's sure
making nice wine!
We have the 2006 Can Blau...the wine is predominantly old-vine Cariena,
with 25% Garnacha and 15% Syrah. Obviously they've spent
some money on new oak barrels and the wine has the "woodsiness" we
like in wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. This makes it a
wonderful partner for grilled meats. The wine is big and fairly deep,
yet its price tag is quite reasonable for a wine of this quality level.
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- Currently in stock: 2006 CAN BLAU Montsant Sold Out
TRITIUM
 We
served a bottle of this wine at a dinner hosted by Bob Gorman to celebrate
the birthdays of two special friends.
One of our pals, a scholarly fellow, was bemused to see someone had named
their wine Tritium. "It's a radioactive isotope!" he
explained.
Well, it turns out that may be correct and it's a curious name for a wine,
certainly. It's an isotope of hydrogen and a slightly radioactive substance that collects light and is used to allow the hands or hour markers
on a clock or watch to glow in the dark. The radiation is so low that there is no health risk. Watches with tritium must be marked with the letter T on the dial near the 6'oclock.
Now you can stump your wine-drinking pals at the next gourmet
get-together! Who knew? Paul
may be radioactive after enjoying this wine!
Enologically speaking, Tritium is a relatively new winery in Spain's Rioja
region. The first production was this 2003 vintage. They have
about 25 hectares of vines and some are quite old. The fruit for this
special bottling of Tempranillo came from vines ranging in age from 80 to
103 years! Those are old, tired, shy-bearing vineyards.
The wine is matured in new oak, French and Hungarian cooperage being
employed. The resulting wine is certainly modern and
internationally-styled to some degree. But it's not a wine that's
hugely dark in color and showing "gobs of fruit." We like
the underlying red fruit notes from the Tempranillo and the wine has a
woodsy, oaky quality we admire in our favorite Spanish reds. There's
something here, though, that bespeaks "Rioja."
The wine is smooth enough to drink immediately. I imagine it may
cellar well for a few years, but I don't see it unfolding and becoming more
complex with age.
Currently in stock: 2003 TRITIUM Rioja $35.99
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CODICE
 The Eguren family has been making wine since 1870. They
currently have four wine-making facilities: Dominio de Eguren, Seoro 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 2005 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
Ordoez 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: 2005 "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 five bucks, 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, 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: 2006 Borsao "Campo de
Borja" (list $7.00) SALE
$5.49
- 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 always preferred
their "Via Alberdi," a Reserva wine with a relatively modest price tag.
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: 2000 "Vina Alberdi"
Rioja Reserva $21.99
1992 Gran Reserva #904 $49.99
1996 Vina Ardanza $32.99
1994 Gran Reserva #890 List $160 2000 "Vina Alberdi"
Rioja Reserva $19.99
1992 Gran Reserva #904 $49.99
1996 Vina 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.
They claim their 2002 Reserva to be an unfiltered wine. It
is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and the balance Graciano and Mazuelo. Two years of
oak aging have made this a cedary red which is delicious now (especially
with grilled meats) and it may be cellared 3-5 more years. Very nice
and smooth. As the 2002 is a challenging vintage, the fruit from their
higher-end wines went into this basic bottling which explains the good
results in a tough year.
 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, this 1995 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. The 1994 was off of the
charts. We never did open a bottle of the 1995 which was especially good, though we read
several favorable reviews. The 1996 is still not as fine as the 1994, but it
is a good wine, anyway. Moderately oaked, this is drinkable now and you can cellar
it for a decade, if you like. The 1998 was quite good at $50, but
the price has risen to $75, so it's less interesting from a value
perspective.
The winery recently released some bottles of older vintages of Prado
Enea. We were lucky enough to snag a few bottles of prime vintage
Rioja. These are old-style wines...a bit on the delicate side, so if
you're accustomed to big, oaky reds, these may not be of interest.
These are listed below.
- Currently available: 2003 Muga "Rioja
Reserva" Sold Out
1998 Prado Enea Gran Reserva (list $56) SALE $49.99
1981 Prado Enea Gran Reserva (list $120) SALE
$109.99
1985 Prado Enea Gran Reserva (list $100) SALE
$84.99
2003 Torre Muga (list $90) SALE $79.99
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BODEGAS LAN
 Logroo,
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 2004 "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 2004 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 2004 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 2006 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: 2006 Grenache/Syrah $7.99 (case discounts,
too!)
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