Networked Blogs
Posts Tagged ‘Spain’
Wine Of The Week – Pares Balta Mas Elena 2007
Penedes, Spain
PRESS:
90 Points, International Wine Cellar
Saturated ruby. Graphite, cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla on the nose, with a sexy floral quality coming up with air. On the palate, the wine’s sweet red and dark fruit flavors are at once juicy, precise and seamless. The cherry and floral notes echo on the very sweet finish. This is delicious now. (Sept/Oct 2010)
Wine Of The Week – Quinta Sardonia, Castilla y Leon 2007
REGION: Sardón del Duero, SPAINREGION:Sardón del Duero, SPAIN
94 POINTS, WINE ADVOCATE:
“The 2007 Quinta Sardonia is made up of 51% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), 29% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec aged for 18 months in French oak. Purple-colored, it delivers an already complex perfume of Asian spices, violets, incense, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry. upple-textured, sweetly-fruited, impeccably balanced, and structured enough to evolve for another 3-4 years, it will offer a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2027. It is already being proclaimed as Spain’s next cult wine.”
- Wine Advocate 188 April 2010
The estate’s full name is Vinas de la Vega del Duero but all you need to remember is Quinta Sardonia. Located in Sardon del Duero, just outside the Ribera del Duero demarcation line but close enough for inclusion in this report, Quinta Sardonia is a biodynamic project from Peter Sisseck (of Pingus fame) and Jerome Bougnaud. The estate has about 37 acres under vine planted in 2000. The wine is typically composed of a blend of roughly 50% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec with aging for 18 months in French oak. It is already being proclaimed by some as Spain’s next cult wine.
The Story:
Like much of viticultural Spain, Sardon del Duero has a long history of winemaking. As far back as 2,000 years ago, there is strong evidence of grape growing and winemaking by the Romans. Located just outside of the more famous region of Ribera del Duero, the wines of Sardon del Duero are also based around Tinto Fino and traditional Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.
Created in 2002, Quinta Sardonia is a joint project between star winemaker Peter Sisseck of Pingus (Ribera del Duero) and Jerome Bougnaud. Located just 400 meters from the Duero river, the property lies at 700-800 meters above sea level. Cultivated in biodynamics since the beginning, the property is cultivated without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
Sardon del Duero does not benefit from the constantcy of climate in the Southern part of the country and experiences dramatic shifts in temperatures and climatic conditions throughout the year. The winters are quite cold, with temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius, and the summers are hot and very dry, with lower than average rainfall than the rest of Spain.
Altitude is between 750 and 950 meters and the soil is made up of clay alternated in many parts by sheets of limestone and harder chalk. The vineyards are plowed under and compost (which is made at the property) is used between the rows once a year. Harvest is always carried out by hand and there is a very aggressive triage at the winery before crush. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks of 10,000 liters which are specifically made for the estate and are very low and wide. Ageing is in new French oak for at least 18 months. Production is still quite low and the first vintage was only 6,000 bottles.
Peter Sisseck has brought some serious fame to the region of Ribera del Duero. His other winery Pingus, is one of the most highly sought after wines in the world and the prices match accordingly: a bottle of Pingus can go for upwards of $1000. To be able to get a wine from Peter at this reasonable price is a real value, so don’t miss your chance to own the newest cult wine from Spain!
Wine Of The Week – Pares Balta Mas Elena 2007
Each week I like to choose a new wine to introduce to our fans. These wines vary by region, by varietal and even by price. I don’t think cost and value are necessarily related. So I like to focus on wines I have experienced on my travels and I think our fans will enjoy trying. salut!
Penedes, Spain
90 Points, International Wine Cellar
Saturated ruby. Graphite, cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla on the nose, with a sexy floral quality coming up with air. On the palate, the wine’s sweet red and dark fruit flavors are at once juicy, precise and seamless. The cherry and floral notes echo on the very sweet finish. This is delicious now. (Sept/Oct 2010)
Wine Of The Week – Las Rocas Garnacha 2009
Each week I like to choose a new wine to introduce to our fans. These wines vary by region, by varietal and even by price. I don’t think cost and value are necessarily related. So I like to focus on wines I have experienced on my travels and I think our fans will enjoy trying. salut!
Calatayud, Spain
If you haven’t yet tried this stunning value from the Aragon region of Spain, go get some! Medium-to-full bodied with lots of fruit and layers of complexity, this wine is the perfect choice for hearty winter fare.
LCBO Vintages Release Magazine
This beauty shows notes of smoke, black fruits and spice box, with an emerging cherry character. This is a smoothly textured wine that will have you double-checking the price in wonderment at every sip. Enjoy with a mushroom risotto.
Feb. 19th 2011
The Right Shot: The Art of Photography & Whiskey
In the past 30 years iconic Grammy Award winning photographer Albert Watson has over 200 Vogue and 40 Rolling Stone covers to his credit and in 2010 decided to take his lenses on the “road less travelled”, to document The Macallan signature sherry oak casks on their journey from the scenic forests of northern Spain to The Macallan home in Scotland.
An evening away from Wine Portfolio last Thursday led me to the pleasure of attending The Macallan Masters of Photography Collection premiere at the Milk Studio in New York’s meatpacking district.
Showcasing two revered art processes, photography and whiskey-making, Watson took a 12-day photographic odyssey to document the journey of a young couple taking a voyage of discovery and the breathtaking backdrops they encounter along the way of the more than 600 miles of bucolic scenery.
Olivia Munn, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s newest correspondent said she was “thrilled to be here and to be living in New York” while Vincent Piazza who plays “Lucky Luciano” on the hit HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” was also in attendance.
Even though the buzz in the room on Thursday was about the beauty of the iconic images of Mr. Watsons’ photo series, the real star of the night was The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 Years Old. A limited selection of just 200 bottles is available for purchase now in the U.S. for $1,000 each. The bottle arrives in a sleek black presentation box and includes a specially commissioned label by Watson alongside a set of 10 unique portfolio prints.
For collectors another 36 individually customized bottles of The Macallan 1946 whiskey, the year Watson first met his wife, Elizabeth, each with a signed one-of-a-kind collectible platinum print, will also be available for purchase later this year for $16,000.
I for one would love to try The Macallan 1946 whiskey but I think it is out of my price range. I have sampled a 1970 whiskey. What about you, what’s the oldest tipple you’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy?
By Zachary Puznak
For more information: http://www.themacallan.com/home.aspx
One of my favorite wines of the world is traditional “old school” Rioja. Coming from a region in North Spain named “La Rioja” just south of the Basque province and east of Navarra, this region with a long tradition in wine making is ideal for Tempranillo grapes. Sometimes La Rioja wines are also blended with Garnacha (Grenache), Graciano and Mazuelo grapes. The region Splits in to the areas: La Rioja Alta, La Rioja Alavesa and La Rioja Baja.
Alta and Alavesa are slightly more elevated areas, producing a lighter style of wine with higher acidity levels. Baja is a dry and hot area, producing big and juicy wines with a higher level of alcohol. These wines are used to blend with grapes from other regions.
In the 1990 Rioja DOC was granted a permission to irrigate and this marked a turning point in the wine making styles of Rioja. Traditional Rioja comes in 4 different styles: Rioja (a.k.a. Joven) is the youngest, it is made either un-oaked or it spends less than 1 year in an oak barrel. Rioja Crianza is more complex, minimum aging is 2 years, with a one year minimum in a barrel. Rioja Riserva is wine with amazing complexity and pronounced oak characteristics from a minimum 3 years aging, with at least 1 year in an oak barrel. And finally, Rioja Grand Riserva which is only made in the best years, offers a wine with amazing age-ability and the most complex flavors. It is aged for a minimum of 5 years, with a minimum 2 years in an oak barrel. Traditionally Riojas spend more than their minimum time in oak and in the bottles before they get released to the market.
Some of the last vestiges of this style of wine are Bodega Lopez de Heredia and Bodegas Muga. These are wines with extreme depth of flavor thanks to their long aging practices. In some cases, the Grand Riservas are aged up to 9 years in oak barrels and 9 years in the bottle before the wine actually leaves the winery. Sadly enough, these styles of wine are long forgotten and have been replaced by new, fruit forward wines that cater to a wider consumer population.
Today, ambitious guys like Telmo Rodriguez are taking up the challenge to compete with the new world wine regions and capture the attention of young wine drinkers with low priced, value wines that exhibit a “New world like” fruit forward characteristic. Many bodegas have adapted to this trend and have begun to use some not so traditional techniques to produce their wines. For Example, some wine makers now use micro-oxygenation (pumping minuscule air bubbles into the wine tanks) which softens the wines and enhances its’ full fruit characteristics. Some also employ Carbonic Maceration (in which whole clusters are placed in large open vats and allowed to ferment inside the individual grape berries without the addition of yeasts) to help create wine with more vibrant fruit flavors.
So for all of you who prefer your wine to smell like burned leather, animal fur, dusty road and dry aged meat, you will have to focus your attention on private sales, winery private orders and auctions. But for all the rest of you who prefer wine to be juicy, big, rich and vibrant there is a whole new world of wine coming from Spain. Today this also includes the new Rioja wines. I like them but I do miss the “old school” Riojas.
Blog by: Otta Zapotocky, General Manager & Sommelier at Wildfire Steak house & Wine Bar
Recent Comments