Spain

Spotlight on Spain: Torres Grans Muralles 2001

March 23, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Torres is one of the most important wine makers in Spain, having introduced many modern varieties to Penedes and having brought international grapes and an international style to South America (Torres has a notable winery in Chile) when World War II shut off access to European markets. Torres was also, amazingly, a pioneer in bottling his own wines, which helped him to take control of his own branding, which accordingly resulted in some serious market penetration in the North and South American markets.

Torres’ range of wines is truly eclectic and comprehensive, ranging from good value blends of indigenous grapes, to single varietal bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and high end single vineyard field blends of indigenous grapes.

Catalonia as a region has seen some serious change starting from the 1950s, prior to which it originally made oxidized wines known as rancios and vinos de licor. Now, with Torres being a prime influence, Catalonia is making a huge range of wines, from ‘traditional’ to modern, using indigenous and international grapes and from large volume to small artisanal producers. Catalonia is truly a mash up of Spain’s schizophrenia.

This bottling is made with grapes grown in Conca de Barbera, a region just west of Penedes (where Torres is headquartered). Conca de Barbera is known mostly for producing high quality grapes for Cava producers. Soils here are chalky, alluvial ones over limestone bedrock. The region is sheltered by surrounding mountain ranges and produces wines mostly in a modern style, many from international grapes such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine, however, is not made with international grapes nor is it made in a cheap quaffing style like Cava. This is another beast. A blend of Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Garro, Samso, and Carinena, the Grans Muralles is an extremely unique sort of wine made from a single vineyard of the same name. The vineyard is 94 hectares, and 32 of these are dedicated to producing this wine. While the soils in this vineyard are slate and gravel, perhaps the most interesting part of the wine here are the indigenous grapes: Garro being a traditional Catalan grape that nearly disappeared, and the strange Samso, which according to Torres has an “intense pigment, good body and a magnificent structure.” Of course, the other three grapes are also indigenous to Spain, although have since spread internationally.

Putting glass to nose exposes bread, cherry, blackberry and deep scented violets. This is really pleasant and intriguing to smell. The palate was fantastic, with a quite soft and silky structure, lots of earth, underbrush and herbs, and a nice cherry and blackberry fruit presence. The wine is also very floral, and it is this wonderful aromatic component that is so enticing. I might describe this as a cross between a modern Rioja, a classic Bordeaux, and a bracing Southern Rhone/Languedoc wine – really an intriguing and lovely combination. I think wines like this are the exact sort of wines that make Spain exciting and that are a model of how a large producer can and should be a champion of the history and tradition of their region, not only keeping the indigenous grapes alive, but showing their full potential.

Excellent
$90 at BCLDB

Filed Under: $60+, Carignan, Excellent, Garro, Grenache, Monastrell, Samso, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights

Spotlight on Spain: Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rosado 1993

March 22, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

Today’s entry, the last of the Rioja wines in my Spain profile, is somewhat of a genre-buster. As I’ve mentioned before, Rioja (and Spain generally) has a disparate and noncontiguous history, with Romans, multiple Christian kingdoms, Muslim invasion and the Reconquista, not to mention the civil war, the dictatorship and the process towards modern Spain. Each of these ‘eras’ has had a distinct impact on the Spanish wine industry. Whereas the Romans brought modern Roman wine-making technology and techniques to Spain in the 3rd century, the multiple Christian kingdoms brought their wealth and appetite for fine wine 1000 years later.

I don’t want to rehash Spain’s complex history here, suffice it to say that in Spain almost nothing fits a particular ‘genre’ or a particularly clear pattern or mold. This has provided the industry both a wealth of diversity, but also somewhat of a lack of clearly discernable personality. In many ways, this means that in Spain it makes more sense to approach a wine in a bit of a microcosm, looking at the history and tradition of that particular producer and that particular plot of land. Thus does the easy to say tradition vs. modernity debate in Spain actually become a series of threads that each sew together completely different histories and traditions into particular conceptions of the ‘modern’.

So, when it comes to legendary producer Lopez de Heredia, a winery sewn far more tightly into Rioja 100 years ago than into the present, and Rose, a style of wine commonly associated with light, fruity, easy drinking, you know that this particular meeting of tradition and modernity will be anything but easily pigeonholed.

Lopez de Heredia's Tondonia Vineyards in Winter

First off, Heredia, founded in 1877, harvests and selects all grapes by hand, uses wild yeasts and ferments in huge oak vats with a capacity of 240 hectolitres for the reds and 60 Hl’s for the whites. One might also take notice at the vast use of American oak barrels – 14,000 at last count – occupying 6000 square metres of cellar space. Heredia combines extended oak aging with considerable bottle aging before release to produce wines of singularity. I, for one, have never tasted any other wines quite like those from Lopez de Heredia.

So how do these threads of tradition and history combine to create what some consider to be Rioja’s most important pink wine? Well first off, the Rose is made from tempranillo, garnacha and viura (a white grape), in an intriguing blend that is very very dry, but also maintains some of the classic bright red fruit character one usually associates with the pink stuff. But that’s pretty much where the similarity ends. Remember, this wine is almost 17 years old! The rich and ripe cherry fruit on the nose becomes a terse and somewhat aggressive oxidative palate that yet retains persistence and elegance beyond any Rose you are likely to have tried. The combination of fruit and sherry-like oxidation makes this wine eminently food-worthy – pizza, jamon, almost anything at all, really.

That Spain can produce wines of such uniqueness next to modern fruit driven reds, bright and clean seafood friendly whites and smooth and silky earth driven classic wines is the embodiment of Spain’s tumultuous and non-linear history. The past several posts on Rioja are just such an indication of this complexity, as even this one famous region is nearly impossible to pin-down. In the next several posts I will be highlighting some of the lesser known regions and grapes of Spain, each with their own stories and traditions, and each with a particular take on why Spanish wine is a force any serious wine lover cannot ignore.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$45 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar

Filed Under: $40-$60, Grenache, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights, Tempranillo, Very Good, Viura

Spotlight on Spain: Abel Mendoza Rioja Malvasia 2007

March 18, 2010 By Shea 4 Comments

Thus far I have looked at the red wines of Rioja, but the whites are perhaps some of the most interesting and unknown wines of Spain outside of the circles of wine professionals and wine geeks. This could be explainable by the fact that traditional white Rioja is aged for a considerable time before release, with considerable oak treatment and therefore also oxidative effects. The impact of so much oxidation on white wine can be a turn off (or at least particularly unusual) to many wine drinkers, making these wines some of the more challenging whites in the world of white wine.

The best white Riojas, however, have a searing acidity that provides them with a near immortality when it comes to ageability. Most white wines could never handle as much age as the insanely complex and acid driven whites of a producer like Lopez de Heredia. Traditional white Riojas are made predominantly from the grape called Viura (aka Macabeo), which is northern Spain’s most planted white grape. Interestingly, this is apparently also planted in the Roussilon region in southern France, although I have never had a chance to taste the French versions.

Now, according to Jancis Robinson, Viura is actually a low-acid grape, which makes me wonder how Lopez de Heredia has such searing acidity in their whites. However, Viura is also exceptionally good at withstanding oxidation, so perhaps this ability preserves the acid over time. This is an intriguing question that hopefully someone has the answer to.

However, Viura is also almost always accompanied in Riojan whites by Malvasia, often added to blends in quantities of 5-10%. The encroachment of phylloxera into Spain actually ended up in a huge decline of Malvasia plantings, explaining the now dominant use of Viura. This makes today’s wine particularly unusual, since it is not only made in a modern rather than traditional style, but it is made with 100% Malvasia.

Unlike the Lopez de Heredia whites (see my review of the 1989 Tondonia Reserva), Abel Mendoza’s Malvasia is clean and modern, without a hint of oxidation. Mendoza is quite a modern producer from Rioja, having established in 1987, and they tend to make wines of their own style and direction.

However, despite the modern approach, the nose retains some of the unusual qualities I associate with white Rioja, such as nuts, nail polish and some ripe apple and cardamom. That it does so without the oxidation and with plenty of freshness makes this a particularly successful wine for a completely different set of foods. Start your meal with some Serrano and old white Rioja and then move on to a bevy of fresh seafood in some sort of cream sauce with this very modern Malvasia.

The use of American oak was in no doubt with the flavours of vanilla, cream and cardamom on the palate. The fresh apple and citrus notes provided a clean sharp line through the centre of the wine and into its finish. I loved the texture and richness here because it was also coupled with structure and balance: fresh, but big, clean but classic. On oaky and fresh white wine, together at last.

And, as with all the best wines, this has a distinct personality – you won’t get a wine like this from anywhere else. 13% ABV.

Excellent
$35 at Marquis

NB: this wine was also poured at Marquis Wine’s blogger tasting – although I had my bottle at home with a meal.

Filed Under: $30-$40, Excellent, Malvasia, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights

Spotlight on Spain: Miguel Merino Gran Reserva 1999

March 17, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

What is the distinction between tradition and modernity? The modern derives from the past, so the separation is not simply time. When we say ‘modern’ we tend to imply a break or change from what was. Thus, the distinction between tradition and modernity lies in philosophy rather than time – it is a shift in attitudes and perceptions. So what does it mean to bring modernity and tradition together? Can they subsist peacefully in the same room?

Miguel Merino is a producer that, to me, embodies this struggle. Merino is both a new wave artisanal producer, but also one who believes that the philosophies and approaches of the past have a lot to teach us. Jancis Robinson argues that wine making in Rioja is characterized far more by barrel maturation than fermentation techniques, with 225 litre barriques now being required by law. But, from where does this tradition emanate? The emigrating French winemakers fleeing phylloxera in the 19th century brought these barrel ageing techniques to Spain, and they have since stuck. Rioja’s unique twist has always been to use American oak rather than French, and to age the wines considerably before release. However, new producers are starting to introduce French cooperage, and this is sure to start changing the scope of the wines in the region.

So, what is tradition? As I intimated in my last post, tradition seems to be the unique confluence of historical perspectives. For me, Merino embodies this because he brings both the wine-making techniques that made modern Rioja what it is together with the new gesture towards approachability and fruit, without jettisoning the former for the latter.

In essence, wine from Miguel Merino tastes like it gestated in the womb of a traditionalist such as Lopez de Heredia or La Rioja Alta, but upon birth, gained the characteristics of an exuberant youth. And, gestation is the right word to use here because Merino believes in the tradition of releasing wines far later than the rest of the world. By using the monikers Reserva and Gran Reserva, Merino is remaining true to what producers like Finca Allende are avoiding – the long oak and bottle maturation process. This wine, the 1999 Gran Reserva (28 months in American Oak), is the current release from Merino, and is singing all the better because of it.

Made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano (an indigenous grape that promises great things), the wine glories in its forward raspberry, cherry and strawberry fruits, all wrapped up in dilly American oak. The gamey palate reiterates these aromas in your mouth and adds balance with wonderful secondary notes of cigar, and old oak. With air, this wine adds both graphite and gravitas and approximates a very good Bordeaux in style, elegance and substance.

Excellent
$60 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, Excellent, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights, Tempranillo

Spotlight on Spain: Finca Allende Calvario 2002

March 14, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Let’s speak of vintage. 2002 is considered by pretty much everyone in the wine world as a horrendous vintage for most of Europe. Lots of rain and snow and poor ripening along with plenty of rot ruined the crop for most vintners. But what, we might ask, is in a vintage? Time, history, climate, geography? Archaeological evidence suggests that the Romans started producing wine in Rioja thousands of years ago. The Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula did not put an end to production, and instead tolerated it. What did vintage mean to these peoples? What vintage can represent the diverse histories of a tradition?

The Christian reconquista of the 15th century saw the return of higher volume wine production in Spain, and Rioja. And the rest, well, that’s become the development of the modern industry in Spain. So, I ask again, what’s in a vintage? Can we think of it merely as the expression of the climate and geography of the few fleeting moments between dormant winter and fervent autumn? Or is vintage also history, ghost-like and ungraspable as it is?

Who’s to say, but this 2002 Calvario from the ‘new wave’ Finca Allende (started in 1995), spoke of wine making more than vintage, with dusty dark cherry notes and rich modern espresso. Hugh Johnson calls this wine “exuberantly fruity”, but he does not mention its density, which is formidable. The tannins give a masculinity to the cherry fruit and herbal finish. A difficult wine from a difficult time, inked in with little moments of pleasure.

Very Good
$70 at BCLDB, Marquis ($48 on sale)

Filed Under: $60+, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights, Tempranillo, Very Good

Spotlight on Spain: La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2000

March 13, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Moving from Spain’s second most famous region to its most famous, today’s post will start to explore the world of Rioja. Rioja is an intriguing land that has a history which epitomizes the dialectic between tradition and modernity that is so much a part of Spain’s wine culture. Traditionally, wines in Rioja were made to emulate the style of Bordeaux by long term aging in wood and bottle before release. This was done because the domestic French wines had been decimated by phylloxera in the 1800’s and Rioja stepped up to fill the gap left by the destroyed French vineyards. It was not uncommon to see wines released decades after the vintage date. This practice has diminished over time, with a move towards more approachable and accessible wines released earlier. In fact, this new push in Rioja to produce modern wines has almost totally overwhelmed the traditional bodegas, so much so that there are almost none left.

The famous Lopez de Heredia (founded in 1877) is the most important traditional bodega (its current release of wines is from the 90’s), but La Rioja Alta (a family owned winery founded in 1890) is also very much making wines in the traditional style.

Of course, phylloxera’s insidiousness did eventually spread to Spain and most of the vineyards had to be ripped out and replanted in the 1920s.Civil war in Spain and the second World War essentially collapsed the industry even further and it was not until the 1950’s that Rioja started to regain its reputation and market share in international markets.

I find it interesting that after the world wars cheap Spanish wine started to be marketed as “Spanish Burgundy” and “Spanish Chablis” – these wines were so bad they damaged the reputation of Spain as a wine region. Does this remind anyone of Cellared in Canada and the mass produced plonk sold by most BCLDB outlets? As soon as Spain made it illegal to use those terms, Rioja (which was legally regulated for quality control in the vineyards and bodegas) finally started to build the reputation that it enjoys today. Clearly, effective regulatory regimes are essential for the development of an industry and British Columbia could learn a lot from the lessons of older and more established wine regions. The VQA is a step, but is not nearly as effective a tool as the D.O. system in Spain (which of course has its own issues). In order to brand and market B.C. (and Canadian) wine effectively, a little more attention needs to be paid to creating inducements to increased quality. Systems that subsidize or assist the branding of poor quality wines are not going to help the industry grow and improve quality.

In Spain once Rioja was given a DOCa grade (the highest grade for wine quality in Spain), the quality of the wines drastically improved to the point where it is now difficult to find poor quality wines from Rioja. Clearly, incentivizing quality is essential for the growth of an industry.

Now, turning to the region itself, it is important to know that wines from Rioja are not just made with grapes from the most prestigious region (known as Rioja Alta), but can also derive from places like Alava, Ebro and parts of Navarra. So, if you are looking for the highest quality grapes, you should look for wines made from grapes grown in Rioja Alta.

This wine made by the Bodega with the same name as the region in which it grows its grapes, is made with Tempranillo from the warmer parts of Rioja and so the skins are thicker, giving the wines more natural tannins. Along with Tempranillo, wines from La Rioja Alta often have Mazuelo and Graciano added to the blend (two indigenous grapes) for tannins, colour, freshness and aroma. The soils in Rioja Alta are clay based, alluvial, and have outcrops of iron and chalk-rich subsoil.

Without going into tremendous detail, I would note that the battle between modernity and tradition applies to viticulture and vinification beyond simply barrel aging for extended periods. For example, a traditional producer will use large wooden vats to allow for more natural fermentation. Modernists use epoxy-lined vats with temperature controls that allow for more precise wine making.

La Rioja Alta (the winery) owns about 300 hectares of land and makes both crianzas and reservas. The reservas can be somewhat confusing as there are two lines – the Arana and the Ardanza (indicating different vineyard selection). This wine, from the Ardanza series, is made in a spicier more ageable style than the Arana, which tends to be fruitier.

When I tasted this wine I immediately noticed its baking spices and vanillan character from the long aging in American Oak (which Riojans prefer to French). The dill characteristics classically indicative of American Oak were also present in the medium bodied wine. This is a soft and taught wine with cherries and earth and that classic, almost tired, feeling for many older red Riojas. This is not a wine about modern fruit, however, but is a wine about tradition married with the cleanliness and alacrity of modernity. You can taste time when you drink this wine, and that will prove to be a superb experience for many. For me? Well this is not my favourite Riojan traditionalist, but I appreciate their attention to tradition and quality and they certainly deserve the reputation they have.

Very Good
$55 at Liberty Wine Merchants

In the next few posts expect a look at the various styles of Rioja, including a glimpse at their rarely considered (but oh so brilliant) white wines.

Filed Under: $40-$60, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights, Tempranillo, Very Good

Spotlight on Spain: Alonso del Yerro 2005

March 9, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

Whereas last post’s Alejandro Fernandez is by now an old hat in Ribera del Duero, Alonso del Yerro is a baby in the region. It also represents some of the new international influences entering the region, with Bordeaux based consultant Stephane Derenencourt making the wines (the other one being the famous Pingus, started by a Dane). This international influence can be experienced in the wine itself, which is made in a more modern and international style than the Condado, but without sacrificing its Spanish roots.

This influx of development in Ribera del Duero has also led to an influx of vine cuttings brought in from elsewhere: many of the new plantings are not of the native Tempranillo, but of clones from other regions. This, of course, has an impact on quality, and many critics believe that plantings made with these clones are less than ideal. The now impressive reputation of Ribera del Duero has also led to an influx of cult wines and wineries that try to establish their reputation within a vintage. We’ve seen before how big scores from the likes of Robert Parker can make an unknown winery into an international sensation, with massive price increases to boot.

The trick with Ribera del Duero is knowing which producers are gouging, and which are staying more honest in their pricing. For me, the Pesquera wines have always been very fairly priced. This wine, while still of exceptional quality, is definitely creeping up a bit high in price for my liking (although nothing compared to Pingus or Aalto).

The wine pours a pure dark red, and offers a modern-styled nose of dark plum, cassis, cedar and spice box. The palate again is modern with a lot of fruit – blackberry, cassis, really ripe tomato and some spice and wood. Good hefty tannins round out the texture and mouthfeel, which is powerful and clean. This is an excellent example of how a wine can be modern and fruity but also balanced and rounded out with secondary flavours to compliment the fruit, and how a modern wine can retain typicity. For me, typicity and regionality are the only way that modern wines work, and this is a great example.

Excellent
$50 at Everything Wine

Filed Under: $40-$60, Excellent, Malvasia, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights

Spotlight on Spain: Alejandro Fernandez Condado de Haza 2005

March 7, 2010 By Shea 1 Comment

My next spotlight looks at a land with many histories, many traditions, many personalities and a flare for the confluence of modernity and tradition. It is also a land I will be visiting in about a month: Spain. I hope that this spotlight will serve to explore both the famous and not-so-famous regions of Spain, hopefully highlighting some of its lesser known D.O.’s and culminating in an in-the-flesh experience when I head there in person.

For me, Spain offers so much for the wine lover that one could spend a lifetime exploring the grapes and styles of Spain’s amazingly diverse wines. Spain also offers some of the best values in the wine world today. Forget Argentina and Chile – Spain is where you can get wines with flare, personality, depth, profundity, and litheness all for an excellent price.

The grapes for today’s wine were grown in Spain’s Ribera del Duero – the river valley that becomes the Douro in Portugal (the famous land of port). Ribera del Duero never used to be known for quality wine. Amazingly, in the last 20 years the region has completely reinvented itself, led by the venerable Vega Sicilia (see my profile of this famous estate), who set out to prove the region could make wines comparable to the best in France. While Vega Sicilia’s initial plan was to plant the French variety Cabernet Sauvignon, they discovered that it was in fact the indigenous variety Tempranillo that produced the greatest quality wines. Aging the wines for a long time in oak led to Vega Sicilia’s very distinct style.

However, other than Vega Sicilia, Ribera del Duero did not get much of any recognition until the producer of today’s wine sprung onto the scene: Alejandro Fernandez. Fernandez’s Tinto Pesquera was the first winery to make high quality Ribera del Duero wines that were not aged for a long time before release and which were a fraction of the cost of Vega Sicilia’s masterpieces. I think it is fair to say that Fernandez revolutionized the image of Ribera del Duero by focusing on quality. Even as the reputation of the region rose and fell (of course corresponding with grape prices), Fernandez never compromised on quality. This is a lesson for all B.C. wine makers who try to make wine for a certain palate at a certain price – throughout all the fluctuations and fortunes of Ribera del Duero, it was Fernandez’s focus on quality both in the vineyard and in wine making practices that allowed him to survive for so long. And now? Well Fernandez is one of the most respected names in Spain.

Today’s wine is from Fernandez’ “second” project Condado de Haza – with the quotation marks indicating that this winery is not producing wines of lesser quality than Pesquera – instead just a different style.

But before the wine, a little bit about the region. Ribera del Duero is actually a high elevation region, and as such, producers can have difficulty ripening grapes. This is somewhat contrary to Spain’s image as a warm climate region with easy ripening, and it might be hard to believe given the intense fruit of most Ribera del Duero wines. This intensity arises from two things. First, the climate is such that while days can reach temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, it also has very cool nights that shut down the grapes’ metabolism. This allows the grapes to gain in fruit during the day, but also ensures that the vines and leaves don’t suck up all the nutrients at night, meaning all the soil’s minerals go directly into the grapes. Second, the high altitude deprives the vines of oxygen and increases the thickness of the grape skins, with a concomitant increase in tannin and intensity.

Moving to the wine, this had a bold nose, lots of rich cherry, strawberry and blackberry. There is a charred meat component along with smoke and earth. I thought this was extremely expressive and also very interesting. For a wine of this price, the aromatics are outstanding. The palate showed a lot of youth, and I would like to see this wine with more bottle age. That said, I got tons of fruit, but also huge tannins – earth, char, dust and oak round out this extremely complex wine. Personality? Check. Approachability and ageability? Yes. Affordable? Absolutely. One of the best basic Crianzas in Spain. This is exactly why Spain is such a formidable presence in the world of wine. If only more North Americans would embrace the wines and increase the selection available – it is but a fraction of what is being produced today.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$35 at BCLDB or Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $30-$40, Spain, Spanish Wine, Tempranillo, Very Good