ESPAÑA – Page 3

LOPEZ DOES IT AGAIN: CUBILLO 2011

We’ll skip the part about what huge fans of Rioja we are, and how they continue to be some of the most compelling values in the wine market. It’s not like we haven’t said it before…a lot! This time were going to get specific. About 2 years ago, we did an offer with the 2011 Cune Imperial, making the point that James Suckling chose to score the 2011 higher than the vaunted 2010. The 2010 vintage was epic in Rioja, while 2011 was very good but much warmer and not as ‘classic’ as 2010. We wondered what possessed him to ‘go against the grain’ and score the 2011 higher than the ’10. Then we tasted it.

There are lots of ways to look at a wine. The 2010 ‘checked all the boxes’, structure, balance, great fruit, it was all there. But any self-respecting hedonist would choose the 2011, a layered, gushing, fruit forward mouthful of joy that erred on the side of deliciousness. We recall that offer because when we saw the newest release of the Lopez de Heredia Rioja Viña Cubillo, the 2011, we were musing if it was going to be another such awakening. We had deified the 2010 Cubillo as the best we could recall among all of the vintages that we had tasted since we started selling this iconic Rioja producer many years ago. But the thought of a plusher, gushing Cubillo was certainly an enticing proposition.

As it turned out, here the proverbial ‘leopard’ did not change its spots, at least not very much anyway. Yes, this was a more outgoing Cubillo, relatively speaking. The great ripeness of the vintage showed itself primarily in the bluer toned fruit that was the focal point of the wine. There was more cassis and plum to the flavor spectrum, and perhaps a touch more evident spice with in that core of fruit. But the leather, earth, balsamic, structure and pedigree were not vastly altered by a rather different harvest.

Lopez being Lopez? Absolutely, and all the better for it. Had we not had the 2010, we might be inclined to say that this 2011 was something of a ‘best ever’ effort. The bottom line is that this is a spectacular, structured delicious bottle of Rioja that deserves it own time in the spotlight. Did this once again meet our expectations? You bet! Just not quite in the way we expected. They still do things the old-fashioned way. While Tempranillo is the dominant grape, Lopez still uses 10-15% Grenache in the mix with a little Graciano and Mazuelo. All from estate vineyards, this wine saw three years in barrel (more like a Gran Reserva), was racked twice a year, after which it is bottled unfiltered.

Once again, we were not alone in our praise. As for the critics, the reviews are pretty darn close to those for the esteemed 2010, as they should be. Luis Gutierrez from Wine Advocate put it this way, “It’s not easy to follow a 2010, but the 2011 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza improves with time in the glass, showing much better than expected. 2011 was a warmer year than the 2010, and the wine is a little riper but has great balance and very good harmony. It’s a noteworthy red for the price asked…92 points.” That’s one point under the 2010 and remember there are much bigger dogs in Lopez’ cellar that also get tasted

James Suckling’s score was the same as last year’s, “Cubillo spends three years in barrique and then in larger cask to await bottling, which happens two years before the expected release. This is very fresh on the nose with quite fresh, ripe blackberries and dark cherries, mahogany and dry, woody spices. The palate is very powerful, juicy and fresh with clear black cherries and plums in abundance. So fresh, fleshy and deep. The freshness is impressive. Long, shell-like tannins. Drink or hold…95 Points.”

As to Lopez de Heredia, there is little we need to say about this icon of traditional Spanish winemaking founded in 1892. We have tasted virtually every level of wine they produce, including some historic older bottlings, and have never been disappointed even given pretty high expectations. They do all the right things to create the wines they want to make and charge very attractive prices for the various levels offered. Even in these crazy times, where there are mad deals at every turn, and tariffs trying to spoil some wines’ positioning in the marketplace, this wine still shines as a refined, well made, attractively-priced, high quality choice.

TASTY ‘NEW’ SPANISH RED FROM AN ‘OLD’ SOURCE

While not an official DO, the Sierra de Gredos is home to a group of young, passionate and innovative winemakers who are pushing the boundaries of viniculture in a region that has long been seen as a place for bulk wine to slake the thirst of nearby Madrid. Even in a country of mountains and high plateaux, and despite its proximity to the sun-baked capital, the Sierra de Gredos seems more alpine, more remote and more rugged than one would imagine this far south. It is the unique combination of high altitudes and low latitudes that defines the potential of Gredos and when you throw in weathered slate, granite and schist soils and add some varieties that are pushed to their limits in such an extreme environment.

Many of the Spanish importers we know are touting what are loosely referred to as ‘Vinos de Madrid’ as the next big thing. Our experience has been rather more mixed, with a a number of wines rather undefined stylistically and others overly ‘reduced’. This area has been producing for a long time but, like other regions in Spain have done, are trying to step out of the bulk image and make more distinctive wines. One that has given us hope in the region is Bodegas Maranones. The creative force here is ‘young gun’ Fernando Garcia, who along with Daniel Landi, has already created the critically acclaimed Commando G wines.

The issue here is that this terroir is, literally, ‘high and dry’. The rather unique growing cycle here has little problem with pests or disease, but the season can be abruptly short and is highly susceptible to spring frosts. A lot of the vineyard work, organic/biodynamic farming and plowing the hillsides using mules, is focused on facilitating a long enough vegetative cycle for the grapes to get ripe.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is one of two workhorse wines for the project and a great portion of this wine comes from a vineyard called Dehesa, located in the valley with deeper alluvial/sandy soils (the other two sites are above 2500 feet and very stony). Garcia will forgo bottling higher priced, single vineyard bottlings if he feels the ‘entry level’ wines need a boost. Clearly he committed to building a name for the wines. In the cellar, it’s ‘old school’ with whole cluster fermentation and grapes foot-trodden, big foudres and indigenous yeast.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is 90% Grenache and 10% ‘local varietals’ including Morate, a white grape. This is loaded with Grenache personality but there is a coolness and refinement likely due to the elevation. Very few wines we have tasted from “Madrid” have shown this kind of elegance and we suspect the inclusion of some white grapes might have the same effect as Viognier in Cote Rotie, giving the wine an airier and more floral quality.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez is a fan writing, “The fully developed, aromatic and open 2016 30.000 Maravedíes, with nice aromatics and a very pleasant palate. It’s fragrant and elegant, with pungent flavors and very good persistence. This is a superb showing for this bottling…91+ points.” (The ‘+’ indicates the wine may merit a higher review later on, this review was in Dec., 2018)

By the way, if you are wondering about the name, a maravidie is a gold-struck coin of Iberia for about four centuries starting in the 1100s. In 1150, Alfonso VII The Emperor, a real King of León, founds the Monastery of Santa María de Valdeiglesias in Pelayos de la Presa by assembling twelve hermitages of the area. From this moment, the agricultural exploitation of the land will be decided and promoted, with the wine as fundamental crop. In 1434, at the time when Juan II, father of Isabel la Católica, was king, Don Álvaro de Luna, “Condestable de Castilla”, bought the lordship of San Martín de Valdeiglesias from the monastery of Pelayos. The price…30,000 Maravedies.

ABADIA’S OUTSTANDING 2016

Back when we visited this winery circa 2000, they showed us a large facility that was all gravity flow and had a suspended conveyor to drop the harvest straight into tanks from above. It was pretty clear that these folks, who had designed one of the most impressive cellars we had witnessed to that point, and clearly had spent serious money, were in it for the long haul. There wasn’t a vine on the property in 1991 but all was subsequently planted under the direction of former Ausone winemaker Pascal Delbeck based on a soils study done by Spanish terroir expert Vincente Sotes.

The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Especial marks their estate’s 25th Anniversary and 20th bottling. In our minds, it is the best effort we can recall from this series. Yeah, we know folks hear that a lot, particularly given the notable performance of wines from the 2016 vintage in a variety of regions in Spain, France, and Italy. But to perhaps give the statement a little context, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Abadia Retuerta bottlings made ‘three-peat’, back-to-back-to-back appearances on the Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. We can’t remember saying that very often for any winery.

This 2016 Seleccion Especial displays the cohesive fruit, acidity, and ripe tannins that has marked the best of the vintage. Rich in the mouth, with polished edges, a creamy palate feel, yet fresh and lifted from front to back. Cassis and dark cherry fruit roll across the tongue with accents of damp earth and notes of chocolate. The finish is authoritative but soft and supple, the wine thoroughly engaging.

Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate shared our enthusiasm for this bottling, and we’d call your attention to the blend. Since the winery lies in the Sardon, just outside the confines of the Ribera del Duero, they had a bit more latitude with their varietal blends. It all appears to have worked out for the better.

From Wine Advocate, “Selección Especial is Abadía Retuerta’s reliable red blend produced in enough quantities to have good availability and with an approachable and easy-to-understand profile that reached great quality with the 2016 Selección Especial, from one of the best vintages in recent times in the region. It’s 75% Tempranillo, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, a blend that can change with the conditions of the year, as it’s decided by tasting the wines. If in the past this wine was quite oaky, this 2016 feels quite integrated and balanced, ripe and medium-bodied, with a soft and tender palate, round tannins and moderate influence from the élevage of 13 months in French and American oak barrels. This comes from a cuvée of 1,675 barrels that produced wine to fill 453,000 bottles, 22,500 magnums and 1,100 double magnums. The quality is awesome for the volume produced…93 points.”

We have always said it takes talent to make exceptional wine. but it is more difficult to make a lot of exceptional wine. Hats off to them. The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Esppecial drinks well now, but it should do nicely in the cellar for at least a decade.

ANOTHER DELICIOUS ‘WORKHORSE’ RIOJA

With all of the choices there are out there these days, we understand it can be pretty overwhelming. There are new areas performing all the time, vintages change and there are fresh, new faces on the scene regularly. We see new wines constantly. These days a disproportionate number of them in the value categories, including quite a few that have gained popularity in recent years, taste more of the ‘lab’ than the vineyard. We don’t apologize for being somewhat traditional in our approach. Trendy is fine, but a lot of things that have performed admirably for a long time should not be ignored for the sake of fashion. If they offer a sense of place and excellent value, all the better.

One of the reasons we are such evangelists for Spanish wines in general, and Rioja in particular, is that it gives us all of those things. This message never gets old. Great Rioja producers offer some of the most complete and satisfying wine deals out there, and in that field Cvne has been a major force for a long time. Cvne (which stands for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España though everybody calls them ‘Cune’) successfully operates three separate wineries with three different styles. All three have been on these pages multiple times over the years, at many different price levels, with good reason.

In the CVNE lineup, a wine entity that can trace its roots back to 1879, Viña Real is a relatively newcomer being ‘born’ in the 1920s with their focus on creating crianza wines from Rioja Alavesa. Those crianzas have been consistent players around here for a long time with relatively few gaps. They are consistently some of the best buys in the wine world. We’ll say that without hesitation. Of course when a vintage is particularly stellar, everything is amped up a little more. In other words what is ‘always good’ is that much better in an exceptional vintage. As we were doing our research, we noted the last time we did a big offer on the Crianza was with the epic 2010. The Vina Real Rioja Crianza 2016 is also from an exceptional vintage and delivers again beyond expectations for a wine of this price.

The Vina Real Rioja Crianza 2016 is a blend of 90% Tempranillo with the balance made up of Mazuelo, Garnacha, and Graciano that sees 13-14 months in barrel. Ripe plums, blackcurrant, high toned spices and subtle flashes of oak and balsamic, this is elegant and bright, but can stand up to hearty meat dishes yet whose supple edges and ripe tannins do not preclude applications with fish or fowl. The 2016 is a particularly engaging rendition, with the kind of tender fruit and easy going demeanor to make it far too easy to quaff. It is important to note that this Rioja was produced and bottled on the estate. Very few wines from anywhere in this price range can say that.

This is one of those appealing reds that, given its track record, shouldn’t need scores to sell it in a vintage like this. But we have some anyway. From Wine Spectator, “This red is dense and focused, with cherry, berry and vanilla flavors that emerge as the tannins give way, leading to a floral and spicy finish. Drink now through 2031…91 Points”

From Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate, ‘… It’s expressive, deliciously aromatic, floral and elegant, reflecting a cool year that delivered fresh wines that seem to be very approachable early on. 2016 is a pretty vintage, but this wine is not banal; it has depth and complexity that’s remarkable for the price point. The palate is fresh and balanced, with fine tannins…91 Points.”

This sub-$15 wine can play with everything from simple tapas to a roast bird to a tomahawk ribeye, or you can just drink it. But, more to the point, the list of choices of super tasty, well-made, well-reviewed, estate-bottled, honest wines at this kind of price is a rather short one. Viva España.

PRIORAT PERFECTION?

The modern era in Priorat started with a guy named Rene Barbier (II for future reference) in 1989, and this 2017 effort made by his son may redefine it. Both the Barbier family and Priorat have long histories. Barbier was part of a winemaking family whose origins in the trade can be traced back to somewhere in the 1200s. In the 19^th Century the Barbiers owned some 1500 hectares in the southern Rhone but phylloxera took its toll and the family looked to Spain to secure grapes. Subsequent World Wars caused them to eventually move to Catalonia. Rene II was born in Tarragona in 1950.

The land had been a source for wine since Roman times, but before Rene started what they call the ‘Priorat revolution’, the territory was virtually unknown and the juice from these rugged hillsides were mostly used to make wine for the locals. Rene (II) bought his first vineyard in 1979 and a decade later released his first wine. Others have come (Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet, Alvaro Palacios, Mas Doix) that have helped elevate the region’s status

A lot of outstanding wines have indeed come from this difficult to work, mountainous area covered by a special black schist the locals refer to as llicorella. The media has, by and large, received the wines well over the years, and we were on board early with Mogador, Erasmus, Palacios, and many others. We love the well-infused minerality that is the hallmark of the region’s best wines. We respect the power and presence that these wines, based generally on old vine Grenache and Carignan (often with dollops of Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah), have.

We also realize that while a lot of folks have come to appreciate this appellation, we think that there are a lot more people that would get on board if given a reasonable chance to have a great experience. We are very well aware that Priorats can be rustic and inward, in other words downright moody. In addition, they are not inexpensive. For a lot of you who expect ‘love at the first sip’ given all of the glowing words written about some of these wines, there have been some disappointments. Our message today is to have a little patience because the newest effort from Clos Mogador, the 2017, expresses itself in a way that few Priorats we have seen have been able to do.

The Clos Mogador Priorat 2017 is a blend of 46% Grenache, 29% Carignan, 15% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that is estate grown and farmed organically, and matured in a combination of foudres and 300 liter casks for 18 months. It just hit the market so there has not been a lot of media attention thus far. If you want to talk track record, however, the last five bottlings were 98, 98, 98, 97, 98 from Wine Advocate. There aren’t many Bordeaux in this kind of price range that have that kind of scoresheet.

The purveyor poured the 2017 for our buying team, and we looked at each other in amazement. Is this really that good or was this one of those ‘on any given day’ scenarios? As it happened, we had a bottle of the 98-point Clos Mogador 2016 on hand , so we opened it for comparison (hey, somebody has to do this stuff!). Allowing for the year of bottle age, the 2017 had all of the classic ‘infused minerality’ and layers of spicy red fruits that defines the estate and the region. It also possessed great tension and lift, exceptional balance and impressive energy and length.

The edition had a brightness and freshness that we have rarely seen historically in Priorat. Luis Gutierrez, in his notes on the 2016 said, “…It has a meaty touch and feels really young , despite the long élevage. There is a strong mineral sensation on the palate, something that is a texture and mouthfeel rather than a flavor. This is an unusual, fresh vintage…”

If he thought that was an ‘unusual, fresh vintage’, what will he think of this one? Side by side it had more energy, plenty of punch, layers of complexity, and didn’t show a lick of its 15+% alcohol. On this day, it bested the proven performer.

Did we get a look at a possible 100 pointer? While we know better than to try and predict the whimsy of the press, maybe we did. In any case, this is a great one, and you know we don’t fling that word about lightly.

Moreover it presents a newer, friendlier, fresher face of Priorat. Is it a new direction for Priorat, a function of the vintages, or just something stylistic that the very talented Rene III, son of founder Rene II, has initiated himself? Time will tell. But in the meantime, this is very special juice and, if this is the new face of Priorat, we like it and believe it will make a lot of new friends! A brilliant effort.

OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH VALUE GEM

One could say that we are practicing ‘inclusion’ here. This is an exceptional wine and an amazing value that deserves serious attention. But at a time when the wine world is filled with panic selling because of a number of current pandemic/economic reasons, and there are enough wild offers to fill the airwaves for the foreseeable future, a wine like this little gem has much less of a chance of getting the attention it deserves.

First off, the name is both foreign and unfamiliar. The name Edetaria Terra Alta Via Edetana Negra doesn’t just roll off tongue. It comes from a somewhat obscure appellation called Terra Alta, south of Priorat and Monsant and arguably less highly regarded as a region. As much Spanish wine as we work with, even we don’t see a lot of stuff specifically from this appellation, and most of what we do is rustic, closed, and requires extensive aeration and patience.

The Edetaria Terra Alta Via Edetana Negra 2017 is a notable exception, the proverbial ‘needle’ in a ‘haystack’ that few people bother to even sift through. Wouldn’t it be easier for us to find someone panicked to unload a Cabernet at half price? Sure. There’s plenty of that going around these days, and we will do more than our share. But that is exactly the point. A wine like this a year ago was a stunning deal, and still holds its own even in the current tumult. Down the road, when all of this uncertainly subsides and things return to normal (however that will be defined), wines like this will still be exceptional value choices.

Joan Àngel Lliberia grew up here, studied Agricultural Engineering in Lleida and earned a Master of Science in Wine Management, whereupon he worked at several wine companies in France. He moved back to Catalunya, where he continued his career in the wine sector and later on multinational corporations. But his dream come true was to establish this winery in central Tierra Alta as an homage to his grandfather oenologist Llorens and viticulturist parents . The goal is making true terroir wines out of his family vineyards in a ‘genuine style’.

The story is relatively simple because these folks are all about the land which was already there. Winemaking in this part of Catalonia predates Roman times (the name of the winery is a reference to an old Roman road that stretched between Torotosa and Zaragoza). They keep it simple by farming organically and fermenting the grapes from the varied soil types separately, giving them 12 months in 300 liter barrels and then blending.

The blend here is 60% Garnacha Fina and Garnacha Peluda, 30% Syrah and 10% Cariñena from 20 to 40 year-old vineyards in different terroirs: The Garnachas and Syrah come from soils they call “tapàs” (silty soils with clay materials), and Carignan from ”tapàs blanc” (shallow soils with marl carbonated fragments). The unique soils really suit the Grenaches and the cool, expressive dark cherry character is the highlight of the show. The Syrah adds muscle and some blue fruits, and the Carignane dashes in some earth tones.

The wine shows great purity of fruit with the impression fluctuating between a kinder, gentler Priorat and something from the northern part of the southern Rhone. The 2017 was one of a string of excellent vintages in this part of Spain, and this wine’s layered, juicy, cool flavors and tender-but-bright demeanor deliver far beyond the sub-$20 fare. We have tasted a lot of wines from this part of the world and few are this ‘together’, clearly demonstrating the character of the region in an open, engaging way, but doing so with the polish of a serious, boutique label aimed at discriminating buyers.

James Suckling took a shine to this one as well, writing “I love the licorice accents here, which work so well with the overtones of blueberries, citrus, boysenberries and brambles. Firm and tight on the taut palate, which is medium-bodied and so lithe and restrained. Clear-cut and precise. Drink now… 94 points.”

Like we said, it would be easy for a wine like this to get lost in the shuffle of the here and now. But it would also be a shame. This is a soulful, personality-filled effort at a great price, and the kind of delicious, off-the-beaten-path find everyone needs in their life. The flash deals of today won’t last forever and this is a potential friend for the long haul. There’s also a small amount of their expressive all-Grenache Edetaria Via Terra Garnatxa Negra Terra Alta 2018 (James Suckling 92, $11.98!).

Y MAS FROM A VEGA ALUM

As long as we touched on the exciting new stuff from Vega Sicilia, it seemed appropriate to mention something else new and very exciting that came across the table with a Vega connection. We’ll defer to a piece from Luis Gutierrez that succinctly serves as a good opening statement. “One of the most anticipated projects in Ribera del Duero is the one from the García family of Mauro fame. Of course, Mariano is a partner in Aalto, so he has produced a few wines from Ribera del Duero before, not to mention his 30 years at Vega Sicilia from 1968 to 1998. Garmón is the contraction of the surnames of Mariano’s sons, Alberto and Eduardo, García Montaña.”

This is Mariano’s first project of his own within the actual boundaries of the Ribera (Mauro is labeled with the broader appellation Tierra de Castillo y Leon). He apparently opened this project with the 2014 vintage bust this Garmon Ribera del Duero 2016 is the first we have tasted of the series and it impressed on first sip and really showed its stuff as another bottled was ‘researched’ over the course of an evening. Like the Mauro wines, this has remarkably polished texture and is seamless from front to back with a glossy palate feel and tight but ripe and refined tannins. Since this is our first go-round, we aren’t sure how much to attribute to the vintage itself, but it is a pretty sensational effort.

Classic Ribera flavors of dark cherry, plum, cocoa and earth, with a little balsamic, this is a modern style that can hold its own with top flight Bordeaux. Apparently with this vintage they dialed back the new oak to 50% and the vintage itself has the same lift, poise, and freshness that has been a recurring comment for a variety of examples of the vintage from France and Italy as well. Luis’ notes below are making comparisons. It is from 100% Tinto Fino (the local clone of Tempranillo) from a variety of parcels in Valladolid and vines ranging from 30 to 100 years of age from vineyards at nearly 3000 feet elevation.

The Wine Advocate notes,“Cropped from a cooler year, the 2016 Garmón is fresher, cooler and juicier, with elegant and polished tannins (compared to the 2015 tasted the same day). The process is similar every year, and the differences are mostly due to vintage variations, but in this vintage, they used a higher percentage of used barriques for the élevage (50/50 new and used). 2016 is fresher, more elegant and a little lighter. It has a medium to full body and some grainy tannins. Give it a little more time before you pull the cork…93 points.”

The tasting note was from August, 2018. A ‘little more time’ has passed and a lot can happen in a year and a half. It wouldn’t surprise us if this wine was a little more closed back then only two months after bottling. We had no trouble ‘pulling the cork’ presently, though it did expand in the glass a bit and will age a long time should one choose. In the here and now, we’d be a point or two higher than Luis if we did that sort of scoring thing ourselves. This is serious juice.

“MURDERERS’ ROW” FROM VEGA SICILIA

A lot of folks think a busy day for a typical wine merchant is a gala luncheon, an afternoon tasting of rare, high-end wines, and some sort of producer-centric dinner. For some that may be true. We tend to be a lot more clinical about it. While we are certainly going to take a hard look at every such offer we get, there is concern as to what sort of good the event will do for our experience, our knowledge, and the business as a whole. Spending 2-3 hours to taste five or six wines, though potentially enjoyable, isn’t necessarily the most efficient use of our time.

As we think back over the years, there are only a couple of reoccurring events that we have said yes to without hesitation. One of them is Vega Sicilia. We have been huge fans for a long time and have championed their Alion Ribera del Duero (founded 1991) and Pintia Toro (founded 2001) virtually since inception. The wines have steadily improved over the years as the Alvarez family (who bought Vega Sicilia in 1982) has upped their game both by becoming more tuned in with their individual terroirs and how to get the most out of them.

Each property has its own timetable for release, and this year’s lineup was arguably the best ever, in part because each of the wines came from benchmark vintages (2015, 2016, and 2010) and were highpoint efforts within each of their ongoing series. If money was no object, these would definitely qualify as desert island/self-quarantine wines. This was as impressive a ‘rollout’ as we can recall, hence the ‘Murderers Row’/’27 Yankees reference.

Not surprisingly the Benjamin de Rothschild Vega Sicilia Rioja Macan Clasico 2016 , a joint effort between Vega Sicilia and Rothschild, has the greatest resemblance to a Bordeaux than its siblings, yet retains its ‘Spanish accent’. Made completely from Tempranillo, apparently in a brand new gravity flow winery, this is the ‘junior’ if the two bottlings here but we found it more complete front to back than it’s more expensive stablemate. There is more insistent oak influence here than the other bottlings we will talk about, but the vanilla and toast notes are all beautifully integrated with the cassis and earth aspects the the vineyard itself imparts.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez notes, “In 2016, they fermented the wine in stainless steel and reduced the number of new barrels to 50%, while 5% of the barrels were produced with American oak at the Vega Sicilia cooperage. The new winery was 100% ready and now has much better facilities. The élevage lasted 12 months, and this has contained ripeness and integrated oak. The year had freshness and balance and helped to produce lighter and more expressive wines, like this one. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this cuvée…93+ points.”

If there was a ‘best performer’ that day relative to its station, it was the Vega Sicilia Pintia Toro 2015. The vintage surely contributed to the wine’s relative tenderness and evident opulence, and the expansive, super fleshy fruit that defines the region was in full array. Lots of care in the vineyard here with hand harvesting into small crates and double sorting followed by 100% malolactic in a combination of 70% French and 30% American oak then a 12-month sojourn in barrel. Pintia is usually ‘big medicine’, but this classically full-throttle effort is also more user friendly out of the gate. Dangerously so as, in this warm vintage, the wine clocks 15% alcohol though they did a fabulous job of keeping the wine’s freshness.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez handed this one a 94 with comments, “…even if the wine is powerful and tannic, it has good balance and the tannins are fine-grained. This has reached a good balance between power and elegance.” James Sucklings note gets right to the point, “A very structured and intense Pintia with lots of blackberry, chocolate and cedar character. Full body. Yet, it’s more refined than in past vintages. One of the more balanced bottlings from this winery. Delicious already…95 points.” Amen to that.

The fined tuned winemaking practiced at Pintia is, not surprisingly, also employed at Alion. The difference is the clone (locals are insistent that Tinto del Toro and Tinto Fino are markedly different clones…we agree). Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez gives the technical version, “The highly anticipated Vega Sicilia Alion Ribera Del Duero 2016 spent 12 months in oak barrels, 80% of them new and built mainly with French oak but with some 5% American oak, and some 10% of the volume matured in 15,000-liter concrete vats. It hits the scale at 15% alcohol and has moderate acidity, showing ripe black fruit and a creamy texture. 2016 has to be one of the freshest and most elegant vintages of Alión, a year with depth, freshness and terrific balance. Same as they do in Pintia, they are finding ways to lower the impact of the oak in the wine…95 points.”

From the hedonists perspective, James Suckling puts it this way, “A very savory and succulent Alion with so much complexity of flavor with berries, chocolate and dried meat. Some cedar, too. Full body. Vertical and very long. Purity of fruit and tannins to this wine. Needs two or three years to soften. Release in 2020. Better after 2022…96 points.” It showed more ‘bones’, especially alongside the Pintia. But there’s a lot to like and it will perform nicely with a little air and last a decade or two in the cellar. An exceptional Alion overall, one of the best.

For reference, the Valbuena is essentially a ‘second’ wine of Vega Sicilia , though Senor Alvarez was clearly not down with calling it that. It is always released on its fifth birthday. We have had several vintages of Valbuena but this is by far the most open and engaging, relatively speaking. Often this wine is so structured it is hard to grasp early on. For that reason Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Valbuena 5o 2015 kind of took us by surprise. Don’t get us wrong. This is no little quaffer by any stretch. But the fact that there is more flesh on the evident structure is a pleasant departure. According to notes we read, there has been an effort to make Valbuena a bit more compelling. Mission accomplished.

Valbuena didn’t usually play that well with the critics by and large either. But over the last seven vintages it has held its own with some of the world’s great ‘first’ wines. From Wine Advocate, “The 2015 Valbuena, a red blend of mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Merlot, is released in the fifth year after the harvest. It’s explosive and showy, with a complex nose that shows a mixture of flowers and wild herbs, balsamic touches and great nuance…96 points.”

Once again Suckling speaks from the heart, “The aromas to this are so complex and enticing with nutmeg, dark berries, chocolate and white pepper. Full body. Dense and layered with so much wonderful, complex and succulent character. It just makes you want to drink it. Drink or hold…97 points.” Both scores were high water marks for this bottling.

In all honesty, you probably don’t need us to tell you about the Vega Sicilia Unico 2010. Seriously, this is from one of the world’s greatest wineries in one of Spain’s greatest vintages. In our minds it’s like telling you to buy Lafite or Romanee Conti, or it should be. Suffice it to say this is ‘one for the ages’ that will last as long as you want it too. A 97 from Wine Advocate and a 99 from James Suckling, this is rarified air. Gutierrez had an intriguing observation, “…It feels quite ripe and somehow old style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins.”

In other words classic Vega Sicilia with this effort having a certain timelessness that connects with its past yet offers its own story. Suckling cheerleads again, “This is still very tight and closed with so much depth and beauty. The linear line to this is very vertical and draws you down. It shows intense blackberry, dark-chocolate, hazelnut and walnut character. Full body. Chewy yet extremely polished. Precise. Shows decadence. So drinkable already, but better in 2022.” A must for serious collectors to say the least.

SUPERB ‘BURGUNDIAN’ RIOJA

The wines of La Rioja Alta have been ‘fan favorites’ around here for quite some time, with the majority of the rather impressive sales numbers coming from their La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Viña Ardanza and Gran Reserva 904. But this group owns three other estates as well, one in Rias Baixas to make Albariño, one in Ribera del Duero, and another separate estate in Rioja Alavesa called Torre de Oña. The Torre de Oña estate hasn’t gotten near as much attention over the years, but that may be about to change as they have significantly kicked up their game with a new project.

The main La Rioja Alta estate was founded in 1890. But more than a century later, in 1995, they decided to create a new estate in the cooler, higher, and arguably more prestigious Rioja Alavesa. Here the intent was to employ a ‘chateau’ concept, controlling the viticulture and making wine from their estate grapes. We’ve had interesting efforts on occasion from Torre de Oña but nothing really groundbreaking. All the while, they were studying the specific parcels on the estate that produced the best grapes with the intent of bottling a single vineyard effort that best reflected their unique terroir.

While that doesn’t sound all that innovative, the ‘chateau’ type operation wasn’t all that common in Rioja until recently. Now folks like Artadi and Telmo Rodriguez are lobbying to have even more specific delineations to village areas and specific parcels. In any case, the folks at Torre de Oña decided that, in 2012, it was time to pull the trigger on their first single vineyard bottling from the estate. The reviews were encouraging for seemed something of an experimental first-swing. It got supportive words and a 92 point score from Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez.

The winery skipped 2013 but deemed the conditions near perfect in 2014 to create the sequel, and what a revelation it turned out to be! Since the Advocate review explains all of the technical details, we’ll defer a moment. From Luis Gutierrez, “The 2014 Martelo is produced with the grapes from their oldest vines, mostly Tempranillo (95%, the balance Mazuelo, Garnacha and Viura), put through a cold soak after alcoholic fermentation then in barrique for a slow malolactic fermentation of 96 days. This was followed by an élevage in 80% American and 20% French oak barrels for two years, during which time it was racked four times…

“It has incredible aromatics with surprising notes of beef blood, iron and meat with tons of fruit, as Martelo is the vineyard where they find more fruit. This is a very elegant, aromatic and fine Rioja (they decided to bottle it in a Burgundy bottle) and it’s not a coincidence, because that is what they are looking for. The palate follows the same path of finesse, balance and freshness. A very impressive Rioja. Bravo!…94 points”

Bravo, indeed. The Burgundian comparisons hold remarkably true. Texturally, this is silky, elegant, feminine (can we say that any more?), and supremely satisfying. The fruit leans a little bluer than a ‘real’ Burgundy but the finesse, tender mouth feel, and fresh undercurrent of the palate seduces and the delicate spice and mineral tones add complexity. Thoroughly delicious right out of the gate, and a bottle one won’t want to end. The comparison with Burgundy kind of stops there because, in reality, you would be hard pressed to find a Burgundy as good as the Torre de Ona Rioja Reserva Finca Martino 2014 for this kind of price. Simply gorgeous.

MAS MONASTERIO MAGNIFICO

It would be very easy to go off on some long-winded rant about the Ribera del Duero in general and Hacienda Monasterio specifically. This area has been producing wines for a couple of millennia and probably became more focused as a region way back in the 12th Century. But the official D.O. of the regions only became official in 1982 which is when we started seeing examples in the U.S.. They clearly didn’t have the marketing savvy of Rioja, nor the identity. But some of the best wines in Spain, indeed the world, come from here.

Vega Sicilia, founded in 1864, is sort of the de facto ‘flagship’ of the region, but there are a few other superstars that also carry the proverbial torch. Probably the fastest rising one was an estate assembled by Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck, whose top wine Pingus, only created in the mid-90s, is now one of Spain’s most revered and expensive bottlings. Sisseck essentially searched the land for vineyards in his spare time from his ‘day job’, which was the founding and development of Hacienda Monasterio. We have followed this wine for a long time and it has only continued to get better and better, these days we believe achieving the quality level of a classified Bordeaux, maybe a 2nd or 3rd growth.

Hacienda Monasterio has been on an upward trajectory since the beginning, which is no small fact since it was pretty much one of the stars of the region almost out of the gate. The styling is modern, but plenty of care is taken to let the true terroir of the Ribera, aromas of chocolate, mineral, orange peel and tapenade and a core of intense dark red and black fruits on the palate, shine through. To quote the importer, “It is a testament to the terroir of Hacienda Monasterio that throughout the evolution towards a more elegant style of winemaking, it still retains all of its power and intensity, deepened and enriched by greater finesse and complexity.”

We wrote an email that was a virtual love letter about the 2015 in February of last year, complete with appropriately enthusiastic scores like a 95 from Jeb Dunnuck and 94 from Wine Advocate, ending with Dunnuck’s words that, “Even at $50, it’s a smoking value!” Our take was, as people who have been following this estate for some time, we were comfortable saying that it may have been the best and most seamless and complete effort of Monsaterio we have ever had as well as one of the best red wine options for this kind of price from anywhere in the world. We sold it for $39.99 and it vaporized…as well it should have.

We were recently presented with the 2016. Sadly, there wasn’t enough juice for us to consider sending out a full-blown email offer, but that didn’t stop us from buying all they did have. Why? Well, once again, it got strong praise. The 94 from Wine Advocate was actually a little higher given that there was a ‘plus’ attached. Also the words were strong, “The Crianza is now simply the 2016 Hacienda Monasterio, a powerful wine from a large vintage where the vines delivered a good crop of ripe grapes, even when the grapes were harvested early… This is a generous and ripe wine with a juicy texture, ripe flavors and abundant, round tannins. It feels very young and undeveloped, and the wine seems to have the stuffing and balance for a positive development in bottle.”

Jeb Dunnuck hasn’t issued a review yet but we would be surprised if it wasn’t the same or higher as the last one. In point of fact, the 2016 is a notch better, with a more complete and seamless texture, great fruit, and plenty of stuffing. It is the best Monasterio we have ever tasted in this series, period, and thanks to a market quirk, we are able to offer it for $5 a bottle less! Enough said.