¡Vinos de España!

This was a tasting organised by the Edinburgh branch of Villenueve Wines some weeks ago now, on 7.10.10. Villenueve have an interesting selection, although some of these wines seem pricey for what they are.

WHITE

Vinos Piñol, Portal Blanc, Tierra Alta, 2009 £8

This is a Catalan wine from the DO Terra Alta (or Tierra Alta, in Castilian Spanish) made from a very modern blend of Garnacha Blanca (that’s Grenache Blanc, which, despite the better known French name, is indigenous to Spain) and the more unusual Sauvignon Blanc, not indigenous to Spain and not at all common in this area.

It looks attractive, with a green tint that denotes its youth and its Sauvignon, and an effervescence that again goes with youth and freshness. But it’s a simple wine, without much fruit to offer on the nose, just a vague leafiness. On the palate, it’s slightly tart, with – I’m stretching here – perhaps a hint of the spice that Garnacha Blanca can offer. Very much an entry level white.

Izadi Blanco, Rioja, 2007 £10

White Rioja is principally made from Viura (known in other parts of Spain as Macabeo), a variety that produces typically acidic wine that takes oak well and can be (when handled properly) long-lived. It isn’t, however, a variety that produces a very characterful fruit flavour, which is why I’ve never really understood the attraction of “new wave” unoaked white Rioja, in which the wine is supposed to rely on its inherent fruit rather than its ability to manage oak into a structure that will mature well. A true adherent of old school white Rioja, i.e. the oakier the better, I was startled at a trade tasting a few years ago to discover that all but one of the offerings of new white Rioja was unoaked, and frankly, these were not very notable wines.

This wine, despite billing, is not one of the new school; it is still, thankfully, distinctly oaky. Viura is a great grape for acid, and this cutting wine is definitely one to pair with food – oaky white Rioja and smoked salmon, for instance, is a sublime combination. The oak character itself in this wine is very much American (in Rioja, unlike in most of the rest of the European wine industry, American and not French oak barrels are used) with notes of vanilla, coconut and a confected quality evocative of glue or nail varnish that can also sometimes characterise Portuguese wines. (Nicely, in my opinion, lest that sound like a negative tasting note.) Not a huge amount of depth, no subtlety, but enough punch and acid to sit nicely with your roast chicken. Quite reasonable for £10, these days.

Pazo Barrantes Albariño, Rías Baixas, 2008 £18

Albariño is Spain’s most famous white wine variety, produced principally in the Rías Baixas area of Galicia, Spain’s north-western province (above Portugal on the map). Its prestige inside Spain, not a country especially well-served by its white wines, is high, which has inevitably pushed up prices. As a variety, it is often compared to Viognier thanks to a typical peachy quality, although there are also less exuberant, drier examples.

This Albariño definitely belongs to the peachy-Viognier school, with a fair weight of fruit (peaches meet lemons) jostling with the acid. Clean, fresh, and fruity, fairly powerfully bodied for a white, but not cheap.

RED

Más de Bazán, Bobal, Utiel-Requena, 2006 £10

Utiel-Requena is a DO in Spain’s Levant, inland from Valencia. Often described as up and coming, it actually has a very long-established wine industry. Bobal is a variety indigenous to Spain’s east, not really grown anywhere else, and particularly well established in Utiel-Requena, partly because it proved relatively resistant to phylloxera (the aphid that arrived in Europe from America in the 19^th century and went on to devastate much of the European wine industry). Not known for its finesse, Bobal tends to produce simple, rustic wines that can be charming, or tannic and astringent.

This wine is dark, opaque even at the rim of the glass, which suggests it is relatively heavy-bodied. It has a hot (that is, smelling of fruit from a particularly hot climate/ vintage) and cherried bouquet, while on the palate, it is tannic with soft fruit, simple drinking. Rustic indeed.

Otto Bestué, Finca Sabina, Somontano, 2007 £13

Somontano is a DO in Spain’s relatively remote north east, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Again an area until recently known (inasmuch as it was known at all) for rustic, very local wines, it has supposedly been modernising fast, although I confess I have had many a so-so wine from the area.

This wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Spain’s own Tempranillo for a fairly neutral, red wine character. The nose is rather reductive, that is, having had no oxygen for a long time, it begins with sulphurous, gassy whiffs which soon blow off naturally enough, revealing a cherried character. (Rather a typical Italian tasting note, cherries.) Quite tart on the palate, with little depth.  

Sonsierra, Gran Reserva Rioja, 2001 £18

Gran Reserva on a Spanish wine indicates that in the case of red wines, it must have been aged at least five years (with a minimum of two in oak), which will naturally lend the wine an immediately mature, oak-dominated character.

Rioja is made principally from the Tempranillo grape, Spain’s best, and while it is generally mixed with smaller amounts of other varieties, the Sonsierra is pure Tempranillo. On the nose, it offers notes of wet dog hair, and that port-like glue note along with the fruit. On the palate, I am surprised by the relatively youthful, juicy quality of the fruit – I wouldn’t guess this were a Gran Reserva. Subtle hints of cinnamon and nutmeg also emerge with the brambly fruit. I confess I was a little disappointed considering given what this is; aging might mature it somewhat, but this doesn’t have the depth to go long distance.

Teófilo Reyes Crianza, Ribera del Duero, 2006 £20

Like Rioja, in Ribera del Duero – another of Spain’s great wine-producing areas – they depend principally on Tempranillo (under its local name of Tinto Fino), although here they also mix it with Cabernet Sauvignon. Crianza is another term related to the age of the wine, meaning it has spent at least six months in oak.

This dark, powerful wine has spent a full year in American oak, adding a vanilla character to its strong notes of brambles and black fruit. Far too tannic at the moment and never destined to be a truly great wine, this will nevertheless improve with aging. The intensity of the style could leave me believing it were a Californian wine.

SHERRY

González Byass, Oloroso Dulce “Matusalem” £16/ half bottle

Without going into the details (today) of sherry production, Oloroso is one of the richer, nuttier styles of sherry. Brown in colour, tawny gold at the rim, it smells of walnuts, quite like some port, but without any of the fruit that port would also carry. Medium sweet, with notes of dry toffee and a complex, lengthy, syrupy palate.