February 2009 Wine Club Selections

Wines of Spain Old and New If you're at all familiar with Spain itself (and not just their wines), you know that it's a country where tradition and modern innovation collide in a wonderfully eclectic way. Gastronomically, they're known to be on the cutting edge right now, with chefs like Ferran Adria concocting crazy molecular creations that dance on the fine line between science experiments and cuisine. And yet, at the core of their food experience, traditional tapas bars and basic regional ingredients still dominate the daily scene. Likewise, winemaking in Spain is a fun tug-of-war between tradition and experimentation. We have the traditional, established winemakers of Rioja sticking to the strict and time-tested DO standards of indigenous grapes and long ageing, while just a vineyard or two away we may have a young winemaker playing with amped up Cabernet or putting a new spin on traditional Garnacha. We approached this month's selections with a similar spirit of experimentation, while still giving a nod to the traditions that bring us ageworthy Spanish wines. We think you'll have fun trying something old and something new, so to speak, and seeing just which "spirit of Spain" is more your style. Enjoy!

2007 Telmo Rodriguez Basa Rueda Grape variety: Verdejo, Macabeo, Sauvignon Blanc Region: Rueda, Spain Food pairing: Grilled fresh sardines on toast In Spanish, the word basa means foundation. Few names could be more appropriate for this white wine from the Rueda region. Winemaker Telmo Rodriguez has made a decisive choice to return to the fundamentals of traditional Spanish winemaking, both through his grape selection and his methods. For this blend, he chose two indigenous Spanish grapes, Verdejo and Macabeo (with a little help from the non-indigenous Sauvignon Blanc), and farmed them with fundamental biodynamic methods in order to achieve the purest expression of Rueda's terrior. The resulting wine is crisp and borderline tart, with noticeable citrus acidity, a little grassiness, and a clean, palate-cleansing finish...perfect for washing down plates of tapas that are drizzled with olive oil. Qty 2005 Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica Grape variety: Grenache, Syrah Region: Montsant, Spain Food pairing: Brined pork chops stuffed with Spanish green olives In the small and relatively young appellation of Montsant (it was only certified as an appellation in 2001), there is a collective of over 120 growers and winemakers who join forces as Cellar de Capcanes wines. Ironically enough, the collective was originally formed in the 1930s to satisfy a need for good quality Kosher wine in nearby Barcelona. But as the collective gained momentum and experience, they came to earn recognition from importers, consumers, and critics alike, making the wine a hot international item. One of their more popular bottlings, the Mas Donis Barrica, is a blend of 85% old vine Grenache and 15% Syrah aged in American oak for eight months. The resulting wine, in the 2005 vintage, carries notes of cherries and vanilla with some minerality and a touch of spicy tannins (complements of that American oak.) The Wine Advocate gave it a score of 91 points, which, at this price level in particular, is nothing to scoff at!

Qty 2007 Oreka Getariako Txakolina Grape variety: Hondarribi Zuri Region: Chakoli de Guetaria, Spain Food pairing: Spicy Garlic Shrimp If you're having a little trouble pronouncing any or all of the words above, you're not alone. This wine known as Txakoli or Chakoli comes from the Basque region of Spain, and until recently was consumed almost exclusively there, very much in danger of dying out until it acquired DO certification in 1994 and a few savvy importers subsequently decided to bring it to the US. The wine is made of a unique indigenous Basque grape called Hondarribi Zuri, and exhibits very high acidity, low alcohol, and just though it's not technically a sparkling wine, carries just the tiniest hint of fizz, especially when poured in the customary manner. The Basque tradition is to serve this wine as an aperitif and to pour the wine into glasses flamboyantly from about 12-24 inches above the glass. The Basque have special pouring spouts to assist in this display; unfortunately they're rather hard to find in the US. But give it a shot anyway; you'll have a few laughs doing so, and if you're lucky only a drop or two will be spilled in kicking up that customary bit of fizz! Qty 2004 Conde de San Cristobal Ribera del Duero Grape variety: Tinta Fina, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain Food pairing: Lamb chops grilled with Spanish olive oil Old World Spain meets modern Spain in this blend of 80% Tinta Fina, an indigenous grape of the Ribera del Duero region, and the balance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Aged 12 months in an unconventional blend of French, American and Russian oak barrels, the wine gains powerful structure and spiciness, tempered by dark cherry and cocoa flavors. Calling it layered and plush in texture, Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate awarded it with 91 points, noting that it should blossom well for another three years and will likely drink well through 2020. Since Ribera del Duero is such an intense, full-bodied wine, its ideal pairing is lamb, particularly grilled with a simple drizzle of Spanish olive oil. In Ribera del Duero, they'd grill the lamb over vine cuttings from the very grapes you're drinking, but hey, we get as close as we can!

Qty 2001 Marques de Caceres Rioja Gran Reserva Grape Variety: Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha Region: Rioja, Spain Food pairing: Sautéed potatoes with chorizo Anyone who makes a classified Gran Reserva in Rioja today must follow some pretty strict traditions in order to do so. There are varietal requirements, minimum barrel and bottle ageing requirements, and an implied respect for the status quo. That said, Marques de Caceras is one winery that manages to create wines that qualify for the traditional Gran Reserva Rioja classification while still achieving a spirit of progress and ingenuity. This wine is, as guidelines dictate, made from a traditional blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha grapes, and is appropriately aged for 26-28 months in oak barrels before it's further aged for up to four years in the bottle. But rather than aging in older barrels as many Rioja producers tend to do, they age in newer barrels, imparting the oak character in less time, and they use French oak instead of the American oak that prevails in most of Rioja. Indeed, they have their own way of combining tradition and progress, and it shows in this complex, well-balanced and well-aged Gran Reserva. Qty 2006 Alto Moncayo Grape variety: Garnacha Region: Campo de Borja, Aragon, Spain Food pairing: Lamb sliders with sautéed mushrooms If you want a taste of traditional Spain, seek out a Gran Reserva Rioja such as the Marques de Caceras or the Lopez de Heredia that were chosen for this month. But if you want a taste of cutting-edge, diving into the 21st Century head-first Spain, head to Campo de Borja in the Aragon region of Spain, grab an experimenting Australian flying winemaker along the way, and pop open a bottle of 100% Garnacha that critic Steven Tanzer described as an "impressively complex, seductive bouquet of dark berry preserves, tobacco, graphite and smoky Indian spices ...with a finish that is strikingly sweet, lively and persistent." As a matter of fact, Tanzer found it unbelievable that this complex and heady wine was crafted by Chris Ringland, the same winemaker that brings us the line of playful R Wines (Bitch Grenache, Evil Cabernet Sauvignon, and Suxx Shiraz) from Australia. Guess he's no one-trick-pony, after all!

Qty 1981 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva Grape variety: Tempranillo ,Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo Region: Rioja, Spain Food pairing: Cabrales or aged Manchego cheese It's not often that we get the chance to send you an older vintage such as this, as the logistics of acquiring enough properly-stored and aged wine can be daunting. But when the famed old-school Rioja producer Lopez de Heredia released a special batch of library wines they had been holding on to, we just had to snatch some up. We tasted through a vertical of these well-kept wines during a seminar at our Annual Grand Tasting this past October, with vintages ranging from 1976 through 2004, and boy were we impressed. The 1976 and 1981 vintages were the showstoppers of the evening, with incredibly well-preserved acidity, balance and ethereal flavors. Though the bottle itself was never reviewed by Robert Parker in that vintage, the 1981 vintage in Rioja was given a Parker rating of 92 ("outstanding".) As a matter of fact, Rioja was the ONLY wine region in the world to have a banner year in 1981; while most regions' crop was considered just "above average," France's Cotes de Nuits received an almost unprecedented score of 50, defined as "appalling." Whether it's the luck of the weather or the skilled craftsmanship of a winery that's been through more than 130 vintages, Lopez de Heredia crafted a terrific wine from their Bosconia vineyard that year. The grapes for the Gran Reserva, as tradition dictates, were hand-selected, fermented, and then aged in barrel for eight to ten years before they were hand bottled, corked, and wax-sealed before they were further aged in bottle for another ten years before their initial release. Get ready for an experience, as you taste what a well-structured and properly-aged traditional Rioja should taste like: still vibrant, soft and expressive after 27 years! 2006 Clos Erasmus Laurel Priorat Grape Variety: Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon Region: Priorat, Spain Food pairing: Fideo noodle and game meat Paella The comarca (county) of Priorat in the Catalan region of northeast Spain has not always been recognized for their superior winemaking. For many years, they remained in the shadow of the popular and traditional Rioja. But with talented new winemakers like Daphnie Glorian of Clos Erasmus at the helm, Priorat is finally garnering the recognition they deserve. Clos Erasmus encompasses four vineyard sites with a total area of only two hectares. The Grenache and Cabernet vines are planted on deeply sloped terraces originally carved into the mountainside so that the Ancient Greeks could cultivate grapes, olives and almonds. Total yields are only about a ton per acre, from which both the namesake Clos Erasmus bottling and the sister bottling Laurel are made. Deep purple in color, the Laurel displays flavors of woodsmoke, dark cherry and currants with a very rich and very smooth finish. Should age well for five years to come, but it's drinking beautifully now.