For the March tasting President Tim Fawle introduced a selection of wines from Boutique Bodegas, small bodegas producing limited quantities of wine for consumption either here in Spain or in the export market.
Wines were from four regions: Zamora in north west Spain, Montsant, near Tarragona; Uclés in the Provinces of Cuenca and Toledo and Empordá on the Costa Brava, close to the French border.
Members tasted 5 wines, one white, one rosado and three reds in a blind tasting.
The DO's which the wines came from are relatively new. Montsant was established in 2002, Uclés in 2003. Tierra del Vino de Zamora is a DO in waiting, and it is widely expected to gain DO status shortly. Only Empordá has a longer history.
The tasting began with a white and a rosado from Ampurdán (Empordá in Catalan) this DO founded in 1975 is situated in the Costa Brava in the Province of Girona and encompasses 28 wineries with 2,000 hectares of vineyards. So close to the French border the wines are often less what we would expect from typical Spanish wine and more like their French counterparts. Grape varieties also include the less familiar Grey Garnacha as well as the popular Spanish varieties.
The first two wines were from ESPELT VITICULTOR, established in 1999 who produce 800,000 litres of wine annually, which just allows them to slip into our 'Boutique' category. A family owned vineyard in a picturesque area of the Costa Brava amongst 2 natural parks close to the towns of Figueres and Cadaqués. They export to 15 countries and their wines have scored consistently high marks in Peñin. The rosado had recently been awarded 90 points by Parker.
The first red wine came from the DO Montsant which was born in 2002 and surrounds the well known DO Priorat (Priorato). It was previously a sub zone of the Tarragona DO and began with 28 wineries in 2002 and now contains 40. 70% of their wine is exported, mostly to Germany and the USA. The area of vineyards is small at only 1800 hectares. Principal grape varieties are Garnacha and Carineña with Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca for white wine.
The choice of Bodega was slightly unusual as it comes with the good celtic name Viñedos McAlindon e Hijos! In 2003 the McAlindons, who are wine shippers from Belfast, Northern Ireland, fulfilled a long-held ambition and acquired a vineyard in the Montsant region and began producing wine. Currently with just two brands whose total production is less than 10,00 bottles this is truly a boutique bodega. Half of the production goes back to Ireland and the rest remains in Spain.
The next red wine was from UCLÉS in central Spain between the provinces of Cuenca and Toledo. This DO was founded in 2003 on the initiative of 8 wineries in the region of Castilla la Mancha who had recognised the need for the growth of quality bodegas in a region with ideal climate and soil conditions. Again, it is a small region of just 1500 hectares
We tasted wine from Finca la Estacada, a modern bodega founded in 2000 with an annual production of 800,000 litres. Formerly part of the Cuenca DO, the wine we tasted was the first of their wines to be sold under the Uclés denominacion.
Our final red wine came from Tierra del Vino de Zamora. This region which is one step down from a DO, is divided between Zamora and Salamanca in north west Spain and contains just 7 notable vineyards. It was established officially with the unwieldy title of Vino de Calidad de la Tierra del Vino de Zamora in 2004 in what was an ancient wine land producing humble table wine. It has recently been recognised as being worthy of DO status but the wines are still relatively unknown and therefore excellent value for money. Situated as it is rubbing shoulders with Toro and Rueda, this region can be expected to be up and coming in the future. It has an extreme continental climate and the principal grape varieties are Tempranillo (Tinto del Pais) with some Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon. White varieties are Malvesia and Moscatel.
We tasted a wine from the Bodega TESO BLANCO founded in 1999 and producing just 100,000 litres on 30 hectares. They make just 3 named wines from vineyards ranging in age from 20 to 150 years old. Earlier vintages have scored up to 88 points in Peñin.
The speaker explained his brief was to select from the best wines of the previous year as tasted by the members.
He observed that the highest mark from the previous year, 2006, was a Rioja which received 88.7 marks. Two of the four reds selected from the results in 2007 had obtained higher marks and only red wines featured in the top ten list. and that none other than reds are in the top ten. Was the wine better last year? Are we more generous? His view was that well presented wines affect marks and, normally, the last wines to be tasted achieve highest marks. Last year we had good speakers , better wines and this created a positive ambience and we were more generous in our marking. Why do no whites feature in the top ten? We expect the best and/or more expensive wines last – but never have a white or rosado at that stage, only at the beginning.
Five wines were to be sampled.
He started with a personal favourite white wine – not selected for tasting during the year but perhaps worthy of a good mark? – this with the entrees –It comes from Rueda – and is mainly a verdejo grape –(which he prefers to sauvignon blanc and chardonnay) colour straw, expressive aroma, elegant, mountain herbs, good acid and persistent , and has 15% viura. The bodega as founded in 1941, and 70% is sold in Spain. Jose Pariente 2006.
He then explained that the red wines would be tasted in two pairs – one pair each a single grape tempranillo, and garnacha, the second two a mixture of grape varieties.
One was made in Calatayud, an area with few bodegas, but a big producer, the other from Ribera del Duero, with many bodegas, but this this a recent bodega less than ten years old, small and high quality.
The second pair were from a variety of grapes, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, one from the close to the Pyrenees the other from Alicante – with a significant difference in climate.
All four reds were marked 1st, 3rd, 6th and 8th in order of merit last year. Some were difficult to find. Most were deliberately chosen from the tastings offered in the second half of the year to lessen any changes in quality over recent months, but he felt it would be a miracle if we chose the same order again that evening. He said he remained to be convinced any wine was worth more than 30 euros per bottle.
The first reds – one Ribero del Duero, the other Calatayud. One 2003 the other 2005 – the Calatayud was an old bodega founded in 1954, the other Ribera del Duero, 1999 – one sells only 5% in Spain, one 60% - one described as intense cherry, the other very intense, toasty, one new oak the other creamy oak, one chocolate, one cocoa – one a big producer the other only 135,000 litres. Wine strength was high - one 14.5 and the other 15 per cent. One was more than twice the price of the other, neither was cheap. Could members tell the difference?
The last two pairs – Somontano and Alicante, 2004 and 2002 – the Somontano has equal parts of merlot and cabernet sauvignon, the Alicante 70% cab. sauv. and 15% each merlot and syrah – this was tasted in April. The Somontano bodega was founded 1997 and keeps 75% for home drinking, the Alicante is 9 years older and keeps 50% in Spain – close marks were given by the society, one came sixth, the other eighth – which did we prefer? Again, one is double the price of the other, but would that influence the results?
Would this year bring another rise in standards? – Probably, he felt, as we are optimistic and have enjoyed sustained improvements in quality over recent years.
He concluded by congratulating new president Tim Fawle on his election that evening at the A.G.M., producing a very interesting programme for 2008, and wished all members and guests enjoyable tastings throughout the year.
The details of the wines and bodegas and the summary of the marks can be found on this web site.