Members of the Committee presented their individual preferred choice of wine. This

proved to be a most interesting tasting with a wide variety of excellent wines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINE 1

Presenter: Paul Smithard

Valencia Blanco Seco ‘Las Blancas’ Bruno Murciano 2018,

Utiel-Requena, Valencia

60% Marisancho, 10% Macabeo, 10% Malvasía, 10% Merseguera, 10% Moscatel

Hand harvested between mid-August and early September in small 10kg crates, followed by 3 days of cold soak maceration at 2ºC. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast during 6 months. 50% of the wine is vinified in temperature-controlled INOX vats. 50% goes to 500L 3rd year French oak barrels for fermentation. Prepared according to the precepts of organic farming. 2018 vintage had a limited production of 10,000 bottles.

Colour: straw, certain reflections of a deep gold.

Nose: intense aroma, yellow fruit mixed with floral and balsamic touches.

Mouth: dry wine with a pleasant texture and freshness:   captivating finish

Alcohol: 13%

 

WINE 2

Presenter: Sue Blewett

2018 Castelo de Medina Verdejo

Bodegas Castelo de Medina, Rueda

100% Verdejo

This is an excellent young white wine from Rueda produced from grapes grown at between 700 and 800 metres above sea level, on flat, high ground. Winters are cold and long and springs are short with late frost while summers are hot and dry. The grey/brown soil is rich in calcium and magnesium.

Colour: strong straw yellow colour, but also translucent and crystal clear.

Nose: aromas of fresh cut grass, anise and fennel with a hint of apple.

Mouth: robust, fresh and well balanced, along with aromatic herbaceous flavour and a dry and crisp taste. The finish is very persistent, full bodied with a long after taste.

Alcohol: 13%

 

 

WINE 3

Presenter: Tim Fawle

Remelluri Reserva 2011

Bodega Remelluri, Rioja

Bodega Remelluri is one of the oldest wineries in Rioja situated in the Alavesa area (there are 3 regions in Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Alavesa). All wines from this bodega are achieving 92 – 95 in Peñin.

2011 was an excellent year, with low rainfall and high temperatures during ripening, which offered grapes with great health and maturity. This wine comprises the principal grapes of Rioja, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, which are hand-picked from 40-year old vines.

Fermented over 17 months in barricas and very large oak barrels (foudres). Bottled in 2014, and can be drunk from now onwards for at least 10 yrs. Even after that it can be drunk 20 years from bottling.

Blackberries, plums, ground herbs, liquorice, and a touch of violet notes all emerge from this medium to full-bodied Rioja.

Alcohol: 13%

 

WINE 4

Presenter: Mike Granville

1564 Petit Verdot 2017

Bodegas Sierra Norte, Requena

100% Petit Verdot

Petit Verdot roughly translates as “little green one”, and this is probably because this grape is a late-ripening, warm climate variety. In Bordeaux, where it originates, it meant that the grapes were often not quite ready, “a little green” when they had to be picked for harvest.

Each variety making up this wine is harvested at night. A pre-fermentation cold soak is done to help release aromas. This is followed by a temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation, during which the must stays in contact with the skins until the end of the process. The wine is then aged for ten months in American and French Bordeaux barrels. Processes leading up to the bottling (fining, stabilisation and filtering) are carried out in the gentlest way possible in order to preserve all of the wine’s character.

Colour: Ruby-red colour with light purple glints.

Nose: mineral notes with red berry fruit, ripe blackberry notes and liquorice coming through together with hints of oak, toffee and vanilla.

Mouth: Lots of volume and complexity. Very long and elegant.

Alcohol: 14%

 

 

WINE 5

Presenter: John Sloggie

2017 Rafael Cambra La Forcallà d’Antònia, Valencia

Bodega: Rafael Cambra

Vina De Parcela 

100% Forcallà (Forcallat tinta)

This is a red Spanish wine grape variety that is native to the Castile-La Mancha region of central Spain, as well as to the Alicante and Valencia provinces in the Valencian Community. The name means “forked” in Valenciano, which probably refers to the bunches having a wing or shoulder, rather than a tendency to produce forked vines! It tends to produce pale-coloured wines and is most often used as a minor blending component in Vino de la Tierra (VdlT) wines. It is an authorised variety in the Comunitat Valenciana, where it has become almost extinct and only a few wine makers like Rafael Cambra are making efforts to recover it, with interesting proposals like La Forcallà d’Antònia. The Forcallà variety is 55 years old and is planted on sandy ground in the westernmost part of Fontanars at 700 meters altitude.

Fermentation with native yeast in 2000 litre stainless steel tanks. Maceration at 26º C for 21 days.  Aged 8 months in used 500 litre French oak barrels then aged 3 months in concrete tanks.

Elegant, slightly floral, well balanced.

Alcohol: 13.5%

NOTES:

Vote of thanks was given by Neville Richardson

With thanks to Hugh Epsom for text and Martin Bentley for Images