Alvaro Palacios and Jamie

A couple of weeks ago acclaimed Spanish Winemaker Alvaro Palacios was in Toronto to present his wines at an intimate tasting at Toronto’s Spoke Club. Alvaro and I sat down to discuss his wines and ended up chatting for quite some time. Despite the fact that Alvaro also makes wines in Bierzo and Rioja, in this podcast we focus upon Alvaro’s history and his wines from Priorat.

Press play above to listen to the podcast or right-click here to download it.

2008 Bodegas Palacios Remondo “La Vendemia” Rioja Spain
Bold raspberry and blackcurrant notes meld with a garrigue-like spiciness. Open a good hour before serving and swish in a big glass or decant for optimum sipping and chase away dull December days – Malcolm Jolley

2006 Bodegas Palacios Remondo “Montesa” Crianza Rioja Spain
The nose leads to raisined dried fruit, but the wine is in no way dried out. Oak is apparent but by no means dominative.. The palate is solid, smooth  and substantial, with structure underpinning the fruit at all times. A very well-crafted Crianza Rioja. A very surprising finish for its relatively modest price. A real steal actually.

2007 Descendientes de Jose Palacios “Pétalos” Bierzo Spain
Having had the pleasure of tasting this in the previous vintage I was very happy to see it in the line up at the Palacios tasting. The first thing that hits you is the most attractive floral bouquet… hence the “Petalos” moniker. If you are new to the red wines of Bierzo I wholeheartedly recommend this wine as your entry point. Whilst not exhibiting some of the complexities inherent to the single vineyard Mencias, this wine shows exceptionally well, with black raspeberries and a great expression of pure dark fruit. Even at this level Palacios produces wines with a substantial minerality. Very good indeed.

2007 Descendientes de Jose Palacios “Villa de Corullón” Bierzo Spain
As with all of the Palacios Bierzo wines this is made by Alvaro’s nephew Ricardo Palacios. I spoke with him about his wines in a previous podcast that you can find here. This is the first in the Descendientes range that is produced biodynamically and I feel that this is instantly recognisable on the palate where a purity and austerity can be immediately detected. Where the Petalos was “giving” this wine shows a little more restraint when it comes to fruit. This wine shows wonderfully after a decant, with cherry fruit being most dominant. I love the fruit/acid balance on this bottling. The tannins provide a firm structure but don’t get in the way of one’s enjoyment of the fruit. Despite not being a single vineyard wine this shows off classical Bierzo minerality with considerable panache.

2007 Descendientes de Jose Palacios “Moncerbal” (Single Vineyard) Bierzo Spain
Made from 100% Mencia, the flagship red grape of Bierzo. Winemaker Alvaro Palacios makes superb, “spiritual”,  “sensual” and  “dynamic” wines with the  “substance in the freshness”, perfumed, and also mineral, with lots of character. This is a single vineyard tinto with aromas of raspberry, floral, with underlying sweet musk and mineral-rich earth nuances. Medium to full bodied and juicy, with explosive flavours and medium intensity tannins, fresh, minutes-long finish – Zoltan Szabo

2007 Descendientes de Jose Palacios “Las Lamas” (Single Vineyard) Bierzo Spain
Showing a little more sweetly on the palate that the “Moncerbal” I felt that despite the unmistakable presence of considerable minerality, the wine was not exhibiting quite the same mastery of balance. A delightful wine nonetheless that I would love to revisit in a year or so. I found this to be a little too tightly wound for immediate consumption though.

2007 Alvaro Palacios”Camins de Priorat” Priorat Spain
A new release for Palacios from some of his “younger” vines (read 15 years old or thereabouts). Carignan dominant (Samso is the local synonym), this wines is some bloody good juice, and at around $26 a superb way to get into the oft-prohibitively expensive wines of the Priorat region. French oak is apparent but not in any way obtrusive and sits comfortably with the dark berry fruit.

2007 Alvaro Palacios”Les Terrasses” Priorat Spain
Until the “Camins” arrived on the scene this bottling used to be Alvaro’s entry level from Priorat. I have enjoyed this wine for many years and have always thought much of it. This vintage was no exception. Dark berries and cherries fill the glass and lead to a palate that to me tastes quite contemporary (although Alvaro make take issue with me on that one!) A good assertive tannic structure backs up the fruit and makes for a most enjoyable glass of Priorat wine.

2007 Alvaro Palacios”Finca Dofi” Priorat Spain
Here Alvaro does make a concession to the North American palate with his usual Priorat suspects being augmented by a little Cab, Merlot and Syrah. Don;t let that put you off though. This wine is no New World slouch. The non-natives add a very attractive sensuality to this bottling. Again, this is a wine that needs some time in bottle to show at its best as right now I find the tannins a little too tight and astringent, but this does show considerable potential for the near future. The finish is delightful with that essential Priorat minerality that Palacios does better than any.

Bear with me, I am falling in love again.  I have been peripatetically traversing the Ribeira Sacra and Bierzo regions by tasting every Mencia wine I manage to unearth and then blabbering away about the new discoveries here at WineZag.   A byproduct of utter submission to my new Mencia tick, I recently met up with Joe Austekewicz, wine director at Yankee Spirits, who just returned from a foray through these very regions alongside Eric Solomon . 

Sturbridge, MA

Traveling by car between Boston and New York, I usually make a point of stopping into Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge, MA.  Lots of Beantowners look forward to mid-trip breaks in Vernon, CT at Rein’s Deli for almost-New York style (New England has settled for weak interpretations of NY soul food) corned beef , pastrami, and latkes.  I prefer stretching my calves in Yankee Spirits’ aisles and end-bins.  This time, I was hunting for a few more Mencias to fill out an upcoming tasting of twelve quality examples of the grape.

Joe wondered if my Mencia hunt had uncovered the 2007 Raul Perez El Pecado imported by Patrick Mata, the excellent importer of Spanish wines at Ole Imports.  There were five bottles hidden away in his office and he was happy to allocate one to the upcoming tasting for its going $80 price tag.  Joe was overly excited describing the rare opportunity he had tasting this limited production wine in Spain…. something about 98 points from Jay Miller at the Wine Advocate and “best Spanish wine ever”.   The wine is now resting safely in a hard-earned mixed case of Mencias in my cellar awaiting judgment day in January.

So last night, sitting in Casa Mono on Irving Place in Gramercy Park, I succumbed to ”kid before Christmas instincts” and pounced on the Ribeira Sacra section to sniff out the El Pecado on a list of Spanish wines that just wouldn’t quit.  Verticals of Vega, varied formats of Clos Erasmus, multiple vintages of Palacios Clos L’Ermita, Pingus, Artadis, and a dozen other headliners was not enough to shake my grip-lock fixation on Mencia. 

The first burst of aroma from the 07 El Pecado was unlike any other Mencia I had tried before.  It had intense aromas of rich black fruit, raspberries, and earth with other stuff I could not even recognize in the nose.  Tasting this wine with dishes like bone marrow, fideos with chorizo and clams, pumpkin and goat cheese croquetas, crispy pork belly with apple salad, and duck egg with mojama (salt cured tuna) created a competition for aroma definition that had my nose raising white flags of surrender.  But, the intensity of the wine was something I had not experienced in a very long time…pure elegant fruit, laser point focus, and the silkiest mouthfeel imaginable for a wine as packed as this.  And the finish…wow that finish…..went on for minutes and the depth of flavors and fruit hung in there with rich blackberry, spice and earth filling my head and chest. 

I thought of some of the great Paulliacs I’ve tasted in classic vintages where gobs and layers of fruit packed elegantly into silk purses of soft supporting tannins, all with finishes to remember.  It’s funny, I checked in on Jay Miller’s review of the wine today and he likened it to La Tache.  I can definitely see this wine compared to the venerable DRC monopole, and imagine that Pinot of great quality and origin would be a fitting comparison to the sexy, silky, richly fruited El Pecado. 

Whatever comparison works for you, I am highly recommending this wine for collectors and enthusiasts.  Its subtle elegance and purity will turn your head.  And by the way, if you can’t source it then go drink it at Casa Mono for an exceptional evening of great Catalalan specialites in a very cool (maybe a little tight) Gramercy vibe.  Just smell the wine before the equally flavorful and aromatic food hits your table!

NOTE OF OPPORTUNITY: I will be hosting this Mencia tasting in January in the Boston area.  There are some open spots.  If this interests you, let me know soon at awjapko@gmail.com

Haha asta chiar e buna… ma doare burta de la atata ras )

Spanish Wine Tasting at Grand Cru by BevCo International Wines & Spirits

Last night, Guynell Whetstone of BevCo International Wines and Spirits http://www.bevcointernational.com/ and Grand Cru Wines and Gifts http://grandcruwineshop.com/ put on a fabulous spanish wine tasting of 7 wines complemented by relaxing music. Truly a nice way to unwind from work! BevCo International is one of Texas’ premier fine wine importers and distributors dedicated to providing high-quality boutique wines and spirits. They represent small, family-owned properties that are dedicated to the quality of their hand-crafted product.

Vina Mayor Verdejo, Rueda, Spain, 2007

Aromatics: Light lemon with a hint of flint and stone.

On the Palate: Herbal notes and more stone on the palate with good acidity and structure. A refreshing, light white.  86 Points. Retail $13.

Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs, Penedes, Spain, 2008

This still wine is made of the same 3 grapes in cava (spanish sparkling wine): Parellada, Xarello and Macabeo.

Aromatics: Beautiful mango, peach and tropical notes. The nose really draws you in. I smell a hint of RS, but Guynell assures me it is dry.

On the Palate: Fleshy, fuzzy peaches with a touch of lemon. This wine is light and refreshing and was one of the highlights of the tasting.  88 Points. Retail $14. Good value.

El Castro de Valtuille Joven, Bierzo, Spain, 2008

100% Mencia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mencia

Aromatics: Smoky dark cherry and raspberry; reminds me of a pinot noir with a touch of syrah.

On the Palate: Berries and spice come through, balanced by good structure and acidity. Light bodied, smooth textured and easy to drink.  87 Points. Retail $17.

Pares Balta Mas Petit, Penedes, Spain, 2006

Aromatics: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha (grenache) initially has a slightly closed nose. After a few minutes, dark berries, spices and a hint of vanilla extract come through. A little toast and oak.

On the Palate: There is a good amount of tannin in this wine. Dark cherries with toasty oak ends on an herbal note. This wine would be good with a fatty steak, cheese or a cream sauce.  86 Points. Retail $15.

Penascal Tempranillo-Shiraz, Castilla y Leon, Spain, 2006

Aromatics: I hate to say this folks, but my first though is, “This smells like cheap wine.” That said, this bottle only costs $10. Bright cherry and plums come through on the nose.

On the Palate: A little hot (too high ALC?) and definite structure are apparent. Dark cherry + bitter chocolate + tannin. Not the best combo.  84 Points. Retail $10.

Ardevol Anjoli, Priorat, Spain, 2007

This wine is a blend of Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and interestingly, Merlot.

Aromatics: Wow! Violet and incense, almost like mulling spices meets incense meets jasmine and violet. Lots of berries and sweet smoke with a hint of dried tomatoes. Reminds me of a moroccan scene in a movie.

On the Palate: Exotic spices along with flowers, berries and good tannins. Very old world. Think the spice route meets East India Co.  88 Points. Retail $26.

Vina Mayor Gran Reserva, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2000

Aromatics: Very old world! Classic tempranillo nose. Earth with clay and brick baking in the sun. Cherries and cedar also come through.

On the Palate: Cedar and oak, minerals, blackberries and dried tomatoes lead to a well structured and balanced wine. Drink now through 2020. Old World style all the way!  89-90 Points. Retail $39.

tweet it

Hosting less experienced wine drinkers to easily replicated and structured tasting formats appeals to my ritual instincts for making wine more accessible to more people.  On the one hand, it’s a refreshing personal break from the usual “club” and a way to strip away the bravado and bias brought to tasting tables by hardened wine aficionados.  On the other hand, it is a chance for me to witness the  joyous personal discovery that learning about wine is simple and just a little knowledge can remove years of intimidation that heretofore may have restricted a deepening appreciation.  I recently had this opportunity again fulfilling a charity obligation with an organized tasting for 14 people who, for the most part, would not consider themselves overly experienced wine consumers.  They were a smart and open group of really decent people seeking a fun evening doped with reasonable levels of education.  Perfect!

Here are the twelve wines we tasted in four flights of three, with all flights served blind except for the first flight of whites:

White:

2007 Burgans Albarino

2001 Kerpen Riesling Spatlese Bernkastler Bratenhofchen

2007 Pierson Meyer Chardonnay Charles Heintz  

Cabernet:

2000 Columbia Crest Grand Estates

1985 William Hill Reserve

1994 Chateau Margaux 

Mencia Grape (Bierzo, Spain):

2007 Losada 07

2007 Jose Palacios Petalos

2007 El Cayado

Syrah:

1999 Guigal Brune et Blonde Cote Rotie

2006 MollyDooker Boxer

2006 Pax Griffin’s Lair

As you can see from the lineup it was an unusual tasting, with a broad array of vintages and regions served in varied flight formats.  We started the night with a sparkling wine reception that included a simple Pinot Noir based Cava and California Brut.  The first sit down flight was an open look at three dramatically different white grapes, regions, and vintages.  All three wines are wonderful in their own right but didn’t show especially well in the context of each other.  The group voted the Pierson Meyer Charles Heintz Chardonnay as their favorite.  In full agreement, I deeply admired the eight year old Kerpen Riesling and how well the acidity had mellowed and the wonderful mouthfeel and advancing flavors it created. 

As we moved to the second flight, things started to get a bit more serious and we showcased Cabernet Sauvignon from three great geographies including Margaux, Napa, and Columbia Valley.  Vintages ranged from 1985 to 1994 to 2000.  The 85 William Hill was disappointing and while technically alive,  has given up all its fruit and is totally dried out.  The first growth 94 Chateau Margaux was strutting its stuff with smoke and lead pencil streaming out of the glass and classic currant flavors dominating this wonderfully balanced wine that is starting to really become accessible.  I bought some 1994 first growths in the futures market since they seemed like great bargains at just under $1200 a case in this unheralded vintage.  It was my favorite wine of the night…blind. 

The group, for reasons I totally understood, voted the $10 Columbia Crest Grand Estates as their favorite.  Without exaggeration, I went through 8 cases of this wine in the earlier part of the decade.  I never acquired and consumed that much of any one wine before in my life.  I continue to think of it as one of the most delicious and rewarding $10 wine values I have ever stumbled across.  Credit goes to Dr. Stephen Jones, a long time wino friend and early east coast fan of Washington State wines, for providing that tip.  Subsequent vintages have also been excellent values with characteristically true Washington State bones, but none as good again as the 2000.  This tasting proved that the wine does not age gracefully and its flavors get flat and muddier instead of advancing.  Still, the mocha aromas that were an intoxicating component of the wine in its earlier stages were still perceptible, and the round mouthfeel was also noticeable, but the richness of velvet fruit has become seriously muted.  Yet there were no flaws in the wine and the great accessibility of this wine’s style won the group over and they voted it as the flight’s favorite.

As I have mentioned before here and here again, I have fallen in love with the Mencia grape from Bierzo and this evening was a good chance to taste three 2007 versions blind.  Unfortunately we had a corked bottle of the Petalos, which in non blind tastings has proven itself to be a wine of great finesse and structure.  Of the two remaining bottles, the wines were quite different in style and the El Cayado edged out the Losada as a favorite.  Both were wonderful wines and continue to push me to explore this grape and region with mounting vigor.

The last flight was really interesting since it showcased three Syrahs of varied styles from Cote Rotie, Sonoma, and Australia.  In a validating moment proving less experienced groups can make legitimate personal preference decisions, they threw out the Mollydooker Boxer as something that did not feel representative of Syrah sensing that there must be something awry with the racy and overblown nature of this highly extracted wine.  If anyone continues to wonder why Australian wines have been failing miserably as of late in the American market, this small flight of three wines is a microcosm of the answer.   The 99 Guigal Brune et Blonde showed wonderfully soft grace and a classic bacon fat and floral nose, but the group legitimately favored the Pax Griffin’s Lair which was quite close to the Northern Rhone entry in overall style, but offered more power and intensity from its recent vintage.  Both were absolutely delicious and along with the Margaux, were the three wines I went back to for a last taste at the night’s conclusion.

We finished off the evening with some special deserts and a bottle of Lustau East India Solera Sherry while we celebrated a great evening of fun and learning.  The tasting gave everyone something to build on and replicate for more discovery and wine education.  I grabbed my 60 wine glasses and left everyone feeling a little more confident in tasting and discussing wines that grab their palate in all ways. 

p.s. Thanks to Doug Shattuck for taking some special photos (included in the post and here) while nobody was looking and to Betsy and Dan Kravitz for helping with the work of the tasting.  Also, thanks to Jesse and Valerie for hosting the evening and to everyone else for bringing your palates, open minds, easy ways, and wonderful food to accompany the wines.

Yesterday I was talking to my English teacher about the Denomination of Origin (DO) Rías Baixas and its pronunciation (r-ee-as  by-shas), and it got me thinking about how little people know about this Spanish wine region and its wonderful wines.

The name of the region is from Galician dialect, which is a mix of Portuguese and Spanish, and literally means “low estuary”. Rías Baixas is located north-west of the Spanish peninsula, and the weather here is very special, with mild winters and a lot of rain (600-1.600 mm per year), which continues through early spring. Summer is the driest season in this area bringing very mild temperatures. This characteristic weather, paired with very poor soil, high acidity content and very sandy terrain, give the wines from Rías Baixas their personality.

Between the Rías Baixas appelation there are five smaller sub-regions:

Valle do Salnés

• Biggest sub-region with 1.487 Ha, near the Arousa estuary by the sea
• Mostly Albariño grape
• The most well known town is Cambados where every year the Albariño Festival takes place

Condado do Tea

• The vines are planted in the Mountains at higher heights (545 Ha), and is located in the right bank of the Miño river
• Mostly Albariño grape and Treixadura

O Rosal

• Near the mouth of the Miño river, it has 312 Ha
• Albariño and Loureiro are planted in the terraces of the river

Soutomaior

• The smallest subregion, 19 Ha, incorporated to the DO in 1996
• Mostly Albariño

Ribera do Ulla

• 46 Ha on both sides of the Ulla river
• Almost exclusively Albariño

The grapes allowed for making wines according to the DO Rías Baixas are as follows:

White varieties: Albariño, Loureiro blanca, Treixadura and Caiño blanca. Also: Godello and Torrontés.

Red varieties: Caiño tinta, Loureiro blanca, Sousón and Espadeiro. Also: Mencia and Brancellao.

Despite all the varietals allowed to be used in this DO, the percentage of the ones actually planted is very low with 90% of the vines being Albariño, the king of the whites. (By the way, the red wines made in this region can be quite astringent and acidic, so I’d stick with the whites.)

The properties that grow Albariño are not very large, 2-3 Ha on average. The vines are trimmed in pergolas at approximately 2 meters high to avoid the humidity in the soil caused by the high rainfall, and to help manage the canopy by allowing as much sunlight as possible.

Vines trained in pergolas

The size of the Albariño berry is small, sweet and glyceric. The wines are pale-yellow with gold and green highlights. As they develop, the aromas go from floral and very fruity to more complex notes like banana and herbs. The intensity of the fruit in these wines must be balanced with a nice acidity, so the wines are fresh and delicate. According to the rules, wines that claim to be Albariño must be 100% from this varietal.

The DO Rías Baixas is pretty young and it has showed an amazing growth since its beginning in 1980, going from 237 Ha to 3.646 in 2008. It’s interesting that USA is the main export market for these wines with 55% of the total exports.

Albariño is one of my favourite white wines. Next time you go wine shopping, pick an Albariño from Rías baixas, like Montecillo “Verdemar” Albariño, and enjoy it with seafood, it’s heaven!!

Enjoying an Albariño with my friend Larraitz

-Rocio

My love affair with the Mencia grape is officially out of control.  Tasting through more of these wines at Toro (which is by the way Ken Oringer’s restaurant serving very serious food in a relaxed but energy charged atmosphere…sitting on my top ten all-time list for “simply delicious” and a winning choice for Beantown foodie indulgence) convinced me that my first few experiences with these wines from Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra were representative of how well the grape generally performs.  It’s hard to describe, but Mencia appears to combine the ability to offer up classically structured red wine with flashy richness and old world earthiness at an early age without seeming overly extracted or too alcoholic.

At Toro this week, two more Mencia based wines rose to my hit list.  The first, 2007 Losada, was the more immediately alluring of the pair.  Coming from vines in the 50-80 year range, the wine was BLACK in color and gave aromas of licorice, raw meat, flowers, cigar box, and burning embers.  If that does not grab your attention, the flavors of rich deep black cherries are accompanied by a mouthfeel that is pure silk without a single hard edge and you are amazed that such a soft package can taste so thick and carry such a big stick.  This wine is just too exciting, hitting high notes and low notes in a symphony of expression.  I don’t know how long it will last in the cellar or how much better it can get and considering the round softness of the wine today I would not feel bad about drinking up now.  This wine sells for between $20-$25 retail but I can not find it anywhere.  Please let me know if you can source some, I am an eager buyer!

This next wine, Jose Palacios’ 2007 Petalos, is also composed of 100% Mencia fruit from older vines.  This is a more classically styled wine of significant depth and a nose of perfumed flowers, rich berries, and creosote.  The wine is loaded and packed for the ages with a tremendously rich and long finish.  I do think this wine, while showing so well now, should  improve on its way to maturation and will show more pretty flavors at advanced stages when it might also reveal even more about its terroir.  You will need to restrain yourself, but lay some down now for 5-10 years later.  It should be easy to find this wine in the $20 range since it is widely available right now. 

Enjoy!

Variedad: 100% Mencía

Cosecha: 2008

% Vol: 13´5 %.

Denominación de Origen Bierzo

Elaborado por: Bodegas Pittacum

Precio: 5 € aprox

Fase visual

Vino de color rosa frambuesa, fucsia, vivo y muy brillante, con ligeros matices violáceos en capa fina. Perfectamente limpio, bien presentado. Al agitar la copa aparece su buen grado alcohólico, en forma de largas y abundantes lágrimas que caen con rapidez por las paredes de la copa.

Fase olfativa

Intensidad aromática media-baja. No muy explosivo en nariz pero de aromas sutiles y muy limpios, sin defectos. Aparecen, predominando, los recuerdos de frutos rojos, fresas y frambuesas, acompañados por un recuerdo goloso de gominolas y un fondo ligeramente floral.

Fase gustativa

En boca tiene una entrada suave y golosa. El vino inunda la boca con delicadeza y untuosidad. Acidez fresca y muy equilibrada. Final cálido. Por vía retronasal aparecen nuevamente las fresas y frambuesas de la nariz, sin demasiada intensidad, con una persistencia media-baja.

Comentarios

Vino rosado de la variedad autóctona del Bierzo Mencía. En boca el vino se muestra muy equilibrado, fresco, goloso y muy agradable. Quizás algo más de potencia aromática en nariz y una mayor persistencia y vía retronasal, en línea con las tendencias actuales en vinos rosados, harían de este vino una auténtica delicia. De todas formas es un vino muy recomendable.

Valoración:

It’s shaping up to be an interesting summer for wine here at The Spanish Table. New arrivals continue to pop up like mushrooms after a thunderstorm while some trusty favorites are, on the other hand, arriving late or not at all. This week marks the better-late-than-never return of Muga Rosado in a brief appearance that will quickly sell through. We also have a new rosado from Navarra that will certainly please traditionalists and newcomers alike. For those who seek unique wines made from less well known varieties we have a stunning new white wine from Bierzo(yes, white Bierzo) made from Godello and Doña Blanca as well as a new 100% Xarel-lo white from Penedès. The Mencía that was so popular in last month’s wine club is now on the shelf for all to enjoy as is a new red wine from Montsant made from 100% Samsó. Add to these the hundreds of choices among the many wines from Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Chile (with a bit of California thrown in for good measure)that you find here on a regular basis and you need never worry about drinking boring wine ever again.

Muga Rosado 2008 The new vintage of Muga Rosado that many of you have been waiting for is finally in stock, but only for a brief moment. We got ten cases and may not get any more. As always this is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and a small amount of Viura. The 2008 is a bit darker and drier than previous years but still expresses freshness and edgy minerality. $13.99

Siete Rosado 2008 The newest ‘Vino de Terrunyo’ private label wine from José Pastor is this fresh rosado from Navarra. Following the tradition in Navarra, this wine is made from the Garnacha grape. Watermelon color and ripe strawberry aroma play off of bright acidity and red berry frut character. This is a fun, summer wine for back yard sipping. $11.99

Mengoba Blanco 2007 The Bierzo region of Spain is best known for red wines but here is an excellent white Bierzo made from Godello and Doña Blanca. The delicate softly fruity grapes here are given extra depth and weight by leaving the wine on the lees for 7 months before bottling. Finely tuned and gently expressive, this top shelf white has immediate appeal as well as the potential to age well for several years. $33.99

Calcari 2008 The choices for varietal Xarel-lo wines are not numerous. Luckily we have this 100% Xarel-lo white from Pares Balta which is excellent and has just arrived in the new 2008 vintage. Lean, flinty and mineral with just a hint of tart citrus fruit character, this wine will please those who like their white wines really dry. $19.99

Clos de Noi 2007 The Montsant region of Spain is best known as a source of garnacha based wines but the local version of Cariñena, known as Samsó, is the other predominant red variety here. This 100% Samsó wine is inky dark and abundantly aromatic and flavorful. Cherry brandy aroma and sweet berry fruit character balance rocky minerality and assertive tannins. A hint of wild herb adds intrigue to the experience. $14.99

El Castro de Valtuille 2005 This is the more serious, structured elder sibling of the young Castro de Valtuille Mencía that many of you are currently enjoying. Sourced from Bierzo region Mencía vines with an average age of 40-80 years, El Castro de Valtuille spends 14 months in used oak barrels before bottling. This wine is dark and expressive yet still retains some of the bright freshness of the younger wine. The dark color creates an initial impression that reinforces the aromas of wet slate and a sort of twiggy scent that I describe as autumn leaf pile (the kind you rake up in your yard). This pronounced mineral element is coupled with extracted cranberry/pomegranate fruit character. $36.99

The Wine Advocate, home of Robert Parker’s influential 100 point rating system, has just published their reviews of 654 Spanish wines. We are proud to have many of the top rated wines available for purchase. Here are a few of the high scoring wines for you to consider:

2006 Clos Erasmus Laurel- 93 points “The 2006 Laurel sports aromas of slate/mineral, black licorice, incense, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. Ripe, sweet, and structured on the palate, this lengthy, succulent effort has enough tannin to support another 4-6 years of cellaring and will have a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2026. Laurel, one of Priorat’s greatest values dollar for dollar, is sourced from the younger vines of the estate and from declassified barrels of Clos Erasmus itself.” $39.99
2006 Clos Erasmus – 97 points “As usual Clos Erasmus is one of Spain’s finest wines. The 2006 Clos Erasmus offers an ethereal bouquet of balsam and sandalwood, incense, liquid mineral, black cherry, and black raspberry. Dense, rich, and voluptuous on the palate, it has plenty of well-concealed ripe tannin, tons of fruit, and potential complexity.” $198
2006 Mas Doix Vinyes Velles – 97 points “The 2006 Costers de Vinas Viejas amps it up considerably. It yields an enthralling, sexy/kinky bouquet of toasty new oak, liquid minerality, lavender, incense, and wild berries. Complex, elegant, and La Tache-like, it appeals to both the senses and the intellect. It is a remarkable effort that should evolve for 5-7 years but is difficult to resist now.” $126
2006 Nido El Nido – 97 points “The 2006 El Nido is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell aged for 26 months in new oak. Aromas of wild blueberry and black currant are room-filling. Dense, layered, and totally hedonistic, it has serous depth and concentration, impeccable balance, and a 60-second finish.” $148
2006 El Clio – 95 points “The purple/black 2006 Clio is composed of 70% old vine Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 26 months in new oak. It offers up a super-sexy nose of underbrush, incense, lavender, blueberry muffin, and black currant. Voluptuous and creamy on the palate, this loaded, well-balanced wine is a total turn-on. For those who prefer their flavor in moderation, look elsewhere. Drink this pleasure-bent effort from 2011 to 2021.” $47.99
2006 Flor de Pingus – 94 points “The 2006 Flor de Pingus spent 14 months in new French oak. Deep purple in color, it gives up a superb bouquet of toasty oak, spice box, mineral, incense, black cherry, and blackberry. Youthful, full-bodied, intense, and powerful on the palate, it retains an elegant personality despite its size. Splendidly balanced, it will evolve for 4-6 years and deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2026. It is a superb value in great wine considering that the price of Pingus Junior is one-tenth that of Pingus.” $85.00

(Twice a year I head up into the Minnesota wilderness to get drunk, eat pig, and most importantly absorb all the basic cable I’ve been missing over the last 6 months. And then tell you what I think. Lucky.)

6/30
AMC Murrayfest. Just watched Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters I and II and started watching Stripes again. (Everyone knows the first hour is where the genius lies.)

Harold Ramis, comedy God, terrible actor.  TERRIBLE.

I forget how many lines I still use from Ghostbusters II despite it’s inferiority.  They must be paying Murray like a Shah to do 3.

Bill Murray would be the only person that I would be nervous to meet in person. (Well Tiny Fey was no picnic, but I pulled it off. Maybe Gervais.)

It really is amazing how Bill was the Will Ferrel of his day. Just showing up to every movie playing Bill Murray and not getting unfunny. Completely different humor.

7/1

ESPN notes. Steve Levy is gettin’ heavy.

How does Ricky Rubio get a Gillette commercial before he can shave?

Oh how the death of Billy Mays will haunt me now.

Taking in the “Pitchmen” marathon on Discovery has just made me lament the loss of the bearded one all that much more knowing that such a great show is now deceased.  How great was the chemistry between An(tin)y Sullivan and Big Bill.  Pitchmen may soon be my show of the trip. (It’s definitely made Parking Wars heights.) I was glued to the behind the scenes making of the direct marketing product world.  Discovery has redeemed itself for what has been a lack luster performance from the infotainment triad (Disc, Hist, NatGeo).

Oooooh Billy.

I’m now growing a memorial beard for the big fella.

7/2

Daisy is the new Love of Money/Everything I hate about television is suddenly on VH1

Back in my pilot writing days, I came up with an idea that I was going to pitch as “Grosse Pointe Blanke” the TV series.  Something with assassins being quirky and funny and shooting people for good reasons now. Well the only thing worse then finding out that someone has beat me to it, is to find out that its fucking good.  I’ve just watched 5 maybe 6 (time disappears up here) of Burn Notice. And it’s fucking good.

None of these burn notice pics have the Bruce in them. Which is a mistake.

It sort of like the A-Team without the mohawks and welding. (I know, what’s left?) With Michael Weston, dashing and smart, as Hannibal, the hot chick not wearing much (I keep refering to her as Princess Margaret from Tudors)  doing the Face parts and Bruce Campbell, sweet, sweet Bruce Campbell being both Murdock and Mr. T at the same time.   I literally could have watched about 12 more episodes but I had “Go out to eeeeeeat.” and “Get drunnnnnnnk.”  So at least I have some left to watch on Hulu when I get home.

So he gets his own.

7/3

Whale Wars makes me root for the whalers.  Whiny fucking crustached hippies in boats.  Seriously is that kid out of high school?

Best thing on TV today: Sarah Palin’s speech.

There are alot of people up here who look like the owner of the Double Deuce from Roadhouse. Fat, white hair, a lil alcholicy, bad teeth. (His name is Kevin Tighe. (His best friend’s name is Randolph Mantooth. How did that guy not get famous!)  Love ya guy, but you do look a lil alcholicy.)

You can just see him standing behind Dalton handing out the pink slips.

The Stevie Zahn/ Marty Lawrence opus National Security is on TBS ALOT.  So it amazes me that everytime I zoom past it, that its always on a part that I’ve never seen.  I’ve done the math and it appears that I average 2.3 seconds per viewing of National Security.  Slowly encroaching the record currently held by City Of Angels.

I just said, “I’m not going anywhere until I see Mayim Bialik’s haircut!” (Which was kinda dissapointing. C’mon Nick Arroyo)

It’s nice of What Not To Wear to bring back whats good about the Celebreality that VH1 has so ceremoniously destroyed.  We want to see Hulk Hogan’s life, not his brat man-daughter.  It doesn’t count when you make the celebrity. (New York, Daisy, half of the people on the Surreal Life now.)

Was there any more perfect person to put in the hands of Stacey and Clinton then our own beloved Blossom.  Who has since become a Jewish Hippie Mom Doctor that looks like she should be teaching philosophy out on a knoll at UMass Amhearst. (It was also nice to see Six all grown up and put together.)  You should take people who fit the show (Ted Nugent people hunting) not just anyone who will except food stamps for work. (Scott Baio)

7/4

Thank you Style Network for bringing back My Super Sweet 16. Muah.

7/5

I understand you can’t play the best of David Lean all the time, but Jumanji followed by Wolf.  AMC shame.

Watched Dave Atell followed by Jim Norton as the apex of Comedy Centrals stand up weekend and lets just say those guys can craft a dick joke.

7/6

MonsterQuest – Giant Squid = garbage

7/7

Important Things with Demitri Martin is exactly like Mind of Mencia without the condescending stereotypes.  Everytime I try not to like ol Demitri he just reels me back in. They canceled Mind of Mencia right?

I should have mentioned earlier, of all the “The Soup” rip off shows, Tosh.0 is defintely the best.  It amazingly has it’s own feel despite being the exact same show but with internet clips.

Finally, i can’t believe i didn’t watch more of Operacion Repo.  It’s Parking Wars but with fist fights.  And how is it that the biggest baddest looking Mo Fo, Matt is always the one getting his ass kicked.  I saw him kicked in the nuts, stomped, hit with beer bottles, and just straight punched and for all his talk never saw him land a punch.  You realize you look like a giant vagina right? Just wondering.

Epilogue

what did we learn: Burn Notice is my new favorite show, Pitchmen makes me miss Billy Mays and Matt from Operation Repo is a pussy.

Thank you cable and thank you Minnesota.

After a long and hard 10 months of graduate studies and the hardships of tasting wine and visiting vineyards in Europe, I earned four months of vacation.  Well actually as I mentioned in the previous “vacation notice” posting, I’ll be spending July through September in Bordeaux and the Southern Rhone, working in the wine industry (details to follow in July posts).  However, June is all about rest and relaxation, and well a ton of fun as well.

I spent the first half of June with the family.  After one week back home in Worthington, Ohio, we all headed to Corolla, North Carolina to spend a week on the beach.  Corolla is part of the greater region known as the Outer Banks.  There were 13 of us!—Mom (Shirley), Dad (Ken), Sister (Kelly), Brother (Kyle), 3-year-old niece (Sarah Catherine), 4-month-old niece (Daphne Irene), brother-in-law (Randy), and the rest of the Liddil-Ruffel clan (Rick, Ricky, Katy, Dustin, and baby Garret).

To get us through the grueling week on the beach, I picked out a selection of 7 bottles of wine from Wine Library.  The focus was mainly on value plays below 10 bucks.  However, I splurged on two of the bottles, which unfortunately proved to be disappointing on the price-quality ratio.  Although it should be noted that both bottles were imports and the price-quality ratio will be distorted, especially considering the weak dollar to euro exchange.

Here’s what we drank, ranked from first to last …

TIED FOR FIRST PLACE
2007 Chateau St Michelle, “Dr. Loosen Eroica”
Blend: 100% Riesling
Appellation: Columbia Valley, Washington
Tasting Notes: Straw yellow in the glass.  A crisp, fleshy, grassy, rich nose of wet rocks and peaches and mild spiciness.  This wine is off dry and medium-bodied with a prickly texture and a nice balanced and quenching acidity.  There are flavors of apple, peach, apricot, mineral, grapefruit and overall citrus notes throughout the midpalate and finish.  12% ABV
Rating: 15/20 (WS 91)
Price: $17 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year in 2004, Chateau St. Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington State and is the largest single producer of Riesling in the world.  Eroica, named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony, is the result of a partnership between German winemaker Dr. Loosen from the Mosel and Chateau St. Michelle’s winemaker Bob Bertheau.

TIED FOR FIRST PLACE
NV Cantine Riondo “Spago Nero Vino Frizzante”
Blend: 100% Prosecco
Appellation: Veneto IGT, Italy
Tasting Notes: Light straw in the glass.  A very fruity, floral and refreshing nose with aromas of white peach and peach skins, grapefruit, and very light doughy bread in the background.  This wine is semi sweet, light-bodied and lightly effervescent, expressing a very balanced acidity and mouth watering finesse.  There a creamy-glazed fruit flavors of white peach and apple.  This Prosecco is a must buy.  10.5% ABV
Rating: 15/20 (Robert Parker 90)
Price: $9 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: Prosecco designates the style of wine and also the name of the grape varietal.  Prosecco is typically a sparkling wine, although unlike the Champagne method, which undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle, Prosecco’s bubbles result from a process known as Metodo Charmat.  The secondary fermentation takes place in a stainless steel tank, which is one reason why Prosecco is typically much more affordable than Champagne.  Frizzante is a lightly sparkling style, whereas spumante is fully sparkling.  (Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine)

SECOND PLACE
2004 Viñedos de Páganos, “El Puntido”
Blend: 100% Tempranillo
Appellation: Rioja DOC, Spain
Tasting Notes: Dark ruby red in the glass.  A big, fruity, and ripe nose with aromas of black cherry, beef jerky, bacon and minerality.  This wine has a strong palate with big ripe black fruit, bitter tannins and a forward acidity.  It is balanced, full-bodied, thick and juicy.  There are flavors of black cherry, blackberry, graphite, coffee, and smoke, with heat and spiciness on the finish.  14% ABV.  4,000 cases produced.
Rating: 14/20 (Wine Enthusiast 96, WS 90)
Price: $45 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: Wine Enthusiast’s Wine of the Year in 2007.  (Shocking and very undeserving if you ask me.)  “Rioja red wines are classified into four categories.  The first, simply labeled ‘Rioja,’ is the youngest, spending less than a year in an oak aging barrel.  A ‘crianza’ is wine aged for at least two years, at least one of which was in oak. ‘Rioja Reserva’ is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak.  Finally, ‘Rioja Gran Reserva’ wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle.” (Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible)

THIRD PLACE
2005 Domaine des Baumard “Clos du Papillon”
Blend: 100% Chenin Blanc
Appellation: Savennières, Loire, France
Tasting Notes: A crisp, mineral nose with aromas of apple.  Full-bodied, dry and a little flabby, lacking the expected acidity, resulting in a slight imbalance.  Thick and almost syrupy.  There are ripe fruity flavors of apple and melon.  13% ABV
Rating: 14/20 (Wine Enthusiast 95 / WS 91)
Price: $32 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: Wine Enthusiast’s #6 Wine of the Year in 2007.  (Once again I’m shocked and should probably look into where these rankings come from.  Both wines were fairly good, but far from a top ten list.  In both cases Wine Spectator blew away Wine Enthusiast in the precision of their ratings, in my humble opinion.)  Clos du Papillon is located on the hillside just above the village of Savennières, on the North Bank of the Loire Valley.  Papillon means butterfly in French; and “Clos du Papillon” refers to the partitioning of the vineyard parcels, oriented North-South, that resemble the shape of a butterfly.

FOURTH PLACE
NV Cinquante-Cinq
Blend: 100% Viognier
Appellation: Vin de Pays d’Oc, Languedoc, France
Tasting Notes: Light straw yellow and crystal clear in the glass.  Light minerality on this Spring-like nose with aromas of citrus, apple, peach skin and white flowers.  Although the nose was very pleasant Wine Library was way off with there comment, “knock-you-out nose that you can only get from Viognier” … far from it, as this particular viognier fell a little short on the standard aromatic scale so characteristic of the varietal.  Medium-bodied, dry and light acidity in the mouth with a silky, velvety, and supple texture.  There are flavors of apple.  12.5% ABV.
Rating: 13/20 (Wine Library 90)
Price: $10 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: “The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Most experts agree that Viognier is an ancient grape that may have originated in Dalmatia and was brought to Rhône by the Romans.” (enjoyingviognier.com)

FIFTH PLACE
2007 Bodegas Castaño “C”
Blend: 100% Monastrell
Appellation: Yecla DO, Murcia, Spain
Vinification: No ageing in oak.
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  A tight and green nose, opening up to fruitiness, black fruit, black cherry, raspberry, and spice.   Full-bodied and a little unbalanced in the mouth with moderate acidity, light, bitter tannins and an inky texture.  There are flavors of spice, black raspberry, and blueberry. 13.5% ABV
Rating: 13/20 (Jay Miller 90)
Price: $8 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: Widely agreed to be identical to the French Mediterranean varietal Mourvèdre, “considerable confusion has resulted from Internet reports that DNA fingerprinting had confirmed that Monastrell was not the same grape as Mourvèdre. These reports were the result of the mis-reading of a UC Davis analysis that a particular sample had been misidentified.” (wikipedia.org)

SIXTH PLACE
2006 La Mano, “Mencía Roble”, Castilla y León
Blend: Mencía
Appellation: Bierzo DO, Spain
Vinification: Aged in American oak 3 months
Tasting Notes: Violet in the glass.  A nose of oak, black fruit, black cherry, lightly meaty, raspberry, white pepper, and mineral.  Dry, light acidity, light-bodied, with strong tannins in the mouth.  This wine is unbalanced, thin and watery with a leathery astringency.  There are red fruit flavors and a green sour apple after taste.  Nothing to write home about, however, this wine is quaffable.  12% ABV.
Rating: 10/20 (Jay Miller 90)
Price: $8 @ Wine Library
Fun Fact: “Plantings (of Mencía) exceed 9,500 ha in the Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra regions of Spain, but confusingly, the same name can be used for a local strain of Cabernet Franc introduced to Galicia in the 19th century.” (Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine)

One of my sparetime activities is learning how to butcher my own meat.

White wine from Gascony is cheap and good for hot days, you should drink more of it. The advantages of butchering your own chicken are clear, you get to cut things with a knife, plus you get stock scraps.

I drank two Spanish wines from the mencia grape on back to back days. One from Abad Dom Bueno in Bierzo and one from Enologia Temera “Themera.” The dom Bueno used no sulfites, but enough oak and alcohol to murder the grape anyway. The Themera had sulfites, but little oak and a lightness (12.5%) that showed perfectly. Good wine making and terroir win anyday. real fried chicken is a labor of love.

I drank my first Cour-Cheverny from Pascal Bellier. Cour-Cheverny is grown from Romorantin, an old almost completely unknown grape from the Loire. It is a constant source of amazement and joy that people are still dedicated to things like Romorantin that most world seems to have past by. the wine was excellent. My wife says it isn’t cooking if i don’t hurt myself. i spilled oil on my arm, and picked up a hot pan, so it was definitely cooking.

i drank a 2006 red Burgundy from Olivier Guyot last night. The label had Bourgogne misspelled as Bougogne. I have a fondness for misspelled or handwritten labels. It makes me rmember that stuff is still made by hand. The wine was still tight and young. My grandmother’s family used to fry chicken in the same cast iron tub they washed the children in.

i drank some wine from Binner in Alsace, a gewurtraminer and a co-fermented riesling, gewurtz, pinot blanc, and sylvaner. These guys are making some of the most interesting wine i have tasted in a long time. Uncontained raw naturalality (i’m making that word up right now). My friend is in town and he working on fabricating neural receptors that one day far in the future might be able to bypass broken nerve connections and let people in wheelchairs walk again. i had no idea. Buttermilk biscuits are hard to make from scratch.

i argued with someone over biodynamics the other day. They wondered why it is we don’t demand the same level of scientific inquiry in regards to biodynamic wine that we do with medicine. If you’re conflating wine with medicine you’ve lost the plot. Wine is not medicine, nor is it car brakes. I’ve always been surprised at the level of animosity that biodynamics can stir in people. Sure i’m suspect of several, but I also get to drink Huet and Lopez de Heredia. Scientific inquiry has brought us scientific wines, and scientific medicine. i’ll take one and leave and leave the other, even if it means surrendering some logic. The chicken was good, my Carolina forebears would be proud.

They re-released Company Flow’s album Funcrusher Plus. It is an aural version of Dr. Who’s sonic screwdriver. Drinking wine as opposed to simply tasting it is something that has been on my mind. I went to a party a few weeks ago that can only be described as “wine-geek.” Disparate people came and brought wines from their cellars (including VLM) to taste, to show off, to compare. People bought all manner of wines, from Italian orange wines to Zinfandel made when Zinfandel was made gently (‘77 to be exact, stunning by the way). The wine was good as was the company. i got to drink old alsatian tokay and older alsatian gewurtztraminer, and a glassblower was wearing a wig. This is a strange way to drink wines, trying to maximize the wines tasted at the expense of really knowing one wine. It’s not a bad approach, just strange, like a museum of wine put togther to showcase everything the world of wine has in it. Just a thought, not sure where i’m going with that. Grab something you like and really get to know it. We drank something sparkling with the chicken, can’t remember what, didn’t get to know it i guess. i’ll leave you with Bowie:

posto atrasado sobre a mais recente reunião da confraria do texugo.
fizemos um pequeno painél de vinhos espanhóis.
quatro às cegas. depois um gentilmente cedido pelo vencedor do sorteio, o confrade chico ferrão. e para finalizar uma surpresa cortesia deste que vos narra.
vamos aos tomados às cegas.

M2 de Matallana Ribera del Duero 2004 (Telmo Rodriguez). R$175,78 na mistral.
elaborado com tempranillo , maturado por 13 meses em carvalho. 95 RP, 91 WS, 93 no guia campsa.
sou fã confesso do basco telmo rodriguez. este vinho traz aroma complexo e refinado, frutado, lavanda, violeta, um pouco animal. na boca muito equilibrado. bom corpo. redondo, quente e longo. foi o campeão da noite.

Pétalos del Bierzo 2006 (Descendientes de J. Palacios). RP 91, R$108,90 na mistral.
da fria região de bierzos vem este grande vinho de alvaro palacios feito com a casta local mencia.
um vinho redondo, quente e picante. frutado no nariz e com taninos muito bem resolvidos. ficou em segundo lugar, num empate técnico com o quarto vinho.

Paisajes VII Cecias 2005 (Paisajes y Viñedos) RP92 R$195,80 na mistral.
um rioja de vinhedos de mais de 85 anos de garnacha. traz frutas vermelhas, goiabada, couro. redondo e de bom corpo. acabou sendo o pior colocado. mas ainda assim um grande vinho

Inspiración Valdemar Edición Limitada 2003 (Bodegas Valdemar) 70% tempranillo, 10% graciano e 20% de castas experimentais. WS93, R$262,90 na mistral.
robusto e macio. no nariz madeira, caixa de charuto, baunilha, manteiga, coco. segundo colocado mas foi o favorito durante grande parte da noite. talvez o mais comentado.

terminada a degustação abrimos um rioja viña salceda 2004, um best buy de R$72,59 tb da mistral.

mas o mais interessante veio ao final da noite. pensei em abrir um espanhol mais velhinho.
observei na adega umas gotinhas, uma espécie de vazamento. pensei, descubro qual vazou, abro. se não estiver bom procuro outro.
era um rioja, martinez bujanda reserva garnacha 1991. comprado coincidentemente tb na mistral há sabe-se lá quantos anos…
a cápsula saiu na mão e para nossa decepção a rolha estava afundada aproximadamente uns 2 cm.
esperávamos pelo pior. mas decantado, com a cor quase tijolo, tinha um excelente aroma. servidos todos os (a esta altura bastante alegres e barulhentos ) confrades, o resultado foi um raro silêncio respeitoso. diria-se quase religioso. lembrei naquele momento da razão da paixão de muitos de nós pelos vinhos. pelo mistério que pode surpreender. duvido que tome novamente outra garrafa do mesmo vinho ( ou de outro qualquer) em tais condições. estava fantástico. talvez o processo de envelhecimento acidental nos tenha levado numa viagem no tempo para o futuro. para daqui 20 anos! lembrei do livro do matt krammer e das falsas verdades que aprendemos sobre conservação de vinhos. um acidente, muito feliz, nos deu um fechamento de noite completamente único e inesquecível. ( pelo menos para mim…!).
e saravá!

The wait is over. Contigo has finally opened.
It took Brett Emerson two years to build the restaurant of his dreams in San Francisco’s Noe Valley. He shared the long process, from his original inspiration (on a trip to Spain, of course) through the long construction phase to the final result that is Contigo on his blog In Praise Of Sardines. He first came to our attention here in Berkeley when we noticed him repeatedly shopping for large quantities of clay cazuelas in various sizes. Knowing that where one sees cazuelas, good food often follows, we waited patiently for his efforts to bear fruit. That patience (on our part as well as Brett’s) has paid off as Contigo is now up and running, serving excellent food inspired by Chef Emerson’s Iberian experiences.
Now open seven nights a week, Contigo serves a well chosen selection of hot and cold appetizers, several larger dishes and a mostly Spanish selection of wines . The small dishes include fresh seasonal vegetables (asparagus and fava beans – and leaves -  are currently featured), seafood (fried anchovies, local squid cooked in their own ink) and several more meaty choices (ox tail croquetas, pork belly bocadillos). From the wood burning oven come a few pizza-like flat breads and several main course sized meat and seafood dishes cooked in those clay cazuelas we love so well. Paired with a glass of dry Manzanilla Sherry, a bubbly Cava or a rich Vino Tinto the food at Contigo evokes the traditional flavors of Spain coupled with Brett Emerson’s skill and imagination.

Happily, the public embrace of Contigo has been immediate. Amanda Gold’s review in The San Francisco Chronicle came out today so expect even larger than usual crowds (my strategy at present is to go after the dinner rush on Monday when the wait is minimal – wait, why am I telling you this? That’s supposed to be my little secret!).
In Berkeley we are currently seeing new vintages of some trusty favorites as well as trying an experiment in wine packaging.
In response to the overwhelming popularity of Capote Velho Tinto I am now carrying the same wine in the economical, environmentally friendly ‘Bag in Box’ size.  While I am confident that the wine in the bottle is identical to the wine in the box (I tasted both the bottle and the box versions side by side to make sure the same flavors carried over from one to the other), only time will tell if you, our customers, are willing to set aside preconceptions about ‘box wine’ and give this a try. The combination of low price and high quality makes the decision pretty simple.
Also coming in this week is the new supply of Basque apple cider (Sagardo!) that many of you have been waiting for as well as our short lived annual allotment of Txakoli Rosado. Additionally, this week we have a couple of new reds from unique grapes, including a new Mencía from Bierzo as well as a new Prieto Picudo from the newly created Tierra de León region.

Tapaswalk update

In response to the numerous inquiries regarding Tapaswalk (a wine and food class/walking tour that winds its way through downtown San Francisco stopping in at several of the Spanish styled restaurants that are shaking up the local dining scene) I have created a summer long schedule that should give everybody time to pick a date that works for you.
I will be offering Tapaswalk every other week on alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting May 27th. The Tuesday classes will be on June 9th, July 7th, August 4th, September 1st, September 29th and October 27th. The Wednesday classes will be on May 27th, June 24th, July 22nd, August 19th, September 16th, September 30th and October 14th.
The classes all start at 6 pm and last approximately 2 hours. The cost is $65 per person. More details can be found here. Reservations should be made via email at salondelvino(at)gmail(dot)com.

Capote Velho 5 Liter ‘Bag in Box’ My original review of this wine said “What A bargain! This non-vintage red wine from who knows where in Portugal has absolutely no pedigree but really delivers on freshness and versatility. This wine possesses gentle berry-like fruit character and moderate tannins coupled with a moderate level of alcohol (11.5%). Like a no name house wine in a little Portuguese bar or restaurant, this red tastes great by itself and will also accompany, but not overshadow, a broad range of foods.” We now offer this same wine in the more economical, environmentally friendly ‘Bag in Box’ size that contains five full liters of wine for $6.00 per liter (equals $4.00 per regular 750ml bottle). The pour spigot keeps the air out, maintaining the freshness of the wine  for as long as it takes to finish the whole thing. $29.99
Isastegi Sidra 2008 The new vintage of Isastegi has arrived and , hey, the price is better this year! This tart, yeasty hard apple cider is a refreshingly different drink to accompany a full range of pintxos (Basque tapas). Try it with sizzling chorizo from the grill or bacon wrapped dates. $8.99
Ameztoi Rubentis 2008 It appears but once a year and now is the moment. The dry, crisp Txakoli wine from Basque country is rarely found in the rosado version. The abundantly mineral Txakoli style is supplemented with pale pink color and the barest whiff of tart strawberry. Pour this one when the weather is hot and experience true refreshment. $19.99
Guitian Sobre Lias 2005 This is my current favorite white wine at Daniel Olivella’s Barlata in Oakland. Made in the Valdeorras region from the local Godello grape, this wine spent several months ageing on its lees (the skins, pulp and sediment from the wine making process) to give an added note of yeasty complexity to the gentle, white peach and melon fruit character. $11.99
Castro De Valtuille Mencía Joven 2006 This unoaked young wine from the Bierzo region was, in previous vintages, called Castro Ventosa. Newly repackaged, this fresh young red displays the typical Mencía style in an unadorned, pure version. Twiggy, dried leaf aroma adds intrigue to the cranberry/pomegranate fruit character and underlying minerality. White beans and chorizo would make a good match here. $14.99
Preto Tinto 2007 Tierra de León is one of Spain’s newest wine regions. One of the unique local grapes of this region is Prieto Picudo, a fruity, high acid variety that was almost extinct before efforts in this region to recuperate the variety. Preto Tinto is dark garnet colored with leafy Mencía-like aroma, flinty minerality and mulberry fruit character. This unoaked wine expresses the Prieto Picudo grape in a pure, unadulterated form (this is the same producer as the Preto Rosado mentioned a few weeks ago). $21.99

Following the cycle of seasonal change, the annual wine calendar has returned once again to the moment when new wines enter the market.

In Berkeley we have just started to receive new vintages of red and white wines from Spain and Portugal (Argentina and Chile too).

First up are the red wines appearing now, followed in a few weeks by the new crop of young white wines.

Some of these ‘new’ wines have slowly matured for years, as the winemakers patiently delayed their release. Unlike many domestic wines that come with a caveat from the merchant that goes something like “This is a great wine. Don’t drink it for three years”, Iberian wines are purposely aged in the bottle at the winery before they are considered “ready to drink”.

Consider the practice of bottle ageing as one of the many little side benefits of buying Iberian wine, especially since  few people have genuine wine cellars anymore (in fact most of us consume wines within 24 hours of purchase).

Additionally this week, we have found some more great deals on some current vintage wines that have gone down a bit in price. Every little bit helps these days and these lower prices mean you do not have to sacrifice quality in order to maintain a thrifty lifestyle.

We will start to see 2008 white and rosado wines in about four to six weeks.

Martin Fierro Blanco 2007 In the San Juan region of Argentina, Bodegas Bórbore makes this white wine from a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Torrontes. This unoaked wine blends the crispness of Chardonnay with the more floral Torrontes (the indigenous white grape of Argentina). Previously available for $8.99, we just brought in a stack of this wine at a better price, now $6.99.

Martin Fierro Malbec 2006 Named after the protagonist of an epic poem about the ‘gaucho’ era, this dark, expressive wine evokes the wide open spaces and Andean backdrop of San Juan province in northwestern Argentina.  A bit leaner than the Mendoza region Malbec wines further to the south, this very well priced red has seen a few years of age, moderating the ripe fruit character and adding balance and roundness to the finished product $6.99

Nomad 2005 Jeff Jarvis and Jessica Tomei are husband and wife winemakers working in the Sierra foothills (Jarvis Tomei Syrah) as well as in Chile where, along with fellow American T.J. Evans, they make Nomad from a blend of 75 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 % Syrah, 7 % Carmenère and 2 % Malbec. This ripe, spicy red is finely tuned and expressive with moderate barrel character and smooth texture. This small production bottling (2,000 cases in total) was $14.99 when first released. The price is now a bit better. $13.99

Ricardo Santos Malbec 2007 This was the first Malbec to catch my attention back when we first started stocking wines from Argentina. The 2007 vintage of this single vineyard wine has arrived and it appeals to me because, as in vintages past, this wine shows some restraint in its expression of fruit character. The dark berry flavor typical of Malbec is present to be sure, but it doesn’t overwhelm the other aspects of the wine, including tart barrel tannins, cigar box aroma and background minerality. The price on the new vintage remains, happily, unchanged. $17.99

Petalos 2007 The newest vintage of this plush red from the Bierzo region has just arrived. Produced from biodynamically farmed small hillside parcels of old vine Mencía grown in rocky slate soil around the village of Corrullón, Petalos creates a rustic first impression with obscure garnet color and loamy aroma. Opulent dark berry fruit character and fine minerality add definition and elegance.  Several months in oak barrels adds tannic depth, crating an expressive character that is unique to this region. The previous vintage came in at $23.99. The new vintage is a bit better priced at $21.99

Muga Reserva 2005 The news is good for the numerous followers of Bodegas Muga. The new 2005 Muga Reserva has just been released. This traditionally styled Rioja displays a flavor profile that is instantly recognizable to those who know and love this winery. Long, slow maturation in barrel gives Muga Reserva a distinct note of tannic oak. Extended bottle age assures that the barrel character is well integrated and balanced by bright Tempranillo fruit. The depth and complexity of Muga Reserva can be enjoyed right away, straight from the bottle (no decanting needed) and will grow more refined and elegant with a few years of age. $28.99

cuatro pasos 2007

d.o. bierzo

100% Mencía de cepas de más de 80 años de edad sobre suelos pizarrosos.

Vino tinto tranquilo con 2 meses de crianza en barricas de roble francés y americano.

Bodegas Martín Códax en el Bierzo, Cacabelos, León.

http://www.martincodax.com

De color rojo picota y ribete violáceo, de capa media-alta y brillante con lágrima fina y poco densa pero coloreada. En nariz, de intensidad media, destacan sobre la fruta roja las notas balsámicas y minerales así como los tostados a pesar de la corta crianza. En boca, la entrada no es potente, pero golosa y de estructura media, acidez justa, de recorrido medio y no excesivamente largo.