An Old Vine Spanish Wine

Grenache is the main grape in many Rhone blends that yields soft, lightly colored yet full wines endowed with deep notes of strawberry and raspberry. The 2008 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa follows along with that and lives up to its expected flavors and strong fruits in a most delicious way.   

Grenacha from Old World Spain

The Grenache is one of the world’s most widely-planted grapes, producing unique expression where ever it is planted and is particularly common in many Spanish Red Wines, What is nice about the El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa is, of course, the concept of old vines and a pure Granacha.

El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa pours with a very bright ruby color.  It seemed to be a wine that needed  time to open up. An extremely rich nose displays black raspberry, plum and flowers  and then developed to a spicy, somewhat peppery raspberry.  

All the fruit comes to life on the palate. The palate had raspberry liqueur, stone, plum, and floral notes, a bitter chocolate, too.  Juicy dark berry flavors are liqueur-like in depth and power but given lift by zesty minerality The bright cherry and jammy raspberrries suit the New World palate, but the earthy tones keep this wine grounded to its place. 

 The mouth fell is ideal with a respectable finish. Finishes with expansive red and dark berry flavors and excellent persistence of black raspberries. It is a  fruit-driven Garnacha well beyond it’s price point would indicate. Clean fruit, good balance. 

Great Value in 2008 El Chaparral

The 2008 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa is a  joy with food. It’s amazing that this can sell for under $30, much less the Wine on the Way price of $13. This is a consistently outstanding value a  fruity flavorful granache, but very balanced earning a true 90 point rating form the Wine Cellar.

A Tasty Spanish Wine from Castilla Leon

According to the website, Finca Resalso is the name of the winery’s first vineyard that was planted in 1932. The Spanish wine version of the Tempranillo grape is known as the Tito Fino varietal, and is considered the purest clone of the grape and has been used to graft all the vine plants in the winery.  The wine bottle, however, is remarkable attractive, definitely not a left over from 1932, and seems to have more character than a mere clone could produce.

As 100% Tinto Fino, the rich dark ruby color is to be expected and the 2007 Resalso does not disappoint. I After spending  about 4 months in French oak, it’s made to be drunk young. Though the cloned vines range from 5 to 15 years old, the wine itself gives off a youthful presentation with red and black fruit nose, there are underlying hints of tobacco and, could there be a hint of pine I detect?

True Love from Spain in the 2007 Finca Resalso

Very drinkable, almost velvety, with a chewy-ness of tannins leaving a nice mouth feel; the fruit does not overpower, but leaves room for the subtle flavors. Close your eyes and taste the dark chocolate, rich espresso, bits of spice. Though young, it does not have that overpowering heat of too much alcohol. So while on the higher side at 14.5%; it’s still constrained and does not overpower the taste.

There is an earthy flavor, nice mineral tastes and a savory finish. Alas, avoid the chocolate while sipping, but it would add nicely to a meal of spicy poultry or even a heavy winter paella. 

If you don’t know Spanish wines, then the 2007 Finca Resalso is a great bottle to introduce your palette to. After the first sip you understand why this Emilio Moro Finca Resalso 2007 from Ribera del Duero is a fantastic red wine and deserves it’s Wine Advocate 90 point rating, though you might have to look twice at the price of only $13.00.

Don’t second guess, just buy a few as it will cellar nicely over the next four years!

Pure 100% Monastrell Grapes Wine Varietal

Bodegas Juan Gil is an interesting wine even before one removes the cork and pours the wine. Hailing from Spain, it’s rather unassuming when listing itself as a simple red wine from Jumilla.

Start in Jumilla

Jumilla then begins the interesting part of the story of Juan Gil. Jumilla has long been a wine-producing region in southern Spain. In 1989, long after most other Spanish wine growers had dealt with the bug, Jumilla suffered a phylloxera attack. As phylloxera spread throughout the region, grapevines succumbed and the wine growers in Jumilla lost nearly everything. There is no choice, after phylloxera, but to either replant or give up.

Monastrells  Return

Many growers chose to replant with Monastrell as it is a native grape particularly suited to the region’s continental, drought-prone climate.  Monastrell requires a Mediterranean climate to mature properly, with long, luminous summers. It has been so successful and approximately 85% of Jumilla’s vineyards are now planted in Monastrell vines.  The Monastrell grape is showing remarkable results in the hands of skilled winemakers and Jumilla wines have, therefore, begun to make an impact abroad for good reason.

With a better understanding of the grape, it was time to open up the wine. (more…)

Spanish Cava Sparkling Wine For Less Than $20 – 91 Point Rating

I attended a house warming the other night and, of course, the evening started off with a round of bubbles. There were some nice champagnes and a couple of roses. I have to admit, I am partial to roses! Since the first several bottles were real champagne (i.e., from France) I made the assumption that the roses were as well.

The best sparkling wine since 1887

The two roses were excellent, although one stood out as the best sparkling wine. When it was revealed that it was a Spanish Cava, I was really surprised. It was a Llopart Rose Brut Reserva. The bottle said the cava had been there since 1887 and the wine had spent three years sur lie.

Inside, I was struck by the color – a very clear, sparkling medium pink wine. 

The nose on this cava was very pleasant with some lovely strawberries, perhaps some cherries. The wine had plenty of small bubbles, but the style was a creamier, elegant style than what I was expecting. The finish on this balanced wine was very nice.

An Unexpected Price For A Spanish Cava Sparkling Wine

I have pretty much identified Spanish Cava’s with lower priced bubbles appropriate for Mimosas. This wine had more class than the rougher, less expensive bubbles from Spain. It got me thinking about price and value. 

What would I pay for this sparkling wine in a retail shop? I thought the wine was worth mid-$20s, perhaps even $30. Later, the next day, I learned that the wine sells for under $20. It is a super deal at that price and worth every penny.

A Sparkling Wine So Good It Was Gone

This wine pairs well with food, by the way. We were having a tapas dinner, but unfortunately, by the time we came to eat, it was gone. Folks were surprised by the quality of this wine. It also dispelled a couple of myths about Spanish sparkling wines. 

The Llopart Rose Brut Reserva Cava sparkling wine was one tasty bottle of bubbles and WineOnTheWay.com has it for just $18.00.

The Gift of Vino from the Rioja Wine Region of Spain

I love Spanish wines. There are some very drinkable, less-expensive wines coming from the Spanish Wine Regions and they are a delight for all who drink them!

My Favorite Spanish Wine varietals are those from Rioja Wine Regions of Spain

Tempranillo is the primary red wine grape for much of Spain, but especially Spanish wines from the Ribera del Duero and the Rioja Alta. A real gem of a Spanish Wine that illustrates all the goodness of a Rioja wine is  Vina Zaco from Bodegas Bilbainas. I recently had the 2007. While Vina Zaco is labeled Tempranillo, I can’t help but to suspect there might be some Grenache, in there. No matter what, the Tempranillo really shines. (more…)