This has all the hallmarks of a classic Spanish wine: flowers and red fruit on the nose, dark, chocolaty, leathery, and mossy notes with tight tannins on the finish. For whatever reason – perhaps in the traditional style – the bottle tells nothing about the varietals. I picked this one up at Schneider’s of Capitol Hill in DC for $15.
- Rating: Everyday Reds
- Name: Gran Reserva 2005
- Winery: Castillo de Anna
- Region: Valencia
- Country: Spain
- Varietals: N/A
- Price: $15
- Where to Buy: Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, 300 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
A powerful nose of baked berry pie, leather, crushed flowers with a hint of jasmine at the end. Some strawberry notes develop as it sits open in the decanter. A really amazing bouquet worth lingering on. Chewy leather, cocoa, and dark red fruit at the front end with a powerful, typically Catalan, tannic finish with stone and slate. This is a fascinating and powerful expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. About 30-45 minutes after decanting the nose shifted to a strong maple note – sheer stunner. Truly a roller-coaster; it opens, concentrates, opens again. A deep black garnet color. Cherry popsicle near the end. Yes, I said cherry popsicle. Melted. Cherry. Popsicle. I picked this up in Barcelona on Patricia’s recommendation. Damn glad I did. Wine Searcher can’t seem to find a bottle in the U.S.
Roses, cherries, and cotton candy on the nose, right after the cork pops. This one attacks the palate with powerful Catalan characteristics of leather, barely ripe plum, faint cocoa, some herbal grass notes. A musty, dank autumn forest feel marries well with the characteristic Catalan “fuerte” tannin. As it opens up the nose shifts to toasted marshmallows, cedar, and very faint mulling spice in a nice blended harmony. Dark cherries, milk chocolate, and leather meld with roses, all shorn up with a hit of hard, Catalan tannin. This is a fine wine, as Hemingway would say. I picked this one up in Spain, either San Sebastian or Barcelona (can’t recall), but bumped into it again at a tasting in TriBeCA. No idea what price, but below $40.
A nice bubbly dry cracker nose and straw color kicks off this brut. Rich grassiness and fresh baked pie crust with a faint hit of butter. On the back end there’s some light white pepper and a bit of mineral. None of this sounds unique, but perhaps I’m failing in the review because the moment you try this one you know you have something special. Elegant, sleek, and well-balanced. Like a few wines I’ve had, it’s actually more interesting when colder and gets less complex as it warms up. I know it isn’t supposed to be that way, but . . . I picked this one up at Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa, NY on the suggestion of their Spain wine guru, Ariana.
Aged in French Oak for 17 months, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Tempranillo. I was intrigued by this one in the wine store and had to try it. Ronda, the alleged birthplace of bullfighting and final holdout for the Reconquista, is an oft-overlooked gem of a town not far from Malaga and the better-known towns that sit on the coast. It’s lovely and I’ve had fantastic meals there. It was a good choice. This is a nice, mid-concentrated red offering that I liked quite a bit. Nice garnet color with some juicy plum, vanilla, and cherry mixed with nice leathery spice notes. A light hit of tannin on the back end draws up the finish and keeps it structured and not a juice bomb. I picked this one up on a recommendation at Goñi Ardoteka in San Sebastian for around 18 Euros. Wine Searcher suggests it’s not even easy to find in Spain. So, yes, that’s not helpful, but it does put this one in the category of potential import.
A delightful, light, acidic, and slightly fizzy bottle of white from the hills of the Basque lands. I was first introduced to this by a friend’s father at Taberna Alabardero, who related his childhood memories of visiting family in the area and having Txakolina with bonito (somewhat resembling tuna). As he explained, the light acidity is the perfect paring with firm tuna-like fish. I also found the exact same bottle in San Sebastian, as well as at Sherry’s in Woodley Park for about $18.
Had this wine with chuleta (steak) at Bar Nestor in San Sebastian, Spain. The second time. This is the reason I now understand the difference in term usage between “powerful” or “strong” in English wine lingo, versus “fuerte” in Spanish wine terminology. I had heard fuerte used to describe several wines in the past and was never completely convinced that the person knew what they were talking about. This wine’s excessive tannin is what they were referring to. It had a nice cherry, dark fruit front end that had a silkiness that made it worth drinking, but it finished with so much tannin as to feel like you had a piece of tree bark in the mouth. Not what I was looking for and does not bode well for future tastings from the Cigales DO.
Had this wine with my birthday chuleta (steak) at Bar Nestor in San Sebastian, Spain. It was an excellent choice. Balanced tannin, dark fruit, leather, and vanilla all-orchestrated to stand up to the excellent beef Nestor pumps out of his kitchen. The bartender explained that Callejo puts out three steps of their wines, this being the entry level. If the food and wine coma had not taken over so effectively – sending us stumbling through the cobbled streets of SS’s lovely old town – I would have sprung for the next level. I will be looking for these bottles in the states as, if the entry level bottle is any indication at EU18, they are likely splurge worthy.
50% Garnacha 40% Mazuelo 10% Syrah. The back of the bottle says that this will be, “definitively the best wine you have tasted from Montsant.” While I cannot agree with that, the 92 points rating on the front is some indication of what’s inside the bottle. A nice, tough Montsant with dark fruits like currant and blackberry, with some leather and rose petals on the nose. It’s a good drinking wine with enough tannin to stand up to hearty foods like roasted pork and beef. I picked this bottle up at (I think) the Whole Foods on P Street for about $16. It made an impression and I will drink it again, though it definitely is NOT the best Montsant I’ve had. If you take this one to a party or to a friend’s house for dinner, it will get compliments from anyone who enjoys big tough reds.
Posto Novo 