López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja, Spain's most traditional winery. Part 2.

Part two of Heredia Tondonia.  The revenge.  The sequel. This installment covers the current red releases as well as the older red vintages poured at the tasting.  I guess I should start out by thanking Monica Nogues of Think Global Wines, the distributor for Heredia Tondonia here in the states.  She is pictured pouring at the tasting, which she did with grace and composure throughout the night.  Thank you Monica!  Well, I raved about the whites, which are truly among the most unique wines produced today, except that they have been produced that way for a very long time.  About the only thing that is not traditional about this winery that I can find is the modern structure which has been literally dropped over an older structure.  But then again, that is Spain.  Think Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, for example.  And let's discuss the history of the winery a bit more shall we.  Start with those beautiful old school bottles.  Why are they covered in wire you ask?  Well, good question, they were traditionally covered in wire as an additional protection against fraud.  See, back in the olden days, unscrupulous sorts would uncork and drink the wine in transit and replace it with god knows what.  The wire became an additional precaution to labeled corks and labeled capsules (the foil thing that is usually over the top of the bottle and the cork).  Heredia Tondonia covers the tops of their gran reserva bottlings with wax, as opposed to the standard capsule.  Additional insurance.  Anyway, I think it is time to move onto the reds, which can be equally as interesting as the whites or the history of the Heredia Tondonia.

Heredia  2004 Viña Cubillo Crianza 2004  $29.99
This medium bodied Rioja is garnet in color, with a nose of roses, fresh earth, and pepper cured meats.  It also has good acidity and freshness.  A young traditional Rioja that could pair with almost any type of fair, but a evening of mixed tapas sounds about right.  88 Points.

Heredia 2000 Viña Tondonia Reserva  $49.99
For me this was the star from the reds.  Medium garnet in color, as all the reds turned out to be, not much browning of the edges of these wines, no matter what the age.  There was a slight oxidized quality to this wine on the nose, but it also packs eucalyptus, charred oak sherry barrels, and blood sausage with subtle red fruits and floral aromas.  This wine seems equally mature and young at the same time.  91 Points.

Heredia 2001 Viña Bosconia Reserva  $37.99
This wine is a bit different, the bottle shape suggests a different style of wine as well.  To me, it has hints of a Rhone wine in terms of the fruit.  Medium garnet color with a nose of sour cherry, pomegranate and red cherry.  There is a good round mouth feel and good acidity.  89 Points.

Heredia 1991 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva  $110.00
This was the first of the older vintages that were opened at the tasting.  There was only one bottle of each and it was great to taste these older wines as they are pretty rare.  The 1991 had a great bright berry quality, a bright garnet color, and good acidity.  There are also flavors of liquorish, black pepper and dried Italian herbs.  90 Points.

Heredia 1985 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva  $149.99
This wine had a richer quality than the 1991.  There are flavors of grilled meat, and a rose like floral nose.  89 Points.

Heredia 1981Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva  $144.99
Still bright garnet in color, as all the red wines seemed to be.  There were hints of smoked fire, and lots of bright cherry and floral notes.  Good acidity and still drinking very well.  90 Points.

Well that concludes the wines tasted from Heredia Tondonia.  It was an epic tasting, though these wines are not power houses, but rather restrained and subtle wines which leave you searching for the words to describe them.  As María José López de Heredia stated:  "The best wine is the one you cannot describe."

López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja, Spain's most traditional winery. Part 1.

O.K. so more Spain.  Yeah!  Can you tell I love Spain and Spanish wines?  Anyway, on Monday night there was a tasting of wines from López de Heredia Viña Tondia at Union Square Wines.  I can normally get pretty excited by any wine tasting, but this one was truly special.  López de Heredia Viña Tondia, located in the Rioja wine region, is known as Spain's most traditional winery.  Heck, look at their bottles, you don't get more old school than that.  They are beautiful.  And so are the wines.  They are wines of unique character, and represent the singular dedication of a family, a place, and a style of wine making that has changed little since 1877.  I think that they so represent Spain, because Spain is nothing, if not traditional.  As the wines are made in a very traditional manner, they do not taste like anything made in an international modern style, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay or any other well known grape variety for that matter, especially the white wines.  The whites are done in an oxidated style which takes a bit of getting used to, but in a good experimental way.  And as María José López de Heredia, who was on had to talk about her families wines, said:  "Some people think we oxidize the wine, but we fight the oxidation."  Anyway, they poured all their current, red, white, and rose vintages, as well as a few older vintages.  This was a big tasting of a lot of wines, and there was a great turn out, the place was packed to the rafters.  It was a lot to taste in one night, and it might be a lot to digest for one posting, so I will break it into two postings over a couple days so it doesn't turn into a novel.  Here are the whites and rose tasted:


Heredia 1999 Viña Gravonia Crianza Blanco  $29.99
This was the younger of the two whites served, and for most white wines, this might be considered, over the hill.  And although the wine has an oxidized quality to it, I found it to be very fresh and complex and a pleasure to drink.  This was my favorite out of the white/rose bunch.  The color of this wine in the bottle is so interesting it's a medium rich yellow, with a hint of orange.  There is a sweet honey and pineapple fruit nose.  There is also a nutty almond quality and scents of charred whiskey barrel, caramel, and flint.  This really is an exotic and alluring wine that really breaks you out of the mold of what you have come to expect as a white wine today.  I couldn't recommend trying any of the wines from the tasting more than this one for its uniqueness.  92 Points.


Heredia 1990 Viña Tondonaia Reserva Blanco  $49.99
This white reserva takes us back two decades, and you would think for a white it would be long gone, but you'd be wrong.  Although it is not as fresh as the 1999 Gravonia, it was still surprisingly fresh for its age.  It has a medium rich yellow color, and a fresh citrus nose.  There are hints of white pepper and a bit of tartness on the finish.  It lacked some of the richness of the Gravonia, but was very compelling none the less.  88 Points.

Heredia 2000 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rose  $29.99
An interesting and dry rose, it has a nose of ginger ale and strawberry bubble gum, but is very subtle.  The wine is light and it has a slightly dry finish.  Loved the nose.  85 Points. 

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will cover the reds and discuss the Tondonia winery a bit further.  Cheers!

Marcato 2007 Barattaro, Pinot Nero

So I met my wife and son at a birthday barbecue at a friend's house last night and was given a glass of red wine.  I didn't ask what it was, thought I would try and guess.  Well I guessed it was Pinot Noir, which is usually a pretty easy red to identify, as it is usually lighter and more delicate than Cabernet, Shiraz, etc.  After my educated guess, I headed over to the bottle and I was right, but it was a Pinot Noir from Italy, known as Pinot Nero.  The wine was the 2007 Marcato Barattaro.  Usually one thinks France or California, or even Oregon for Pinot Noir, but this was a pleasant little surprise from Italy.  Not sure I have had a Pinot from Italy and I don't think they are that common either.  But, I really liked this wine, it was very easy to drink and it had delicate berry and floral aromas, but also backed it up with some nice earthy flavors and decent acidity.  I was able to find out that this is an estate grown Pinot Nero from Veneto, vinified in stainless steel and wood for nine months before aging 16 months in Moldavian oak casks.  This is not the most complex Pinot ever, but it goes a bit further than your average everyday priced Pinot in the flavor department.  Great wine for summer I think as you can pretty much enjoy this with anything from burgers (notice one on the bottom right of the photo!) to fish tacos or a hearty salad.  Drank great on its own as well at the BBQ and I was sad when it ran out.  I asked the host who brought it and she said, in fact, my wife had.  She said she had picked it up at our local shop on he way and had paid $18.  I think this sounds like a fair price for an above average Pinot with some great character.  88 Points.

Five Decades of Bordeaux Tasting

Since I don't have any wine news to write about today, I am going to recap a great Bordeaux wine dinner I had the pleasure of attending in March.  It was a retrospective of five decades of Bordeaux reds, organized by Justin Christoph of Manhattan Wine Company.  Justin is a great host with a wealth of wine knowledge.  It was at Aroma, a sweet little Italian wine bar and restaurant off the Bowery.  We were in their cozy private dining room in the cellar, it was very European!  The food was great, the company was merry, and the wines were simply one of the best wine experiences I have ever had, filled with highs and lows.  Retrospectives always give you a great chance to really understand how wines age.  For the five decades of Bordeaux, we tasted two wines each starting with the 2000's, 1990's, 1980's, 1970's, 1960's.  Here is the run down, we tasted newest to oldest.

Château Léoville-Poyferré 2004
I really liked this wine, though I have always been a fan.  It was a great bargain for a while while it was flying under the radar, but the quality and price have been creeping up over the past decade.  Never the less, it still remains a good value to quality wine.  For a young wine it was already very accessible with a very aromatic nose and flavors of smokey dark fruit.  91 Points.

Château Calon-Ségur 2003
I was expecting a bit more from this wine, it was a bit more on the delicate side than I would have thought.  Light berry and floral aromas and a medium body.  Think it might show better after a few more years in bottle, seemed a bit closed down now.  90 Points.

Château L'Evangile 1994
I was really looking forward to tasting this wine and it did not disappoint.  This is a very unique wine and might not be for everyone due to its myriad characteristics.  Dark in color this dense wine has very earthy flavors, mixed with smokey notes, iron, offal, hoisin, and liquorish.  Wow.  95 Points.

Château Le Gay 1994 
The Le Gay was a more claret like version of the L'Evangile.  More harmonious and classically Bordeaux in character.  A very easy wine to appreciate, it mixes the meaty earthier flavors with some more delicate floral notes. A delicious wine, drinking very well now.  92 Points.

Château Pichon-Baron 1988  
This was the wine of the evening in my book.  I think it exceeded many people's expectations.  The super rich and complex nose grabs you immediately.  There are flavors of dark smokey fruit, spice box, and blood sausage.  The finish is easily 30 seconds long.  This is a profound wine.  An experience really.  97 Points.

Château Léoville-Barton 1988
I thought this wine would show better than it did.  It seemed a bit medicinal.  Offal mixed with an herbaceous quality.  Pretty hard to stand up next to the Pichon-Baron anyway, which it was tasted against.  87 Points.


Château Margaux 1978
This is not a big wine or a great wine, but there really was not much to be that excited about during the 1970's in Bordeaux.  That said, it is a nice classic claret style Bordeaux.  Not as perfumed as Margaux is known to be, but there were some nice delicate floral aromas.  88 Points.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1975
Who knows what this might have been, the bottle was off.  Oxidized/maderized.

Château Haut-Brion 1970
There is such a mythical aura to Haut-Brion, I was really looking forward to trying this wine.  The wine was probably a bit over the hill, but was still very interesting and enjoyable.  There were elements of chocolate and beef stew mixed with caramel and dark dried fruit.  91 Points.

Château Léoville-Las Cases 1961
1961 is one of the most famous vintages in Bordeaux history.  The Léoville-Las Cases has not been regarded as one of the most legendary, but this bottle proved to be very good for a wine nearly half a century old.  There was a sweet caramel nose and hints of smoked fire.  92 Points.

Spanish Wines Continued... Bienvenidos!

Bodegas Las Orcas, Decenio Crianza 2004 Rioja
Astor Wines, $17.99

Bodegas Las Orcas is a great little new discovery.  I first had a bottle of the 2001 Decenio at Mercat, a great Spanish restaurant here in New York.  I tracked down the current vintage on release which is the 2004.  This is a Crianza* Rioja that is done in a more traditional style but which is easily appealing to anyone who loves Spanish wines or Rioja.  Rioja's are typically made 100% from the Tempranillo grape.  The wine is medium bodied with notes of toasted oak, cinnamon, and ripe heirloom tomato.  There are also hints of dark cherry, candied plums, and chocolate.  There is still a fair bit of tannin, which should mellow over the next few years, but has a nice round mouth feel as the tannins melt away.  90 Points.

*Crianza wines require aging in oak barrels at least 12 months with at least another year in the bottle. Reserva wines require 36 months aging between barrel and bottle, with at least 12 months in barrel. Gran Reserva wines require 24 months aging in barrel and a further 36 months in bottle before release.

Mas d'en Gil Priorat, 2002 Clos Fontá
Le Du Wines, $45.99

Another great and interesting wine from the Priorat region in Spain.  The Priorat region is in Catalunya, outside Barcelona.  This wine is a little on the pricier side, but it is an experience.  Even though it is a 2002 and has a little age on it, it is still a very youthful wine with very firm tannins.  When we first opened the bottle it was very closed on the nose and the tannins were very dry in the mouth.  After 20-30 minutes, however, this wine really came alive.  The tannins began to melt away and plush fruit came bursting forth.  There is a sweet toasty oak element to the wine, probably some new oak, and there is a sense of surf and turf on the nose.  The concentration builds on this wine as it opens, there is dark smokey fruit and an almost Amarone, dried grape, quality as well.  Notes of cigar box and dried Italian herbs also linger.  Needless to say, this is a big and powerful wine, 14.5% alcohol, that gets bigger and bigger in the glass.  Brings you back for another sip.  A blend of nearly equal parts Garnacha Peluda, Garmacha Pais, Cabernet, and Cariñena.  93 Points.

Viñedos de Íthaca Tasting @ Chambers Street Wines

I had the good fortune to stop by a great tasting of wines from Spain's Priorat region at Chambers Street Wines. The tasting was with Spanish wine maker Joseph Puig of Viñedos de Íthaca. You can find out more about these wines at their website, but the winery is located in the Priorat region in Spain. The wines are very small production and are primarily crafted by hand by Joseph and his daughter Sílivia. I can tell you that Joseph is an enthusiastic wine maker who is very passionate about his wines and his terroir. Joseph makes a lot of different wines, and while I did not get to taste the entire portfolio, I did manage to try a white, two reds, and a dessert wine. If you are a lover of small lot hand crafted natural wines, these are wines you should check out. There is a great picture of Joseph from the tasting, he is a man with a great taste for wine and for amazing eye wear.

Odysseus 2009, Pedro Ximénez
This unique dry white wine is made from the Pedro Ximénez grape. This is one of the grape varietals used to make Sherry, and is not typically used in dry white wine. I really did not know what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised by this wine. It was so good I wanted to buy some on the spot but they did not have any for sale. But I will be on the hunt for it. The wine has a medium yellow color and a nose of citrus and grapefruit. It has a crisp minerality on the nose as well mixed with sweet floral undertones. It has a nice round mouth feel, and a touch of honeysuckle sweetness on the finish. As Joseph said, "it leaves the mouth clean". This is a wine I could drink everyday during the summer, just delicious. Drinks well on it's own, but could pair with any light summer fare or lighter cheeses. 90 Points.

Aklyes, Red Label 2007
This Rhone like red is made from younger vines and is a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, and Cabernet. It is aged 10-12 month in 400 liter barrels. It really reminds me a lot of a Cotes du Rhone, but a little less jammy than a Coted du Rhone, which is a good thing. The wine is a rich medium purple in color, there are flavors of bright cherry and plum, chocolate, cassis, and a hint of toasty oak. The fruit really shines in this wine, but without being too overbearing. 89 Points.

Odysseus, Red Label 2002
This exciting red is blend of primarily old vine Cariñena and Garnacha, with smaller doses of Cabernet, Petit Verdot, and Touriga Nacional. It is fermented with piqeage and aged with battonage in 400 liter barrels for 12 months. I found this blend more complex, probably due to the old vines fruit. The nose really grabs you with this wine with a toasty blend of cassis and chocolate. There is dark fruit in there as well. While there are still some tannins to resolve, the wine is balanced with a medium ruby color. The wine is drinking great now, but the tannins suggest it will probably age well over the next ten years or so. A really delicious wine. 92 Points.

Penélope, Garnacha Blanca 2007
This medium bodied dessert wine is a real pleasure to taste. I could imagine it going well with a tangy blue cheese. It has sweet candied citrus and melon on the nose and is medium yellow in color with a medium weight body, not overly syrupy. It has lingering notes of floral and melon. 90 Points.

Burlotto 1995 Barolo Monvigliero

Chambers Street Wines, $44.99

This mature Barolo shows subtle aromas of raspberries and violets, but quickly gives way to tar, petrol, and caramel. Brick in color now, with some subtle garnet in the center. There is a long finish, but it would have been interesting to taste this wine a few years ago when it was probably at its peak. Still always nice to taste a mature Barolo. 88 Points.