Don’t fear the Spanish Acquisition part 2:

In Spain, even though traditional wine regions remain at the forefront of both prestige and value, new Spanish wine regions are emerging in the marketplace. These are regions that have existed for many years but were not marketed much outside of the home country. In the past few years, Spain has brought to market many products which represent incredible value for money. Value for money is how Spain is penetrating most export markets and are filling a particular niche here in the US.

If you drive through the countryside in Spain it is amazing to see the amount of old vines that dot the countryside. Many of the grapes from these vines go to the local co-ops and get lost in the soup of large regional blends. Importers around the world have started to recognize the best co-ops, are culling out the best cuvees and are working with these wineries to make more commercially viable wines. Qualitative improvments have catapulted Spain’s current wine revolution and has made it one of the world’s three biggest wine producers. With the introduction of irrigation, Spain is making almost 30 per cent more today than in the early 1990s which in turn gives producers the ability to sell wine at a more favorable price. Speaking of favorably priced Spanish wines................

Bodegas Artazu:
Continuing the theme of last weeks blog, we will look at wines from less heralded regions of Spain. Bodegas Artazu is located in the northernmost zone of the Navarra region. Originally the kingdom of Pamplona, the region is not far from Basque, Catalan and Castillian strongholds, and one can feel these influences in the area. Over 90% of the vines were wiped out during the 19th century from Phylloxera, but in the 20th century, the region quickly rose to become a major Spanish wine region.

Navarra is similar to Rioja in the sense that it is affected by both Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. As Artazu is located in the northern part of the region, it benefits from small doses of the cold winds of the Pyrenees as well, helping to make wines of extraordinary elegance. The soil is mainly composed of limestone, but some zones contain large amounts of red clay in alternating layers with the chalk.

The Artazuri Garnacha is a 100% tank-fermented old vine Grenache made by Artadi’s brilliant winemaker, Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle. An elegant, deep ruby/purple-tinged red wine, it boasts sweet/spicy strawberry, raspberry and cherry fruit characters, displays medium body with a supple texture and a silky finish. All this for under ten bucks.

Artazuri Navarra Garnacha 2005, Retail $10.99 Warehouse $8.99


Capcanes:

The neighbor of Spain’s now famous Priorat region, Montsant is historically and culturally quite similar to its more “known” neighbor. Located in northeastern Spain, not far from the Catalan capitol of Barcelona, the region lies just to the west of the Priorat and shares the hilly, rocky landscape.

In Montsant, vineyard parcels are planted at altitudes between 300 and 700 meters above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean and is quite warm with moderate rainfall levels. Soil in the lower altitudes is deep, rich, and fertile while soil in the northern altitudes is very poor, with high levels of schist and granite. Many of Montsant’s higher vineyard parcels are terraced with extremely old vines. These terraces have much in common with those of the Priorat but the wines sell at a fraction of the price of their famous neighbor.


Bright, dark red. Superripe nose offers licorice, flowers and spicy, smoky oak. Creamy, supple and sweet, with fairly dense flavors offering good definition and supported by solid structure. 88pts International Wine Cellar




Capcanes Mas Donis 2004, Retail $12.99 Warehouse $9.99


Castell del Remei:

Castell del Remei is located in Western Catalonia in the D.O. of Costers del Segre, just to the west of Barcelona. Costers del Segre is a small winegrowing region that is divided into six sub-zones and covers 3,886 hectares. Tempranillo is widely planted here, as is Garnacha, and as of the last 20 years, high levels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have also been planted.

Costers del Segre is heavily influenced by a warm, arid continental climate. The summers are quite warm and rainfall is lower than the Spanish average. Soils in the zone are made up primarily of chalk interspersed with some clay-based parcels. Vineyard parcels in the region are mostly at lower altitudes, with the majority of vineyards under 300 meters altitude. However, because of the low amounts of rainfall and more significant vineyard stress, yields stay quite low and thus the intensity of the grapes stay high.

Deep ruby. Intense dark cherry, licorice, espresso and vanilla notes on the nose, with floral and spicy elements. Quite spicy and concentrated, with intense flavors of bitter cherry, dark plum, cassis and licorice. Tangy acids provide lift, and there's an impressive penetrating quality to the dark fruit on the long finish. This is drinking beautifully right now.



Gotim Bru 2004, Retail $12.99 Warehouse $9.99


Tikalo:

La Mancha is Spain’s largest D.O. at over 30,000 square kilometers and lies some 60 kilometers south of Madrid in the hot, arid plains of the Castillian meseta. Historically a region of high grape and wine production, La Mancha has transformed itself in the last few years into one of Spain’s most exciting wine-producing zones as a result of conscientious winemaking combined with its ideal growing conditions which consist of high altitude vineyards, hot days, and cool nights. Soils in the zone are usually clay and limestone, with small patches of granite and gypsum.


Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by pure, sweet notes of black cherries, licorice, and wild mountain berry fruit. This medium to full-bodied Tinto exhibits notions of pepper and spice along with fine purity, surprising glycerin, and plenty of heart, soul, and quality for its price. Drink it over the next 1-2 years. 89pts Wine Advocate


Tikalo Alba Liza 2005, Retail $7.99 Warehouse $6.99











Jam packed and fun red. Rich flavors of red and black cherries, tobacco, leather, smoke, cedar and plums are blend well in this fun drinking red.

Tikalo ‘Kios’ 2004, Retail $ 14.99 Warehouse $11.99


Este:

Este is a tremendous value that is produced in a small denominated wine zone in the eastern corner of Castilla-La Mancha in Central Spain. Typically producing strong and sturdy wines that were often used for blending. Monastrell (Mourvedre) and Garnacha are the predominent varieties. Temperatures range from as high as 104 degrees in summer to 32 degrees in the winter.

Cherry color, with a good bouquet. Intense aroma, black crystallized fruit, mineral and vanilla background, fruity, strong, touches of oak, expressive and long with a fruity reminder at the end.

Este , Retail $8.99 Warehouse $6.99


Cuatro Pasos:

Let me hit you with some knowledge: Mencia is an increasingly valued red grape variety grown so widely in north west Spain that plantings total over 22,500 acres, notably in Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra, and Valdeorras. DNA typing has laid to rest the once-popular theory that Mencía and Cabernet Franc were related. In addition, the rediscovery by young winemakers of old, low-yielding hillside plots of Mencía has dispelled the notion that this variety necessarily produces light reds since wines of great concentration and complexity have emerged from these forgotten vineyards on deep schists and produced a Priorat-like revolution in the region. Mencía is identical to Portugal’s Jaen. Oxford Encyclopedia of Wine

Grown in the cool northwest area of Spain in Bierzo, Cuatro Pasos displays characters that show smoky, spicy, sweaty saddle leather. There is bright cherry, pruny, peppery, cardamom notes mixed with mineral, leather, smoky, coffee flavours. This is a fun wine because it has layers of flavors to be discovered. See for yourself whether this resembles Cabernet Franc or not.

Cuatro Pasos ‘Mencia’ 2004, Retail $12.99 Warehouse $9.99


Manana………………………..