"Simple" Midweek Dinner (the Gang Goes Spanish)

Kelvin suggested Spanish this time round, and we had a lovely dinner with some solid tapas and a wonderfully done roast suckling pig (cut with a plate to prove its tender youth no less). Not all the wines were Spanish, but we certainly had a very Mediterranean flavour to the choices. All wines were blind as usual.

• 2009 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  Very good ineed, this clearly had quality on it but, perhaps because it was because it was popped and poured, I certainly was not blown away by it. The nose was quite clearly a dry Riesling from first sniff, and a pretty young, tightly wound up one at that, with reticent little bits of chalk and flint, some flowery, grassy meadow scents, and a rather neutral white fruited background. Tight, but nice. The palate was just a tad more open. It certainly had a lot of power in its sweet, fleshy stone fruit flavours - peach, nectarine, and an almost sweet tropical back-note, which made me guess 2009. This layered the mouth on the attack and mid-palate before the finish set in with an unfolding of red apple flesh lined with an almost bittersweet, stony mineral. Nicely balanced with a juicy freshness from the attack, but it somehow seemed to lose a bit of energy and defnition towards the back-end. Very good at this point I would say, but not quite enough in its tank to be truly outstanding. Still a nice wine though, and time might well prove me wrong.

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• NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Amontillado 9 "Navazos" 94 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda

  I was absolutely blown away by the bottle the last time round. This time, while being similarly impressed by it, it was rather overshadowed for me by a staggeringly good Fino-Amontillado also bottled by Equipo Navazos which may not have been as powerful, but somehow seemed more elegant and focused. Notwithstanding that though, this was a solid, solid wine - brilliant stuff. The nose was a bit challenging at first, with a strange almost antibiotic like accent and a whiff of glycerol, but this faded away to show lovely layers of rich yellow fruit and almond nut. Attractive stuff, but it was the palate that really impressed. Powerful to say the least, this had reservoirs of depth and layers of flavour, starting with salty, saline notes, and then fig skin, orange peel, lime rind and, finally, fresher lemon notes. Complex, balanced, rich and super long, with a finish that stretched away with bits of mineral, earth, spice and just that final floral kiss. Gorgeous.

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• NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 24 "que va para Amontillado" 96 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles

  A ridiculous wine - this was staggeringly good. Starting with a brilliant nose, it was crazy stuff, showing layers of complexity, with washes of saline sea breeze, seashells, figs, salted nuts and dried white fruit. Wow. I could go on sniffing this all day, but incredibly, the palate was even better. It had just about the best balance of any sherry I have ever had. Rich, complex, not lack of power or depth, yet crystal clear and almost dancingly alive in the way it leapt across the palate bearing beautiful white fruit flavours seasoned with hints of fig and more seabreezy, salty notes before the midpalate set in with sweet melon fruit, ripe lemons and just so much more going on that it was hard to take in. This wine had mind-blowing complexity spiked with that amazing energy and freshness - one would almost expect it to edgy and difficult at points, but no - this was all harmony and grace, a beauty of a wine. After all that, it was only fitting that the finish was suitably long as well, unfolding in wonderful layers of lime and lemon zest that just kept going on and on and on on the mouth. Wonderful stuff, and a superb pairing with roast suckling pig. Far and away the wine of the night for me, surpassing another great Amontillado and a brilliant Aldo Conterno Barolo.

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• 1995 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Coal River

  How unusual - my first Tasmanian Cabernet of any age and this, with some 16 years under its belt, was very good indeed. It had a lovely nose, full of lush, earthy, tobacco-ey tones wed to some roasted capsicum, plums and cassis and even a bit of cedar, a mix that got most of the table guessing left-bank. The palate was wonderfully drinkable. Silky smooth, velvety soft, with fresh acidity lapping against gentle dark-fruited tones, this was again seasoned with more tobacco-leaf and earth notes towards the finish. Not the deepest, longest or most complex, but boy it perfectly integrated and realy delicious. A very nice wine indeed - I enjoyed this tremendously.

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• 1999 Chateau Musar 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  Very good indeed. It is quite bemusing how this wine is almost always unplaceable in a blind-tasting, and it was quite unguessable on the night once again. No one got closer than to place it as coming from a Mediterranean climate. It certainly had an intriguing nose, with a dusting of dark plums and cassis, sweet berries, a waft of dried flowers, and then some funky earth and barnyardy scents. There was a bit of glycerol in there, but hardly enough to throw off the overall attractiveness of that nose. The palate was really nice as well. Here too there was a bit oif alcohol at the edges, but I loved the flavours beyond that - sweet cassis, dark berries, nicely melting across the mouth into a slightly earthy, slightly herby, tobacco-touched finish. Nicely balanced with a nice sense of purity in spite of the generous fruit, this was such a puzzle of a wine. It was perhaps just a bit thinned out and metallic at the very end, but otherwise this was a good bottle at a pretty nice place now. On the upside, I can only see it getting better with time. Good stuff.

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• 1981 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva 93 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Lovely. Decanted for just about half an hour, it was all this wine needed to show wonderfully. What a beautiful nose it had - all sweet berries and strawberries and raspberries, slightly dried, almost preserved-fruit, ringed by a halo of dried flowers and tossed with a gentle bit of spice, cigarette ash and earth. Gorgeous, complex stuff. I loved the palate too. Quite at peak, it showed wonderful balance with lovely fresh acidity that was nicely integrated with deliciously bright flavours of red cherries, strawberries and berries. On the mid-palate, the wine was again sprinkled with notes of dried earth, wood spice and cigarette ash, all melding with little bits of sweet American oak at the finish. Beautifully integrated, silky smooth and really delicious. I loved this.

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• 1993 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was absolutely at peak and really good - I picked it as an Aldo Conterno 1993 on second try, but it was so good that I thought it might have been a Cicalla or Colonello instead. An excellent nose here - classic aromas of rose petals and tar were accompanied by ripe red cherry and berry scents and an undertone of damp leaves, flowers and earth - just beautiful. The palate was absolutely singing as well. Not quite a soprano, it showed more of a sweet alto tone, with beautifully lush cherries, red berries and generous notes of black tea ringed with hints of smoke, spice and earth that lingered beautifully in a long, satisfyingly delicious finish. All this was wrapped in a beautifully integrated whole and framed by pitch perfect balance and silkily resolved tannins. A gorgeous wine, absolutely en pointe at this stage of its development.

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• NV Valdivia Bodegas Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Dulce 90 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

  Pretty good for its price. From a 500ml, this wine was almost dessert in itself. A sweet nose of raisins, nuts and molasses led into a similarly rich palate - sweet, thick, almost viscously so, with dark chocolate on the attack, caramel and an almond nut accents at the side. Yummy, pretty well-balanced, but exceedingly simple. May get better with time, at the moment, not a bad way to end the meal when served in little doses.

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