Spanish Tasting

Again I managed to luck out an invite to try some Spanish legends (at least on this side of the world thanks to various taxes). I brought along the Ygay 2001.

These were divided up into micro brackets but, for ease of presentation, I've just presented them in order of tasting here...Probably my faves were the Pintia Toro and the Rioja Alta 904 2007.

• 2014 Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Malleolus

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Concentrated black fruits, a little liquorice, it's a little meaty as well, earthy, baked, slightly dusty notes and a touch of reduction that blew off with agitation. Medium plus intensity acidity, densely concentrated, alcohol warmth, tightly tannic big. A tiny mid palate scoop. Not for me.

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• 2012 Bodegas Pintia Toro Pintia

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  Slight cream, cedar, vanilla, polished blue and blackberries, there is a baked earth quality as well as a little herbaceous note. Very slight jubey underpin which gets a little jammy with time. Pretty berried fruit tends to compote, cream, tannins are persistent, grainy and drying, alcohol warmth is present but doesn't intrude overtly...balanced and, well, rather lovely.

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• 2013 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Medium minus intensity aromas of black fruits, toast, biscuit, a very slight minty note, clay, this wine is also slightly reductive initially, slight alcohol warmth on the nose and plenty of oak, a little 'cola' note and a pretty floral top note with time. Juicy, big chewy tannins compete with concentrated black fruits and plentiful oak and do their best their best to close things down. Time required but shows promise in. big way. Alcohol warmth intrudes on the finish.

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• 2013 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera Crianza

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Baked black fruits married to minerals, a tiny struck match note, a touch of jubiness and red fruit lends freshness; raspberry and strawberry, slight vanilla and caramel underpin. Juicy, black and red fruits then some chalky tannins start to dry the palate, fruit carries beneath this. Simple but nice, time will soften the tannins and lend some tertiary characteristics but there is an inherent freshness here. Nice.

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• 2013 Dominio del Aguila Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva Penas Aladas

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Plenty of very polished oak initially, a touch of struck match, ripe but pretty blackberry, sweet spice, alcohol warmth and a smidge of sour red berries on the nose. Softly juicy berried fruits then plenty of persistent, drying silky textured tannins and a fair whack of alcohol. That oak is very present here as well from a flavour perspective. The fruit does persist with the alcohol - almost like blackberry compote with a like of vodka. I think I understand what they're trying to do - there is the basis of elegance here but all that alcohol and oak...perhaps it just needs time?

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• 2015 Dominio Pingus Ribera del Duero Flor de Pingus

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  A little lifted note on the nose - almost volatile - touch of farmyard funk, savoury, meaty, red over black fruits, sweet spice seems to have a little peppery underpin. Wetly juicy after the other two wines in this bracket, red and black fruits, integrated grainy tannins are persistent. Wetly enjoyable and less funky on the palate than on the nose.

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• 2014 Telmo Rodríguez Rioja Lanzaga

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Rich, ripe, dark fruits; black hued with a little blueberry underpin, polished, ripe, very fruit pure on the nose. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, gain ripe with alcohol warmth and silky tannings that are very much in the background, tugging at the palate. The purity of fruit on the nose is here on the palate as well but the alcohol lends a peppery hotness on the finish. Hmm.

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• 2001 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Slightly volatile and slightly oxidised compared to the previous bracket, strawberry fruit, a little vanilla and sweet spice, a touch of gaminess. Juicy, fleshy, wetly enjoyable, vanilla, strawberry and cherry is quite fruit sweet, tannins are leathery, slightly chalky and grainy grip on the mid palate, long. I find this charming.

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• 2004 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Gamey, funky, bit of wet cardboard, stinky, savoury, a little cherry and strawberry and cherry, alcohol and spice on the nose. Juicy, fleshy, strawberry, loads of tannins that are grainy, non-intrusive alcohol warmth, sweet spice. Defo flaw based on the nose but the palate, though a bit out of whack based on tastings from other bottles, is still not entirely flawed. Hmm. Perhaps the vessel it was decanted into was a bit dirty? Atypical at least.

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• 2005 Bodegas del Marqués de Vargas Rioja Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Meaty, blackberry, red fruits support this, sweet spice, savoury, a little baked earth and alcohol warmth. Juicy, spicy, alcohol heat, chalky tannins are drying, it's a little porty in fact. Spirituous. Not for me.

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• 2007 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Pretty, jubey, strawberry and blackberry, vanilla, cream, with time it becomes more earthy. In the mouth it's juicy and fleshy, rich and ripe, strawberry, vanilla, chalky tannins, alcohol warmth is present but not intrusive. Long, rather nice.

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• 2010 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Initially slightly reductive with meaty notes. With time and agitation it starts to show vanilla, strawberry with a touch of tobacco leaf underpin, quite 'savoury' compared to the 2007. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity but still fleshy, the fruit a little volatile on the palate, tannins are chalky , alcohol a little intrusive. Possibly needs a couple more years to come together as it shows better and better in the glass with time. I'm informed that this was decanted beforehand but not sure on the duration.

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• 2013 Daniel Gomez Jimenez Landi Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Las Iruelas El Tiemblo

  Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León

  Red berry, slightly herbaceous almost stalky notes, a little ash, earthy, spicy, a little cedar, the fruit gets more jubey with time. Sweet red berry fruit, plentiful chalky and slightly ashy tannins dry out the palate, long, warm, but still fresh, slightly medicinal with time.

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• 2009 Clos Mogador Priorat Manyetes

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Dense, black and red berry fruit, plenty of sweet spice, a little green herbaceousness, earthy notes, slight alcohol warmth. Medium plus intensity acidity, cherry, slight green tannins, a little vanilla, alcohol warmth, big, boisterous straying to a little porty, cream, slight vanilla. Beastly.

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• 2016 Descendientes de José Palacios Bierzo Corullon Moncerbal

  Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo

  medium minus gamey notes, funky, cherry, savoury, stony minerality. Juicy acidity, medium minus intensity chalky tannins, wetly juicy, fleshy, wild cherry, pleasingly refreshing after a lot of the wines tonight and arguably a little simple but this is rather charming.

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Hmm. This was an interesting tasting. A couple were nice, a couple were okay and a few were just downright overdone.