Wine Cellar Spain

A deep dive into Spain covering various wine regions

• 2006 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Blanco Organza 88 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A pleasant mid-bodied white wine with toast, nut and wood smoke, ripe citrus, and a firm, fresh acidity.
  Blend of 65% Viura, 30% Malvasia, and 5% Garnacha Blanc.

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• 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Cosecha »6 meses en barrica« 84 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A medium-deep ruby colour, exhibiting intriguing notes of iron nails, tin, strawberry, liquorice, with little nut.
  A soft and rich mouthfeel with medium intensity yet fairly simple fare. Relatively modern and clean styling, but the finish is slightly short.
  6 months in wood

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• 2004 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza 88 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A light to medium ruby colour. Noticeable perfume of coffee beans being roasted (torrefaction), hot coffee and spice, baked fruit, dried earth and dry wood notes. Rich and inviting on entry, there is a distinctive earthiness complete with a generous alcohol heat spike.
  Good depth to the mid-palate, this is a full-bodied wine with an open-knit texture, giving a pleasant creamy underbelly with some black fruits. The tannins are firm and well-structured, and the length is medium to long, allowing the flavours to linger.
  12 months in wood

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• 2003 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Cuvée Especial 88 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A light to medium ruby colour. A delightful perfume with liquorice, dark chocolate, wood smoke and red fruits. A rich entry with a noticeable presence of alcohol, giving that heat spike. The wine is smooth and silky on the palate with a fine and powdery texture, showing liquorice and chocolate with a distinct woody character that contributes to a firmer tannin. Good length, this is full-bodied and elegant with fruit depth. Would benefit from some additional aging time.
  Sierra Cantabria Cuvee (formerly Especial) - 14 months in wood

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• 2002 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva 87 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): Mid ruby in colour; initially a touch reductive, but moreover, an effusive Bing cherry is joined by strawberry and ripe sliced plums. Fantastic bouquet!
  Not much weight in the entry and more light to medium bodied; the wine displays cherry, spice and cherry cola notes with furry tannins and fresh acidity that give a glossy overall feel to its medium finish. Very approachable but 1-dimensional.
  18 months in wood

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• 2001 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Gran Reserva 89 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): Very different from the previous four wines, the bouquet is more earthy and nutty with a subtle barnyard character. Strawberry, fresh herbs and red cherry combine with Victoria plum and vanilla spices. The wine has a powdery texture and is relatively dense with a clay-like structure with earthy undertones. More old school in approach, the mid-palate has hints of tobacco leaf, spice and undergrowth, and the tannins build somewhat to feel rather brusque and disjointed on the finish. Still a step up from previous wines. 24 months in wood.

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• 2006 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla 90 Points

  Spain, Murcia, Jumilla

  (Tasted Blind): Mid to deep crimson colour. Pronounced cherry aromatics with hints of Kirsch and a touch of Honeybush tea. Ripe to overripe fruits, the palate is soft, expressive and easygoing. Flavours of sour cherry, baking spice and creme fraiche. Smooth tannins with a subtle nuttiness, oak and slight phenolic quality, suggesting a hint of oxidation. It is a dry wine with lively acidity and decent length.
  Blend of 85% Monastrell grapes sourced from 40-year-old vines grown at an altitude of 700m.

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• 2004 Atalayas de Golban Ribera del Duero 90 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  (Tasted Blind): A deep ruby colour. Noted farmyard and feral bouquet with iron oxide, torrefaction notes (coffee grounds) and minerals.
  Certainly distinct, the wine enters dry on the palate, showing a prominent mineral profile and powdery tannins that provide a firm structure. Underlying this is plenty of sweet fruit: liquorice, prune juice, tilled soil and saddle leather elements. Nicely balanced, it finishes long and is enjoyable.
  Made from 100% Tempranillo.

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• 2004 Abadia Retuerta Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Rívola 87 Points

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

  (Tasted Blind): A medium to deep ruby colour. Bright aromas of softened red berries, Bing cherry and herbal quality are present.
  Easy-drinking, open-fruited style with ripe red cherry, sliced Victoria plums and a meatiness atop with some herbes de Provence. Some complexity but relatively straightforward.
  Blend of 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

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• 2004 Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial Sardon de Duero 88 Points

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

  (Tasted Blind): Rather a light ruby, there is a prominent blackberry, blackcurrant and a lemony herbal note. Some in the group felt this and the previous wine had some greener elements, but I think this was more lemon leaf. This carried to the front palate with a citrusy lemon-like acidity with a firm, furry tannins yet balanced with a richer texture and thickness of blackcurrant, lightly spiced oak and marmite elements. Perhaps quite extracted, I think it worked to an extent with some delicate fennel fronds joining the fray, yet the finish was rather blunt, and the wine didn't open up in glass.
  Blend of 85 Tempranillo, 10 CS, 5 Merlot. 18 months matured in French oak.

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• 2005 Bodegas Victoria Cariñena Longus 88 Points

  Spain, Aragón, Cariñena

  (Tasted Blind): A deep, almost opaque colour with intense aromas of sour cherry, iron nails, and rose petals. Youthful and vibrant, oak is notable throughout, accompanied by wet earth or pottery clay on the palate. The wine has firm tannins and lively acidity towards a long finish, concluding with creamed honey and bright fruits. Excellant concentration, the torrefaltic nature and oak intrusion bordered on being excessive.
  Blend of 80 Tempranillo and 20 CS.

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• 2004 Señorío de San Vicente Tempranillo Rioja San Vicente 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): An intense nose showing masses of oak spices along with dried wood, liquorice, blueberry and cigar box. A richly, powerful entry, the wine is peppered with spices and wood extract, rather old-school style, with a noticeable presence of American oak. Full-bodied, the mid-palate is soft, smooth, and long. I enjoyed the liquorice and blueberry ice cream, with that subtle touch of rum and raisin that contributed to its complexity and a lively acidity pushed the wine along. However, the wood will need to settle. Fairly macho in gait!
  18-hectare vineyard and wine spent 20 months in 80% French oak."

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• 2004 Viñedos de Páganos Rioja El Puntido 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A medium to deep red colour. The nose is powerful and redolent in liquorice, dried leaf, tobacco, balsamic, toast and black fruits.
  A richly textured entry, the wine is modern with less American oak present. Supple mid-palate, the oak seems well-managed, with hints of caramel and spice poking through nicely. There are black cherry, cigar, melba toast and pencil lead flavours. Full-bodied, this is a mighty, sturdy wine with some complexity; even if it lacks elegance and delicacy, it works nicely with that super-ripe character. Perhaps on the edge of being somewhat heavy-handed profile. Long with integrated, densely woven filigree tannins.
  25-hectare vineyard planted in 1975 at 600 m asl in Rioja Alta. Only use French oak.

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• 2005 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero 94 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  (Tasted Blind): A deep garnet colour. An earthy-led bouquet with notes of wet clay, iron, rust and liquorice at first. Segue into more enticing aromatics of red flowers and plenty of red fruits that meet coffee grinds and a smear of vanilla.
  A richly textured entry with medium weight and a soft and silky texture. Pliant but densely constructed tannins integrated alcohol with a lively acidity. This class wine showcases red berries, blackberry, vanilla, and cloves with a perfume of forest flowers and some moist Christmas pudding as it extends to a long finish. Highly enjoyable!
  100% Tinto Fino grapes sourced from 100-year-old vines. Aged 100% in French oak.

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• 2005 Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro Ribera del Duero Montecastro y Llanahermosa 87 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  (Tasted Blind): Save for a waft of perfume, the bouquet is overripe with mulberries, earth and hot tar.
  Full-bodied and open-knit, this expansive and expressive wine enters with sweet fruit, almost excessively so, and prominent oak that gives a mid-palate medley of coconut, crushed blackberries and blackcurrant cordial. It manages a touch of lively acid, and whilst the tannins are fluffy cushions with width to carry the wine - sort of...I did not derive much joy from the wine; it was a bit psychedelic to be that appealing and certainly over the top in its flavour profile. An objective 87

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• 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Colección Privada 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  (Tasted Blind): A medium to deep ruby with intense aromas of red berry, dried fig, ripe banana, tobacco, and coconut.
  Overripe banana flavours dominate the palate, leading to soft, satiny tannins and mocha/coconut notes of Amercian oak influence. Full-bodied, this isn't anyways elegant but would be hugely enjoyable with a tomahawk steak. Closes with spice, cocoa powder and some cardamom. It is a somewhat brutish, in-your-face wine that I love when in the right mood!

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• 2005 Bodega Numanthia Toro Numanthia 93 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  (Tasted Blind): A deep to opaque red. Notes of mineral, liquorice, tilled soil and leather jacket mingle with a touch of spice. A deep, brooding entry with chewy tannins and noticeable alcohol. Plenty of fruit extract gives a tight frame that will benefit from a few years in a bottle. Elegant and with an extended finish. Made from Tinta de Toro grapes grown on limestone at an elevation of 700m.

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• 2005 Bodega Numanthia Toro Termanthia 95 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  (Tasted Blind): A deep, opaque red colour, the nose boasts pronounced notes of ripe red fruits, dried orange peel, joss sticks towards potpourri and liquorice bark. Incredibly dense and powerful, this is medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, weaving itself around the athletic frame to add freshness to a somewhat overripe style. There is some well-adjudged oak, giving a spicy as well as dried herb. It's not as over the top as expected; this has a good line and lingering finish.
  Sourced from 140-year-old vines, covering four hectares with a yield of less than one ton per hectare. The wine underwent maturation in 200% new oak.

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