España Tasting

Wine Exchange. Orange, CA
Tasted Saturday, August 22, 2009 by djdaqm with 675 views

Flight 1 - Vinos Blancos y Rosado (5 Notes)

Flight 2 - Mezcla Tintos (3 Notes)

Flight 3 - Priorato (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Bodega Los 800 Priorat 89 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    Medium purple/red color. Medicinal / alcohol smell that reminds me of a hospital. Some beef on the nose too. Fine tannins with some nice acidity. Length around 20 secs. Good concentration. Gets better as you taste more.

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  • 2005 Celler Burgos-Porta Priorat Mas Sinén Negre 91 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    Dark purple and very leggy. Smells of alcohol, beef and wood. Interesting grape smell (Jolly Rancher hard candy). Concentrated with big tannins. Needs time to integrate. Complex and powerful. Length of 25+ secs. Nice oak.

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Flight 4 - Ribera del Duero y Toro (3 Notes)

  • 2006 Creta Ribera del Duero 89 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Purple/red color. Warm spicy oak and fruit on the nose. Smells of stewed plums. A bit thin on the palate despite nice fruit concentration. Big tannins. Lacks complexity and length. Not much at the end. Not bad QPR.

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  • 2004 Pago de los Capellanes Ribera del Duero Reserva 92 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Purple/red color. Concentrated rich smell and very "juicy" with a nice balance between fruit and oak. Good concentration on the palate. Medium tannins with a touch of bitterness on the end. Length of about 25 secs.

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  • 2006 Bodegas Pintia Toro Pintia 91 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

    Dark purple. Come cofee on the nose. Very mellow on the front palate and slowly builds as tannins come forward. Tastes include dark berries, chocolate and coffee. Interesting profile--very strong tannins, but a bit weak in fruit concentration.

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Flight 5 - Rioja (Old School) (3 Notes)

  • 2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Crianza Viña Cubillo 88 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Ruby/orange cast. Beef and red fruits on the nose. Piercing singular note of sour cherry flavor with lots of acid up front and aged wood on the mid-palate. Reminds me a bit of a barolo. Mellow mouth feel with very little tannins. Thin and glassy, and probably won't improve with age. It tastes older than what it is. It should be a good complement to a meal though. This is classic Rioja, and this current release (2003 in 2009) gets points for being interesting (especially for $20) if not particularly satisfying.

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  • 2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia 90 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Translucent ruby/orange color. Lots of aged wood on the nose. Not as thin as the previous wine (Heredia Vina Cubillo Crianza 2003)--more extracted. Tastes a little like pickled fruits with some woodiness. Would be very complementary to a meal. Good length, finesse and classic old-world Rioja style. Could use a little more punch and extraction, but for $30 it seems like a good QPR if you want to learn about this region. (This is the current release--2001 in 2009).

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  • 1999 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Translucent ruby/orange color. Dark, rich smells of licorice and old wood. Good nose concentration. Nice acidity and medium tannins (could continue to age for at least 5+ years). Not very strong fruits. Refined and delicate flavor, yet tough woodiness. Length of 20+ secs. Could use more concentration and complexity. This is the current release (1999 in 2009).

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Flight 6 - Vino Dulce (1 Note)

  • NV Emilio Lustau Pedro Ximénez "Murillo" - Centenary Selection 92 Points

    Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

    Looks like motor oil. Smells of prune juice. Sweet and unctuous but not syrupy. Wonderful complexity and evolution in the mouth from raisin up front to roasted nuts. Great with roasted salty almonds served at the tasting. Length of about 25 seconds. Would go well with a dessert I had in Barcelona of warm chocolate, olive oil and salt.

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