Tia Pol
Tasted Wednesday, February 25, 2009 by BradKNYC with 695 views
This past Wednesday night, a motley group of Rioja-ophiles got together at Tia Pol for an evening of old Rioja. In attendance were Joe Dougherty, John Gilman, Greg dal Piaz, Carlos Hubner-Arteta, Manuel Camblor, Jay Miller, Christine Huang, Jayson Cohen and your humble scribe. I’d recently found a good source for some oldies, but goodies and wanted to try some out with friends that I know love the stuff. The last time we got together for some old Rioja, this past May/June, it unfortunately turned into a night of horrors as maybe half to two thirds of the wines showed poorly, but that sometimes happens with old bottles. This night would be different and very special as most of the wines were clicking as was the food and service at Tia Pol. The only lament is that wines like these, with a couple of notable producer exceptions, really aren’t being made anymore.
Next up was a fascinating mini-vertical of some of Contino’s earliest wines. Perhaps the first “modernist” winery in Rioja, the texture was certainly different than that of the other wines and they perhaps weren’t as complex as the more traditional wines, but they were a lot of fun to drink. Indeed, one of them was my wine of the night.
1964 Gonzalez-Byass Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Oloroso Vintage
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Well, for some reason we started with this rare Sherry. Pretty powerful stuff that should’ve been saved for the cheese course, but Jay was so eager to try it. I’m normally not much of a fan of dry Sherry or anything else made in an oxidative style, but this was pretty special. Loads of VA, so those that are VA averse should avoid, but there’s also delectable toasted hazelnut and almond notes, dry honey and fruitcake flavors and aromas with a touch of herbalness and maybe some old barrel. What I think made this enjoyable for me was the richness the wine showed as well as the extraordinary depth of flavor. The acidity, while there, was not too overstated. This made me want to curl up in a leather chair. The best non-sweet Sherry I’ve had. A-.
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1976 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
What’s going on here? I’m liking dry Sherry and now a white Rioja? I normally don’t like white Rioja for the same reason I don’t like Sherry, I find them too oxidative, plus I really don’t like oak in my white wines. However, this is by far the freshest bottle of this wine that I’ve had in about 4-5 tries. Normally the butterscotch, high acidy and oxidative notes kill this wine for me, but there wasn’t any of that in this bottle, perhaps with the exception of the oak, but it was well integrated. Vibrant and clean with light coconut and lemon curd flavors and aromas. With some air, and it should be mentioned this wine spent some time in a decanter, it took on beautiful Ranier cherry flavors and aromas. Vibrant acidity. Lovely. A-.
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1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Showing as it should. There’s red cherry, cranberry, earth, tea and leather flavors and aromas. Still showing youthfully, with red cherry dominating the palate and some leather creeping in. Crisp and lithe. No harm to drink now, but it is still on the young side. Solid A-.
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