Wine Article
2002 Abacela Tempranillo
Last edited on 12/11/2007 by Eric
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Winemaker's Tasting Notes: A remarkable geological fault line transects our estate. The contrast between soils derived from ancient mountains and those from youthful sea floor sediments could not be greater. Our 2003 Estate Tempranillo was constructed with select wine lots from both soil types and the blend is an intense, concentrated, full-bodied wine. Typical varietal characteristics of ripe blackberry and plum, mineral, cedar, and tobacco persist from the bold entry through the lengthy finish. (SOURCE:http://www.abacela.com/wine.html)
Enjoy over the next four to seven years with seared pork chop and chorizo-oregano gravy.
Source: Avalon NW Wine News, April 9/03 By Christina Kelly, Avalon Editor/Writer - “Spain’s Tempranillo Grape Offers More Dimensions”
Tasting Notes: …Wines produced by Abacela are anything but undistinguished…(with) multi-dimensional layers…“You might get a hint of violets in one taste, then something completely different a short time later. It evolves with the air.”
Earl Jones passion for Spanish wine began in the 1960s when he purchased his first bottle of red wine, a Rioja, for about 88-cents…Jones and his wife Hilda turned their passion into Abacela Winery, a 55-acre spread in the heart of the Umpqua Valley in Roseburg, OR. The couple produced the first Tempranillo in the Northwest in 1997 after planting vines in block sections in 1995. The results are impressive and surprising, given Earl’s method of selecting his vineyard. While many winemakers select soil as a major consideration for planting a vineyard, Jones studied the climate of areas in Spain producing Tempranillo, his favorite wine. His son, Greg, analyzed climate charts and information gathered from Rioja and Ribera de Duero.
“ What we learned was the soil in Rioja had clay soils with lots of iron,” Jones said. “About 120 miles south, in Ribera de Duero, the soil was chalky, like Champagne (France). In both places, winemakers said it was the soil that made the difference.
“Yet, we discovered the climate was very similar in both places,” he continued. “We decided to find a location that fit the climate, and we found it in Roseburg, Oregon. I went out on a limb betting on the climate, not the soil.” The risk paid off….(Tempranillo is) a purplish black blockbuster full of plum, cherry and black fruit notes. It is a gorgeous wine that should be cellared for a few years, or at least decanted four or more hours before serving.
Tempranillo is clearly Earl’s favorite wine. His hero is Alejandro Fernandez, a Spanish winemaker from Ribera del Duero who put the area on the map in the 1980s with fabulous reviews of his rich and powerful Pesquera wine. “I think the Spanish grape is the next varietal to be discovered by the American palate,” Earl said…Although Tempranillo has been produced for hundreds of years in Europe, Jones said it never caught on in the United States until recently. He said the less expensive Tempranillo was often over oaked and under flavored. The New World Tempranillos are less oaked and user friendly, he said…Abacela produces several Tempranillo wines, blended from estate lots and the reserve Tempranillo. The wine has a spicy nose with a slight earthiness in the mouth.
Enjoy over the next four to seven years with seared pork chop and chorizo-oregano gravy.
Source: Avalon NW Wine News, April 9/03 By Christina Kelly, Avalon Editor/Writer - “Spain’s Tempranillo Grape Offers More Dimensions”
Tasting Notes: …Wines produced by Abacela are anything but undistinguished…(with) multi-dimensional layers…“You might get a hint of violets in one taste, then something completely different a short time later. It evolves with the air.”
Earl Jones passion for Spanish wine began in the 1960s when he purchased his first bottle of red wine, a Rioja, for about 88-cents…Jones and his wife Hilda turned their passion into Abacela Winery, a 55-acre spread in the heart of the Umpqua Valley in Roseburg, OR. The couple produced the first Tempranillo in the Northwest in 1997 after planting vines in block sections in 1995. The results are impressive and surprising, given Earl’s method of selecting his vineyard. While many winemakers select soil as a major consideration for planting a vineyard, Jones studied the climate of areas in Spain producing Tempranillo, his favorite wine. His son, Greg, analyzed climate charts and information gathered from Rioja and Ribera de Duero.
“ What we learned was the soil in Rioja had clay soils with lots of iron,” Jones said. “About 120 miles south, in Ribera de Duero, the soil was chalky, like Champagne (France). In both places, winemakers said it was the soil that made the difference.
“Yet, we discovered the climate was very similar in both places,” he continued. “We decided to find a location that fit the climate, and we found it in Roseburg, Oregon. I went out on a limb betting on the climate, not the soil.” The risk paid off….(Tempranillo is) a purplish black blockbuster full of plum, cherry and black fruit notes. It is a gorgeous wine that should be cellared for a few years, or at least decanted four or more hours before serving.
Tempranillo is clearly Earl’s favorite wine. His hero is Alejandro Fernandez, a Spanish winemaker from Ribera del Duero who put the area on the map in the 1980s with fabulous reviews of his rich and powerful Pesquera wine. “I think the Spanish grape is the next varietal to be discovered by the American palate,” Earl said…Although Tempranillo has been produced for hundreds of years in Europe, Jones said it never caught on in the United States until recently. He said the less expensive Tempranillo was often over oaked and under flavored. The New World Tempranillos are less oaked and user friendly, he said…Abacela produces several Tempranillo wines, blended from estate lots and the reserve Tempranillo. The wine has a spicy nose with a slight earthiness in the mouth.