2005 Bodegas y Viñedos del Jalón Calatayud Las Pizarras

• By Josh Raynolds
  July/August 2008, IWC Issue #139, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Bodegas y Vinedos Jalon Las Pizarras del Jalon Garnacha Vinas Viejas Calatayud) Login and sign up and see review text.

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• Featured Monthly Tasting - February 2008, 2/1/2008, (See more on i-WineReview.com...)

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Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/19/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (LAS PIZARRAS) Pizarras Dear Friends, The Spanish wine market (in general) has been knocked down significantly over the last few years and high-end/costly wines are floundering. The US consumer has said "no mas" to $30-60 Spanish wine masquerading as Australian Shiraz and flagship cuvees, once produced with the highest of intentions, are sitting...and sitting. This is a conundrum for the wine community. While it's easy to pigeon-hole Spain as a country with one wine style, that narrow-minded perception (built up over the last decade by exporters chasing numbers instead of quality) must be erased. There are fabulous, delicate and complex examples from a variety of regions in Spain (north and south) but many of them stay in Europe or within Spain. By contrast, the US market has swelled over the last decade with a single type of Spanish wine that does not necessarily represent the truth - one of over-priced/over-oaked red wine (with little soul) that could have come from anywhere. The unfortunate perception by the US consumer of the entire Spanish wine industry is one that thinks of black as night extract/alcohol, wood flavors and label graphics first - not of the intrinsic beauty of the wine (while I rarely endorse importers/exporters, the Spanish market has become so difficult to navigate that it's become necessary to follow certain names on the back label to insure you are receiving a wine that is reflective and honest - as a start, look for anything from Classical Wines or from Thomas Calder, who has recently taken his terroir-focused French approach to Iberia with great success. Today's offer is from neither party but you are assured something of high quality if you are out shopping in the future and you come across their labels). ...back to our dilemma... Circa 2010, Spain seems to have three distinct factions - those that use the sledgehammer/Numanthia approach as a blueprint, those that lean toward a traditional approach (Tondonia, Vega Sicilia, etc) and those from emerging regions like Ribiera Sacra or the Basque countryside that yearn for a more northern palate presence akin to Cote Rotie. So, where does that leave today's offer? Somewhere in the middle - which is perfectly acceptable to me and a direction I feel is the future of the Spanish wine industry. In my mind, some of the finest wine in Spain relishes its southern climate and natural surroundings with a deep-toned and full flavored wine (naturally) that retains its acidity and does not disparage the terroir or varietals with massive oak and manipulation. In other words, it is possible (and highly desirable) to produce a hybrid of all three factions mentioned above - today's wine comes close. From one of the more unknown regions of Europe (Calatayud), the lunar-landscape of this region is dotted with old-vine Grenache tuffits that grow close to the ground, not toward the sky as is typically the case with grape vines. Situated between Madrid and Barcelona, Calatayud has produced many memorable wines over the years (the Estecillo among them) and the Las Pizarras is certainly among that group. For a region closely associated with lower prices and high quality, the $30-40 tariff of the Las Pizarras has always been perplexing but the wine has never been in question. This mouthful of deep red fruit has more in common with the Southern Rhone than Numanthia and its attempt to straddle all three of the wine styles mentioned above sets it apart (extract, tradition, terroir/acidity). Here, the taster finds heady floral aromatics and a swirling profile of citrus, fresh tobacco, cardamom and marjoram. The palate is rich and intriguing with the round sap of Grenache providing the way but the incense and resin of Calatayud make their presence known and ultimately define the wine. Initially somewhat closed, give this example 30-60 minutes of air contact and watch it eclipse many 2007 Southern Rhones at twice the price: While I'm not prepared to say this is the second coming of Breton or an eccentric Loire example, that is not the point. Spain should have its own definition and charisma and the Las Pizarras is an interesting example to study - maybe the future is now? ...I almost forgot...instead of $30-40, it's much less for this shipment only - certainly an enticement. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for exceptional price/value and for its display of a character that is distinctly Spanish. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price with impeccable provenance: 2005 Bodegas y Vi_edos del Jalùn "Las Pizarras" (Calatayud) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Spain8929