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JancisRobinson.com

Garagiste

  • By Jon Rimmerman
    2/24/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

    (GRACIANO Vina Zorzal) $9.99 Dear Friends, In the race to uncover the best and brightest new entrants, this wine has been very high on my list and we finally have an allocation. If you remember my rant over Spanish wine last week, here's an example of the bright side of Iberia. If today's Cabernet was for the domestic enthusiasts, tonight's offer is for the Europhiles among us and for those that thirst for something new (at a bargain price of course). If you consider yourself an afficionado in the $10 wine tug-of-war (a mine field that can be very difficult to navigate), this wine is not only in the running for the podium but it has gold medal aspirations that are well within reach (the wine already won the Gold Medal at the IWC last year so I'm a little behind the times). From the north of Spain, this is the bastion of Graciano and they are very proud of it. A Navarra staple (grown within a stone's throw of Rioja - one of the keys to this wine's quality), Graciano is mostly unknown in the US but Vina Zorzal has a chance to change that. When treated to the correct climate and soil structure, Graciano delivers wine with a full and deep red fruit character but the desirable yin-yang of low alcohol (much like a Loire red or an old-school Cotes du Rhone vinified in cement). It has a gorgeous fruit essence on the nose and a velvety quality on the palate (similar to Lacrima di Morro d'Alba) without any real need for oak to tame or flavor it (the wine we offer below, the 2007 Vina Zorzal, sees only a small amount of wood and 75-80% of the fruit is vinified in tank). If Parker swooned over today's 2007 The Sum offer, tonight it's Jancis Robinson's turn. Like this morning's offer, this is the most enthused I've ever seen Jancis over a wine like this. She is a very difficult scorer and tends toward the terroir-focused and precise so anything in the 16.5-17.5 range (out of 20.0) is considered an excellent review from her - especially for a $10 wine. She places the most importance on the verbiage in her reviews and this one is certainly enticing: Jancis Robinson (Dec 15th/2009): "Vi_a Zorzal Graciano 2007, Navarra - Wonderfully heady with powerful mulberry scents and juicy fruit. Great impact! Then vibrant and lively. Real lift. Precise and surely no oak but pure fruit. Amazing length. Nice label too. 16.5 Drink 2009-12" Not sure what I can add to that except I was just as excited as she was and that's why we've gone to great lengths to secure an allocation of what will surely be a highly sought after wine (once the Zorzal finds its way into more mouths in North America). For now, it remains $9.99 - a price that will surely go the way of the Dodo bird. A wine of real and vibrant character, Vina Zorzal's Graciano is a discovery that many of you will place among your most noteworthy of the year. For more information on this wine, please see Jancis' article, http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a200912142.html VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for honest reflection of site place, vintage and varietal at a laughable tariff. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY of the 2007 directly from the winery cellar: 2007 Vi_a Zorzal Graciano (Navarra) (this wine is not imported to the US) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Spain2378

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