Seattle Tasting Group does Spanish wines

Tonight the self-proclaimed Seattle Tasting Group organized at Brasa in BellTown to sample a delicious prix fixe menu and a series of Spanish wines. In nearly two years of tasting together we had never tried Spanish wines, so I was rather excited about the theme (as I have personally taken a great interest in the Priorat over the past six months). In the end, it was an interesting tasting although somewhat more inconsistent lineup than I would have hoped for.

With grilled octopus, olive-oil poached potatoes, grapefruit and tarragon we started with a traditional Spanish white. The wine probably would have been better suited to shellfish, but nonetheless it was satisfying and cleansing with the food.

• 2003 Lagar de Cervera Albariño Rías Baixas 84 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas

  At first the nose explodes with melon but with time mineral and almond come forward. When the wine was heavily chilled the palate was bone dry, but as it warmed it took on a fairly rich and oily texture with very bright acidity. The finish is clean and somewhat short. This is pleasant but not terribly complex.

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We sipped these wines with two courses: (1) veal sweetbread and chanterelle pot pie and (2) skate wing, olives, tomatoes and capers.

• 1994 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja Reserva 85 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  At first the nose was extremely hot with lots of horse. On the palate this was dense, tannic, and somewhat black yet always monolithic and not very well defined. The finish is leathery and dry, somewhat searing. All in all, I found this to be tight and somewhat unforgiving.

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• 1995 Bodegas Muga Rioja Torre Muga 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Wow, at first this seemed to scream of Garnacha with leather, earth and mineral. The mid palate is dry with an herbal presence. The finish is long and leathery, very powerful, gaining intensity in the mouth. With time this seems to get more horsey and leathery, seeming less like Grenache and more like Tempranillo. Very nice!

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• 1994 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 86 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  The nose shows loads and loads of volatile acidity with latex and cherry dominating over time. The palate is bright with lots of cherry and vibrant acidity. The finish is tart and fairly tight. Somewhat Pinot like.

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This next flight was right at home with a heavenly dish of ricotta gnocchi, braised duck and shaved reggiano. Oh what great duck!

• 2000 Artazu Navarra Santa Cruz de Artazu 89 Points

  Spain, Navarra

  The first bottle opened was badly corked, but fortunately JasonD was carrying a spare which he quickly opened. The dense nose shows raspberry, chambord and flowers. Holy crap, the palate is high octane with huge alcohol yet vibracy and intensity. This shows a bit too much heat, but it has nice structure and carries it pretty well.

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• 2001 Bodegas San Alejandro Garnacha Calatayud Las Rocas Viñas Viejas Flawed

  Spain, Aragón, Calatayud

  Corked. The nose didn't show it, but the palate had a bitter chlorine finish that tasted like sour pool-water.

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• 1999 Artadi Rioja Pagos Viejos 86 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  The nose is spicy with dill and caramel. Wow, the palate is cedary with tons of spice, heavily wooded, way too much for the fruit at hand. I didn't enjoy this terribly although others seemed to like it.

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We finished up with the best flight enjoyed with tamarind braised pig cheek in tagine. The last two wines really stole the show and finished the evening off very well.

• 2002 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses 84 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  This smells clumsy with lots of wood and a reductive character. The palate has intense spice with huge wood treatment, toasty and intense. Despite that, it actually carries the wood pretty well at first, but with time some searing alcohol starts to come out.

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• 1996 Abadia Retuerta Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Cuvée El Campanario 93 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León

  Wow, what a unique nose! At first I have having trouble placing it with seeming notes of pomegranate and mint, but then Roy mentioned olive and it was suddenly obvious. The palate screamed of pine resin at first, somewhat tart and a little unforgiving. Then it took on an Amarone-esque quality, slightly bitter and very intriguing. Notes of coffee start to come out on the finish. This gets better and better with air with impeccable balance and excellent acidity. An excellent wine!

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• 2001 Rotllan Torra Priorat Tirant 96 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  This was my WOTN (which is always a little cheesy when it is your own wine). The nose explodes from the glass with that funky, earthy, animalistic, mineral-laden personality which I have come to associate with the more interesting wines from the Priorat. With time notes of chocolate and raspberry gain increasing intensity on the nose. The palate shows huge structure at first, chunky and powerful, almost a kick in the teeth. OMG, what a brute this wine is! The palate is deeply layered, moving from sweet to animal to mineral, very interesting and complex. However, I was very surprised at how much this smoothed out and integrated with air, showing impeccable balance and depth. The unreal structure was there, and you could feel it on the huge finish, but it was easily matched by the vibrant fruit. Wow, what a great showing for a terrific wine!

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Finally, with a couple of dessert wines we enjoyed a nice cheese course and some fantastic and intense chocolate truffles.

• NV V. Sattui Winery Madeira 90 Points

  USA, California

  Wow, what a fantastic domestic dessert wine! This 'Madeira' is a 100 year old Solera. Cloudy and amber colored in the glass. The nose shows chocolate, balsamic and hints of onion. The palate is nice and very well integrated, showing no excessive VA and easily holding up to the 19% alcohol. I am very impressed!

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• NV Bodegas Gomara Pedro Ximénez Málaga 80 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Málaga

  Watery brown in color. The nose shows coffee, nuts and some maple syrup. The palate however is a bit thin and lacking intensity.

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Thanks to Dave Browning for organizing a very fun evening!