Mature, maturing and immature Rioja eve

Ulf and Maria S, Umeå, Sweden
Tasted Friday, June 14, 2013 by StefanAkiko with 652 views

Introduction

A fantastic evening where I prepared tofu with MYOUGA and tried to copy Namae-san's (* L'Effervesence in Tokyo) KABU with parsley emulsion. Ulf prepared three savory dishes from different parts of the Iberico Pig (cheek, side and front). Ulf also prepared a fantastic white fish dish with saffron sauce.

The flights were on the following themes:
MATURE: 60'ies and 70'ies.
WHITE: 90'ies and 2000'ies.
MATURING: 80'ies.
IMMATURE: Padawans from the 90'ies and forward. (No notes from those.)

Unfortunately, 2 of the wines earmarked for the mature flight were lost in translation, but we didn't suffer the least bit :-)

Flight 1 - Entré with cold cuts and Cava

Cold cuts, Manchego and a very fine Cava that I don't remember the name of together with a white Château Xara (Chard, Sb and Sem) marked the start of this event.

Flight 2 - MATURE Rioja and tofu with Myouga. (3 Notes)

The 1966 LdH had ossified precipitations and ample amounts of mould on top of the cork and even if we anticipated the worst, it came out very well. Just simply a fantastic wine. Silky tofu with myouga did well with this flight.

  • 1966 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 97 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Cork completely soaked however a pristine btl of wine recently acquired in Barcelona.
    Pure, clean, exciting, mature nose of otherworldly aromas.
    The palate shows off grandiose geriatric qualities carried well by clear, red fruits. Tastes included brett, lingon berries, earth, sumi ink and a very attractive mineral character that I've never come across before. Completely molten tannins and M+ acids. Structured like a great Burg. To die for! My WOTN, not enjoyed by all.

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  • 1973 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Glorioso Gran Reserva 88 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Completely soaked cork, wine still good to go.
    Basically an attractive nose with small porty/burned problem.
    This wine has a full body of great width, breadth and length. Tannins completely molten, acids M+. Nicely concentrated juice. Finish shows more of the porty/burned problem - doesn't disturb me so much, but several ppl around the table could not drink this. My guess is that a pristine bottle would be absolutely marvelous.
    Possible heat damage, but I rate it anyway, because I had no problems sipping my glass all the way to empty.

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  • 1998 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Ygay Gran Reserva Blanco 92 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Straw yellow wine with signature oxidized, industrial rubber and roasted oak nose. Not as outspoken as it was last time.
    Youthful Viura expression that is simply magical. The acids are M++ but still a tightly balanced wine. The small amount of intense tannins presented a refreshing counter-balancing act in the flight. Refinement, restraint and far from integrated roasted oak make up this lovely wine.
    Most loved this!
    Our last btl in ~2022 when it ought to have come together quite well.

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Flight 3 - WHITE Rioja and white fish (4 Notes)

The saffron sauce married the whites and especially the two Tondonias.

  • 2007 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Capellanía

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    The two Tondonias took my breath away and I found it hard to focus on this one.

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  • 1991 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Straw yellow, still an infant.
    Small nose for the genre, but delicious nevertheless.
    Fabulous concentration, restrained composition with a touch of saffron that married the white fish with saffron sauce. Rich, long taste that delivers a vast array of sensual tastes (See RJ's note below). Has a small glitch on the mid-palate that I'm sure time will heal.
    Need to get 2 btls of this for the long haul.

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  • 1998 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Yellow. Elegance in the nose and on the palate. Wet rocks with a lemon twist and towards garrigue. Oaked as expected and a great boost on the finish. Still very young. An old school tight white that is still very young and will live long and prosper.
    Want to get one for drinking ~2023.

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  • 2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia 87 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    First whiff reminded me of the over oaked Chards from the Californian days of yore. However, scrutinizing this wine, renders an image of a well balanced wine that suffers a tad bit from under-concentration. Viura's character shines through well, dragging its mineral character along with the waxy, rubbery aromas it often shows off. Also terpentine. Has a small burnt character on the finish that does not resonate well with my palate. Complexity level need be higher for this to qualify for fine dining, but still a more than decent wine with future potential.
    Maybe it suffered from the very tough competition of this flight?

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Flight 4 - MATURING Rioja (4 Notes)

Namae san's KABU dish with parsley emulsion was a huge success. The turnip shone on center stage!

Then Ulf's 3 different great takes on Iberico pork. Yabba-dabba-doo!

A pity we suffered two oxidized btls here, but no-one was crying. This was a more powerful flight and MdA together with FP proved to be much liked by (I think) all 13 ppl.

Some very young Rioja were opened with this dish, but I was not able to take notes.

  • 1983 Berberana Rioja Gran Reserva Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Not completely well kept, cork dried and shrunken, difficult to extract. Wine superbly oxidized and downright difficult to enjoy. Behind the cloaking, we could all get a glimpse of something still maturing and with a fabulous concentration.
    If you are sitting on well kept btls, you have fabulous wines to enjoy :-)

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  • 1985 Marqués de Arienzo Rioja Gran Reserva 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    My wine of the flight. Not completely well kept btl, but pristine nevertheless.
    A lofty mineral nose of proportion. Per os this is purity and power with M+ acids and distinct tannins. Red berries and a good long life ahead. Has lots going on.
    Highly recommended!

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  • 1989 Federico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Not completely well kept and cork bled through, but still pristine.
    Early adolescence.
    Typical Riojaesque nose plus a hint of liver paste.
    Pure, red berried Rioja GR with some tannin and a youthful structure based on its fruit.
    Has the future before it and if I had some btls I'd prefer them closer to 2030 than 2020.

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  • 1989 Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Not completely well kept throughout its life. Crumbled cork that was completely bled through on all sides.
    Very porty nose.
    Behind it all we found find fine concentration, great acids and omph. So I would not give up if I had some btls, but rather look forward to some great drinking experiences. This was tonight's most broken wine.

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Flight 5 - Coffee and Madeira (1 Note)

Extended aeration really opened up this Madeira well.

  • NV Cossart Gordon & Co. Madeira Malmsey 10 Years Old 91 Points

    Portugal, Madeira

    Was aerated thoroughlly for 24 hrs and slow-oxed over several days.
    Upon opening, this was a little bland raisns-and-figs Madeira with small expression of wet stones. Aeration brought forward a luxurious nutty character intertwined with caramel and spice. Fabulous acids on the palate make this sweet beauty dance with elegant steps. Light yet firm touch. Mature. Was liked by all.

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Closing

I love mature red wines and very much so the Rioja expression. This was a heavenly tasting and I really didn't mind the flawed bottles and instead focused on the great bottles, the fantastic food pairings and the inspirational discourse. Really looking forward to drinking with this gang the next time, possibly in September.

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