Some Spanish Wines on a Saturday afternoon (Some very old ones)

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Tasted Sunday, September 14, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 556 views

Introduction

Yesterday afternoon, a bunch of us met up in the back room to enjoy some wines. Jeff K chose the theme of the day as Spain. It turned out his birthday is today and he was celebrating with come special bottles he had in the cellar. The wines were mostly drunk blind over the course of a couple hours with various cheeses and breads.

Flight 1 - A White Bubbly to start the party (1 Note)

Flight 2 - The Spanish Reds (8 Notes)

  • 2011 Torremoron Ribera del Duero 89 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Interesting wine. Purple in color. Black cherries, black pepper and blueberries on the nose. Full bodied. Slightly jammy. Nice acidity though. Slight bitter note on the finish. Clean wine. Very tasty wine.

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  • 2004 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Always a favorite of mine. This wine is in a good place right now. Certainly with life left before declining. Dark cherries, slight black olives, a bit of vanilla and a bit of dill. Nice texture. Medium tannins. Good cherry fruit. Layers of complexity. Nice finish.

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  • 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 92 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Very nice. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has dusty cherries with slight vanilla. A bit of red licorice but also a bit of mint. Lovely texture. Slight tannins. Showing nice layering of fruit and forest floor. Nice balance. Dirking great right now.

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  • 2011 Bodegas Breca Garnacha Breca 88 Points

    Spain, Aragón, Calatayud

    Purple in color. Not a lot on the nose, but some boysenberry and slight pencil shavings. Slightly jammy to drink but very pleasurable. Smooth. Cherries and black licorice. Easy and uncomplicated but enjoyable.

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  • 2009 Bodegas Muga Rioja Selección Especial 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Still quite young, I am sure this improves with time. Purple, slightly inky in color. Black cherries and black raspberries on the nose. Vanilla as well, but its tight. Juicy acidity and great texture make me believe there will be better days for this wine. Right now it is quite tight. Still, there is enough fruit and great texture to make this very enjoyable today.

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  • 2000 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero P.S. 94 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Bought on release, I have always found these quite over oaked. At 14 years from vintage, much of the oak has integrated, not all, and there is still plenty of fruit. Dark cherries, cigar, slight bell pepper. Getting to be more Bordeaux-like IMO. Very smooth and complex. Layers of cherries, dark cherries, earthy with some damp forest floor notes. Nice balance. No hurry on this, but getting near peak.

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  • 2004 Bodega Numanthia Toro Numanthia 92 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

    Great wine, but also a wine that seems to ageing quite slowly. Lots of fruit and lots of oak and not integrating yet. My first sip was quite hot despite a 2 hour decant before serving. With air and time in the glass, the heat disappears. This has jammy black cherries, cedar, vanilla, slight floral notes on the nose. On the palate, jammy black cherry fruit, and oak notes. It would be a love or hate wine right now I think, but check back in 5 or ten years.

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  • 2003 Ardévol Priorat terra d'hom 90 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    A late arrival to the party. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has plums, dark cherries, some black licorice. Seems mature and probably at peak. Fresh and dried fruits on the palate. Some depth. Very smooth and easy to drink. A bit of oak still showing. To be fair, my palate was a bit shot by now though.

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Flight 3 - The older wine (3 Notes)

Jeff brought these from his cellar.

  • 1983 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    This bottle was still drinkable but way past prime. The nose is really nice but not for this wine. Snickers bar with some raisins. Blind, I would have guessed Madeira although I am sure its been well cellared. There are some cherries on the palate still. Also some heat. Too bad, but that's ok, it was fun.

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  • 1975 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera Reserva

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    In contrast to the 83, this was still drinking well. I suppose if I rated it, I might go to 90. The nose has tea and dried cherries. More alive on the palate with cherry juice and dried cherries. Nice acidity. Still quite drinkable if maybe past prime.

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  • 1959 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    This was opened and decanted for sediment and served. Jeff K brought it for his birthday celebration. Drinking quite well and not really showing 50+ years of age. Drinking like a 10 to 15 year old Rioja. I believe Jeff said he bought it in the late 1980's. The nose has cherries, slight dried herb notes, a bit of an old wood note; very pretty. Great acidity without being out of whack. Cherries, cherry juice layered on the palate with earthy notes. Long finish. Happy Birthday Jeff and thank you for quite a treat!

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Closing

Thanks to all. A Happy Birthday to Jeff K and a big thank you!

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