Terroir-istes International - Spain, Rioja White Wines (and a Rose)

Overgaauw Wine Estate
Tasted Monday, August 2, 2021 by rikipedia with 91 views

Flight 1 - Something different - White and Rose (2 Notes)

  • 2017 Ad Libitum (Juan Carlos Sancha) Tempranillo Blanco Rioja Blanco 88 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    (Tasted Blind) Light straw in colour with a slight petillance, the nose has aromas of hazelnut, bright lemon zest and some green apple. The palate is fresh, intense yet also creamy, suggesting some lees contact as no detectable oak. Hints of white pear, mango join the apple & sour lemon notes. Lovely dryness to this wine and the acid and saline notes gives a positive sharpness to the whole structure. Very refreshing!

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  • 2019 Compañía Bodeguera Valenciso Rioja Rosé 83 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Mid salmon pink to orange edges. Fairly punchy nose with squashed strawberry, cranberry, some candied peel and pomegranate. The palate shows a sweet, rich note like a honey glaze on a gammon, the alcohol feels spiky, and the wine feels a little turgid. It also felt a little more evolved than the 1-2 years it currently is. Flavours moved to candied strawberries, light caramel, almond slivers and yellow apple.

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Flight 2 - Two White Riojas (2 Notes)

  • 2019 Compañía Bodeguera Valenciso Rioja Blanco 89 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    (Tasted Blind) Penetrating aromas of toast, clementine, salted lemons, jasmine and a lick of vanilla. Brisk clean acidity with good depth of flavour showing white stone fruits, lemon peel, vanilla pod, saline and some spices. Lovely long length, this is a focused, modern wine with an underlying floral element and whilst the oak is quite prominent now should integrate over the next 2-3 years.

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  • 2016 Dominio de Berzal Rioja Rioja Blanco 84 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    (Tasted Blind) Aromas of fresh hay, quince jelly, brioche, grapefruit marmalade indicated a slightly more evolved wine that possibly had a hint of oxidation. The palate has a warming alcohol feel yet isn't that high (according to the label); there is a fresh, vibrant acidity and flavours of liquorice sticks, aniseed, celery salt, almond slivers. The finish has a grapefruit pith twang, yet the aftertaste has an oiliness. There is almost a southern Rhone broadness and power to the wine, yet it didn't appear to be showing as well as expected.

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Flight 3 - Tondonia Whites (4 Notes)

  • 2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Mid yellow to gold. Powerful resinous, toasted almonds, honeycomb, a furfurol, smoky caramel element, hints of elderflower all make up a captivating nose.
    Vibrant fresh acidity runs through the wine, broad in the mid-palate and a beautiful fleshy texture offset by a bone dry saline lemon-edged note. Notes of floral honey, green apple and a sappy note define the mid-palate; there is fair concentration and a real grippiness to the finish. Complex and great value!

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  • 1999 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 92 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Mid gold with bronze edge. Deep, penetrating aromas with salted hazelnuts, lanolin, lemon pith, sea salt and wax. A rich, elegant wine on the palate with a razor-edged acidity, loads of complexity and a lengthy finish.
    Flavours of butter and caramel mix with button mushroom, salted nuts, dried fruits and a mineral edge. Again, chewiness on the back palate and a hint of volatility add to an intriguing and penetrating wine.

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  • 1996 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Deep golden-bronze; Aromas of salted hazelnuts, resin, sour lemon and slightly dried Forelle pear. Very fresh notes. Tremendous depth of flavour, with plenty of complexity and punch. The acid feels quite malic, eye-watering but for me works well, adding the bone dry edge and cut of a wine aged for six years in barrel and has a slightly oxidative element underneath. There is a definite sweet-sour note with brioche, lemon and hazelnut flavours that wrap up a long and winding finish. Cracker of a wine!

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  • 1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 95 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Mid gold with a bronze rim. Lifted aromas of curry leaves, brioche, lanolin, and salted lemon give the wine an intense, complex, and savoury feel.
    The palate echos the nose with plenty of flavour depth yet is fleet-footed with a biting edge of acidity, flavour complexity, and incredible, persistent length. Old oak nuance (damp wood perhaps), some button mushroom, waxy, more lemon, grapefruit even this is a precise wine, dry as a bone, and still remarkably youthful.

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