'03-'04 Spanish Reds Blindtasted

Introductory comments by tasting organizer Ross Bott:
Over the past couple decades, there have been dramatic changes in the wine scene in many parts of the world, with new regions (New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, South Africa) coming to prominence, others moving in new directions (e.g., California towards Rhone varietals), and traditional areas (France, Italy and Germany) facing the advantages as well as challenges of global warming on their winemaking styles.

However, perhaps the region of the world where the most exciting wine revolution is happening is in Spain. There are several reasons for this very rapid rise to prominence:

(1) Other than some Riojas and a few Ribera del Dueros and Priorats, Spain was until recently largely ignored as a source of great wines. And given that the most Spanish wines were oxidized, dilute and uninteresting, the lack of recognition was largely deserved.

(2) At the same time, Spain has had thousands of hectares of wonderful old vine vineyards planted with Garnacha (Grenache), Tempranillo, Monastrell (Mourvedre) and local varietals such as Mando. Many of these vineyards were overcropped or left in languishing in disrepair.

(3) With the economic unification of Europe in the late 1980s, Spain was a particular beneficiary. It was an underperforming economy with relatively low wages, and investment money poured into the country.

(4) One of the early targets of these investments was the wine industry. Vineyards were revitalized and state-of-the-art equipment was added to the wineries. With sufficient capital, the need to produce cheap wine in volume went away, and wineries could focus on taking advantage of low yield grapes from wonderful old vineyards to produce great wines.

(5) The same Spanish creativity which has launched Spain to the cutting edge of new cuisines and made them leaders in architecture was applied to wine. The results have been remarkable, and the lack of traditional ways of doing things has led to unusual grape blends and innovative wines across the country. (As an aside, this same creativity has been applied to Spanish wine labels, some of which are the most strikingly beautiful in the world.)

As we enter into the new millenium, the Spanish wine revolution is in full swing. There is almost an overwhelming number of fine new wines to try from Spain, and myriads of microclimates to explore, from Tarragona and Penedes in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean to La Mancha and Jumilla in the south, to Ribera del Duero and Rioja in the northern plains, to Bierzo and Galicia near the Atlantic seacoast in the west. Tonight is just a start; we'll be having many more Spanish tastings coming up.

The theme tonight is a comparative look at the effect of vintage climate on Spanish reds. The 2003 vintage was one of the hottest on record (you may recall that this was the summer where heat led to 5000 deaths in France, and where Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone produced very ripe, California-like wines). The heat was felt in Spain as well, and wines from many Spanish regions were rich, ripe and massive. On the other hand, 2004 was a much more classic vintage for them. Unlike France, where 2004 was mixed, Spain and Italy produced great wines in 2004 almost uniformly across their countries. In Spain, the wines were ripe and concentrated, but having the structure and acid to balance, and promising a long future.

Tonight we'll try four top examples from each of the 2003 and 2004 vintages, sampling across some of the traditional as well as the great new upcoming regions across Spain.

• 2004 Bodegas Luzon Jumilla Altos de Luzón 91 Points

  Spain, Murcia, Jumilla

  Group's #1 (my #3) – 19 pts; 2 firsts, 3 seconds, 2 thirds, 0 last places – medium dark red violet color; narrow berry, pepper and VA nose; sweet liquid pepper, tart plum and black fruit palate; medium finish

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• 2004 Finca Sandoval Manchuela 90 Points

  Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Manchuela

  Group's #2 (my #4) – 21 pts.; 2, 2, 1, 0 – dark red violet color; herbal, floral, berries and red fruit nose; major pepper, talicherry, smoky palate; medium finish 90+ pts. (83% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, 8% Bobal)

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• 2003 Celler del Roure Valencia Maduresa 93 Points

  Spain, Valencia

  Group's #3 (my #1) – 24 pts.; 2, 0, 4, 0 – medium dark red violet color; light pepper and smoke nose; tasty, like a plush Right Bank Bordeaux, with depth and complexity, dried black fruit, sweet and elegant black fruit, herbs, pepper and tart blackberry palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.

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• 2003 Mas Doix Priorat Salanques 93 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Group's #4 (my #2) – 34 pts.; 1, 2, 0, 0 – dark cherry red color; deep black fruit, berry, blueberry and bittersweet chocolate nose; nice, focused, berry, boysenberry, cassis palate with good structure; medium finish

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• 2004 Bodegas Olivares Jumilla Panarroz 87 Points

  Spain, Murcia, Jumilla

  Group's #5 (my #5) – 41 pts.; 0, 0, 1, 1 - medium dark red violet color; savory, oregano, smoky nose; oregano, tart herbed meat jus palate; short-medium finish

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• 2003 Celler del Roure Valencia Les Alcusses 86 Points

  Spain, Valencia

  Group's #6 (my #6) – 42 pts.; 0, 1, 0, 0 – medium dark red violet color; savory, dried beef, smoky beef ribs and white pepper nose; tight, firm, tart tannins, smoke and high acidity; short-medium finish

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• 2004 Montebuena Rioja 83 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Group's #7 (my #7) – 53 pts.; 0, 0, 0, 3 - medium red violet color; VA, liquid pepper and dried black fruit nose; soft, tangy, tart and thin meat jus palate with a sense of pepper; short-medium finish

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• 2004 Bodegas Castaño Monastrell Yecla Hécula Flawed

  Spain, Murcia, Yecla

  Group's #8 (my #8) – 54 pts.; 1, 0, 0, 4 – medium dark red violet color; herbal, minty, slight TCA nose; TCA on palate and herbal; short-medium finish

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