Exploring Navarra, Part 3/3
Pamplona, Spain
Tasted September 20, 2011 by subtlet with 800 views
Introduction
Day 3 began with a very early start, due to a sizable drive out to Bodegas Nuestra Señora del Romero in Cascante.
Flight 1 - Bodegas Nuestra Señora del Romero (4 notes)
This is located in the Ribera Baja zone of Navarra, which is the Southernmost zone of the D.O. We arrived to see a tractor hauling a trailer full of grapes onto the scale. Harvest here was in full swing.
We learned that this was a co-op, and that many local farmers, big and small, would bring grapes here during harvest. The facility was impressive, both due to its substantial history and its size. Apparently, people have found evidence of wine making in the immediate area dating back to the first century B.C.!
http://www.bodegasdelromero.com/antiguedad/
They had a cool wall of old wines, some of which didn't even have dates printed on the bottles.
They also had a painting contest every year, and a selection of the winners were displayed in the same room as the older wines. Some of them were fairly serious, but this recent winner certainly wasn't!
The Spanish restrictions on aging for Crianza, Riserva, and Gran Riserva wines require that wineries be able to store their wine for a good length of time. Their barrel and bottle cellars were sizable and an interesting sight to see.
We tasted through a small lineup, and I was really struck by the price points they were hitting. Enjoyable wine at sub $10 is no trivial accomplishment, and I was pleased to find the Rose to be my favorite at this price point. The Reserva Viña Parot also delivers good complexity on a big red for under $20.
Rosé
2010 Bodegas del Romero Navarra Malón de Echaide Rosado
Spain, Navarra
This wine was tasted at room temp. I'm pretty confident that being chilled a bit would bring it up a point or two for my palate. As it stands, it's still a pretty nice rose for the estimated $6 American retail price. Strawberries and some earth show on the nose along with a funky animal note that keeps things interesting. The strawberries deliver well on the palate, while some light flower flavors show as well. Lime appear on the mid palate with some nice acidity that lingers cleanly. The flavors are simple, but pleasing making this a solid wine for the sub $10 category.
Red
2008 Bodegas del Romero Navarra Malón de Echaide Tinto Roble
Spain, Navarra
The nose is deep and dark showing some blackberry syrup from very ripe grapes while some mint scents lurk in the background. Full, ripe fruit rolls onto the palate. Blackberries lead the way, and cherries follow behind. A bit of a green note shows on the mid palate when the acidity comes in to dry things out. Some heat shows on the finish as well. I'd drink this with a spicy pizza.
Red
2008 Bodegas del Romero Navarra Malón de Echaide Crianza
Spain, Navarra
Cherry scents rise from a spicy background made of black peppers and cloves. The nose gives the wine a dark feeling even before being tasted. It delivers a nice touch of fruit when it contacts the palate. Dark and ripe cherries show themselves early. Tannins bloom in the center of the palate, and they run out to the sides drying heavily. Some dried cherry flavors and cloves show on the finish, but the tannins dominate the experience late.
Red
2003 Viña Parot Reserva
Spain, Navarra
The age of this wine has contributed well to the experience. Deep blackberries show on the nose, with a foundation of leather and a nice meaty note fleshing out the full fruit scents. Juicy and clear cherry flavors strike the palate immediately, and some solid plum flavors appear on the mid palate. The fruit has some good depth to it. Tannins roll in on the mid palate, and they grow in intensity while the fruit remains strong. The acidity is on the lower side, but the other structural elements play their part well, and it works. A bit of blackberry stem shows on the mid palate, and the blackberry fruit lingers nicely. The tannins are still quite large on the finish, but the fruit is there, and I think this will get even better with more time in bottle.
Flight 2 - Finca Albret by Bodegas Principe de Viana S.L. (5 notes)
Our next stop took us to the Ribera Alta zone to visit Bodegas Principe de Viana S.L. in Cadreita. We were here to explore the wines under the Finca Albret label.
We started out by taking a walk through some vineyards around the winery. Some of the vines had been recently harvested, while others were going to be picked in a matter of days. The grapes themselves were quite ripe. In fact, the more exposed bunches were starting to shrivel up a little bit. They tasted delicious.
The state of the grapes certainly made me expect a couple cups of syrup in the tasting room. To my surprise though, the wines were ripe but not overly heavy. They were certainly big and full, but there wasn't the jammy sweetness that the drying grapes had suggested. When working with fruit this ripe, it's clearly a stylistic choice to preserve the acidity and some of the lighter characteristics of the grapes to balance out the full fruit flavors. Again, the prices were quite impressive with respect to the quality of the wine. Their top tier Albret blend comes in at just $45 estimated US Retail! That's a little higher than the others I've mentioned, but take a second to consider what an estate high end Cabernet Sauvignon based blends cost from Walla Walla, let alone Napa.
White
2010 Albret Chardonnay
Spain, Navarra
The nose shows a lot of nice complexity. I get scents of apples and pears backed by a great floral note. Scents of pear skin and gentle oak work to give the bouquet a feeling of richness. The pears show themselves right away when tasted, and some nice acidity sets in quickly on the sides of the palate. The acid shows some green apple character, and green apple flavors rise to the forefront on the mid palate. The oak shows itself fully on the finish, but it's blended with the fruit, and it never gets too heavy. The flavors and mouthfeel of this wine are solid.
Rosé
2010 Albret Navarra Rosado
Spain, Navarra
This has a wonderful, full nose! Strawberries and cranberries show great depth and an interesting spice makes things even more lively. I'm inclined to say cumin, but my mental spice-box is a little sparse, so I'm not too confident on that descriptor. It's gentle when tasted, with strawberries and smooth limes leading the way. The time spent on lees has served to keep everything nice and easy. The acidity is moderate, and cranberries show themselves on the mid palate with gentle tart flavors lasting for a long time. A real nice hint of richness appears on the finish as well, which provides a great counterpoint to the cranberry flavors. At an estimated $15 in the USA, this offers great value! 89+
Red
2007 Albret Navarra Crianza
Spain, Navarra
Scents of smoky BBQ rise from the glass, backed with sea spray and dark plums. The plum flavors show themselves right away when tasted, and the plum skins bring tannins to the show on the mid palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon shows itself by bringing some blackberry flavors on the mid palate. The tannins become stronger as the wine evolves, and some apple flavors appear on the finish. The tannins are still on the large side here for me, but I could see it benefiting nicely from decanting and/or a few more years in bottle.
Red
2006 Albret Navarra Reserva
Spain, Navarra
I really like the nose on this. I get lots of dark plum scents mixed with blackberries and a powerful sense of minerality. The texture on the palate is very nice already, an obvious benefit of the quality of the fruit and the time in bottle. Full and complex plums are backed by some interesting oak flavors on the mid palate. Some gentle stemmy notes add character underneath the dark fruit. The fruit has a great feeling of depth to it, and the acidity rises slowly before running out on the finish. I like this quite a bit now, and I can see it getting even better with a decant and/or some age. 91-
Red
2006 Albret Navarra La Viña de mi Madre
Spain, Navarra
The nose is full of fruit, with thick skinned plums in the forefront. Scents of sweet blackberries and apples appear as well. Great apple flavors roll all the way across the palate when tasted. Light blueberries participate in a cool evolution of flavor from the clear apples into darker fruits as they settle into the sides of the palate. Blackberry juice shows a bit of tart character at first, and they become more pronounced as the finish sets in. The tannins are full, settling in on the molars and cheeks, while the fruit settles on the center of the tongue. This is most enjoyable to me when consumed in small, thoughtful sips. This has some good dry character without being too powerful. This has great potential for aging. 91+
Closing
We returned to Pamplona, and were treated to a walking tour of the city where we got to see a number of historic buildings, walk the route where the bulls run, and take in views from atop the city's historic walls.
After another tasty dinner of tapas from various Pamplona bars, we wrapped the trip up that night with a bottle of sparkling Navarran wine in the hotel sitting room. All 5 of the bloggers on the trip were thoroughly impressed with the quality delivered across a wide range of wine. Palates ranging from my Riesling and Pinot loving self out to the full on Napa Cabernet Sauvignon loving palates of others on the trip had found wines to be excited about at many price points. All of us agreed that Graciano was doing something special here. We also felt that the deep history of wine, the culture of fine food, a distinct regional identity, and a driving focus on quality and promotion all place Navarra as a region ripe for discovery. I look forward to adding some Graciano to my cellar, and I'd encourage anyone to give Navarran wine a taste next time you have the opportunity.
Part 1: http://www.cellartracker.com/new/event.asp?iEvent=15457
Part 2: http://www.cellartracker.com/new/event.asp?iEvent=15526
All notes by Dan from Wine Is Serious Business
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Is-Serious-Business/99043469029
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