Water into Wino

Abad Don Bueno Roble 2003

I've been seduced by the Mencia grape in the past. It was probably the comparisons to Cabernet Franc that motivated earlier purchases. My Spanish wine kick also fueled my interest in an unpopular grape that hails from Bierzo, Spain. It generally grows on high altitude hillsides and has been known to bring spicy notes as well as gentle red fruit flavors.

This Mencia wine was just begging to leave the shelf last week at Premier Wines in Buffalo. With a price under $10 and a 90 point review by one of those magazines, it seemed to be a good pick. In appearance this wine wasn't what I was expecting, the purple hue was inky and dark. The aroma was mainly of plum, blackberry and clove, with little else to mention. I got some nice dark fruit flavors that quickly faded and gave way to just a mouth full of palate killing tannins. Just to dry and clumsy for my taste. Damn I miss the selection of NYC wine stores. My grade: C-

Marques de Gelida 2002

Marques de Gelida 2002 Reserva
Penedes, Spain ($13)

In the past few months, I've gotten engaged, bought a house, and have managed to find a great value sparkling wine to toast the afore mentioned achievements. When you can't afford champagne for every celebratory uncorking, I find cava to be just what the doctor ordered. Generally less expensive than California sparklers and drier than most proseccos I've tasted, I'm rarely disappointed with the Spanish bubbly.

This particular bottle has an eye catching label, the stamp of quality from Jorge Ordonez, and it breaks the boring non vintage stereotype of cava. This 2002 is a reserva blend of 35% Maccabeo, 30% Xarel-lo, 20% Parellada, and 15% Chardonnay. There was 3000 cases produced and I assume there's not much left floating around by now.

Aromas of green apple and bread. Tight little bubbles with a pale yellow color. this wine wakes up my whole palate and refreshes with a complex spectrum of earth tones. The finish is lengthy and stimulating. By far my favorite sparkler under $15.
My grade: A-

Castano Monastrell 2005

Castano Monastrell 2005
Yecla, Spain ($9)

Talk about a easy drinking wine. This is a quintessential new world fruit driven bargain wine that should please a most of the people all of the time. My first experience with Yecla and Eric Soloman brand imports is this 100% Monastrell. Bodegas Castano has been bottling wines since 1980 and its vineyards benefit from around 3000 hours of sunlight a season. This is one of the most inexpensive wines from this family which seems to really concentrate on this varietal. I picked it up after I read Mr. Parker had praised its value and snatched up the last one at my store.

Every now and then I come away with the aroma of birthday cake. Maybe it's the frosting or fruit filling but something reminds me of it in certain wines. This one reminds me of a red cherry frosting you might get on a white cake. Along with that unconventional smell I did get some cranberry notes as well. Very aromatic overall. Medium bodied and well balanced, this wine isn't complex but certainly tasty. The finish is short but sweet. I'd bring this wine to a party or dinner.
My grade: B

Friday Night Flight

Friday started another weekend of wine assimilation. Last night we got together with friends and decided to make wine the main course of the evening. The first bottle we corked was a ubiquitous Bogel Petite Syrah 2004. It's been some time since I had this wine, but I thought I'd see how my taste buds have changed. It didn't taste as good as I remember. I thought it had a juicy quality that I don't care for.

After polishing off that bottle we took a field trip to a liquor store adjacent to a Costco store. I know, this is sinful in the eyes of someone that has become accustomed to wine boutiques, but it wasn't a let down. First off, they had free samples from Martha Clara Vineyards from the North Fork of Long Island. Each wine we tasted was almost half of the price you pay at the winery, but we ended up buying two Cabernet Sauvignons from not so ordinary regions as well as a Merlot from Navarra Spain.

We opened an Argentine Catena Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza and tasted it next to a Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo Valley, Chile, both from the 2003 vintage. While being extremely different they both delivered for the prices we paid (around $13). The Catena was full very full bodied with concentrated dark fruit flavor and a touch of pepper. Very reminiscent of quality California Cabs for twice the price. The Cousino Macul had a remarkable dusty aroma that I could only associate with the odor of a moist cavern. Dark fruit flavor with sweet tannins that end on an earthy note. They were so different that I could not pick a favorite over the other. The Chilean one is much more interesting although it isn't as crowd pleasing as the Catena.

The Monjardin Merlot Deyo 2002 seemed to go over well too. This Spanish merlot was mysterious and it seemed to show a maturity and complexity I rarely taste in a straight merlot. All three of these wines were a bargain. There were several other bottles that caught my eye there at the Costco infected wine store including some Italian reds and a few Oregon Pinot Noirs.

Rafael Cambra Dos 2004

Rafael Cambra Dos 2004
Valencia, Spain ($20)

Even though I haven't been updating this site recently, I haven't been a stranger to the other wine blogs I've come to appreciate. A recent Wine Chicks posting mentioned a Spanish Cabernet Sauv/Franc blend from Valencia called "Dos" by Rafael Cambra. It would only be a short matter of time after reading that before I found a bottle to try myself. I'm learning that I much prefer wine blog reviews to those of a magazine.

First of all, it has a kick arse bright orange label with a simple yet elegant scribble of grapes. Dark violet color, practically opaque wine. Aromas of plum and blackberry. Well balanced and supple, very pleasing on the palate. Very full flavored but ultimately not a very long finish. It could probably benefit from some more time in the bottle as the tannins weren't integrated enough. I'm gonna buy a couple more bottles and see how it ages. My grade: B+

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

Mad Dogs & Englishmen 2003
Spain, Jumilla ($10)

The stress of pronouncing a french wine. The intimidation factor of purchasing an italian wine at one of those expensive boutiques. The utter confusion when trying to decipher what the hell the germans are writing on their labels. All of these tend to suck the fun right out of buying a bottle. Lately when I think of fun wine buying, I have to include Spanish wine. I think it's a combination of the trendy labels, the great value, and the thought of conquistadors drinking a rioja that I can relate to. Spain's grasp on old and new world winemaking opens the door for just about any wine drinker to find something they love.

This bottle is a blend of 30% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 50% Monastrell from the Jumilla region of Spain. I shouldn't have to mention that this is one of my favorite regions again, but I will. I was sold on this bottle because it is very similar to Altos de Luzon, but instead of tempranillo, this one adds shiraz. The 2003 season was hot in Jumilla which benefits the late ripening Monastrell grape. Apparently they even had to move up the harvesting date 15 days to compensate for the heat. Three men worked together to produce this wine. Marcial Martinez Cruz is the wine maker and is thought to be one of the most innovative winemakers in the Spanish Mediterranean. Guy Anderson, known for his contribution to the Fat bastard wines, assembled this winemaking team. William Long, a friend of Guy and fellow Englishman, helped to create the name and imagery. Inspired by the heat in the area, he said "It's so hot you need to be either mad or an Englishman to work here." If you are into dogs you may find it interesting that the fellow on the label is a Jack Russel terrier. You'd think it should be an english bulldog but thats not important I guess.

Almost solid red-purple color. Concentrated dark berry nose with a touch of pepper. Juicy berry and plum fruit flavor with a gentle spice component. Well rounded flavor but I think the tannins could be more substantial. I found it to be thin, but I am using more expensive Monastrell based wines as my reference. The finish is pleasing and quite tasty. It went well with my grilled steak with gorgonzola. Ultimately it's a fun wine that I wouldn't hesitate bringing over a friends place for dinner and letting the conversation follow. My grade: B

Castro Bergidum Mencia Roble 2002

Castro Bergidum Mencia Roble 2002

Spain, Castilla Leon, Bierzo ($10)

Scouring my new favorite neighborhood wine store, I found this Mencia based Spanish wine from Bierzo. I’ve already tried and bought a few bottles of the Pucho Menica wine I talked about here. When I came across this one I thought I’d try another since I liked the other version. This one is 100% pure and aged for 5 months in new French and American oak. The label leaves much to be desired, in fact I think it’s the least eye catching label I’ve ever bought. The tiny emblem on the label is hard to make out, but it’s three men in loin clothes joining hands and dancing. It’s no Matisse. My theory of Spanish wines having the coolest labels does not apply to this one.

The nose consists of ripe dark berry fruit with some licorice. The fruit on the palate just wasn’t bold enough. Tasted "thin" and watery. The finish is quick and uninspiring. Definitely not as good as the other Mencia I had. My grade: C

A Four Bottle Friday.

Anytime I time I get to taste four wines in one night I am happy. This past Friday, my girlfriend and I did up some panini for our friends during our weekly international theme dinner. On the menu was a hot soppressata and fontina with arugula and olive tamponade panini. And for the vegetarian choice...fried eggplant and mozzarella with tomato sauce and basil. On the side was a bean, potato, and red onion and rosemary salad. My love of everything fried drove me to make fried nutella ravioli with vanilla ice cream dessert.

The first bottle we opened was Tres Picos Garnacha 2004, from Campo de Borja, Spain. Grown on 35-40 year old vines. Ripe red fruit on the nose. Bright red berries and plums blast the palate. Sweet and soft tannins and a balanced finish make this a good on wine on its own or with food. These Borsao wines from Campo de Borja consistently deliver for the price.

Up next was the Cottanera Barbazzale Rosso 2003 from Sicily, Italy. It's wearing a serious label with a delicate illustration of a vine and some cursive Italian writing. This is a blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nero D'Avola. Ruby in color. Aromas of plum and dark cherry. Soft tannins and a well-balanced tart cherry fruit flavor. Good clean gentle finish. It went well with the panini.

My contribution consisted of a Gladiator Copertino Reserve 1999. I have enjoyed several negroamaro based wines in the past, most of which were Salice Salentinos, but I've also had a few Copertinos. This fella here has 70% Negroamaro, 10% Malvasia Nera, 10% Montepulciano, and 10% Sangiovese. Sounds delicious right? The label is bad ass with the gladiator helmet and the royal blue color. Inky dark red color. Concentrated dark fruit on the nose with earthy tones and leather. Full bodied lush texture with soft tannins. I think this wine is at its peek. It was very well balanced and finished with a spicy oak flavor that worked extremely well with the fruit. My grade: A-

With my nutella ravioli, I opened a bottle Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto D’Acqui 2004. As far as dessert wines go, this one is welcome on my table anytime. It pairs well with chocolate, so that’s all I have to say. Strawberries, raspberries, and a hint of rose petals combine for a refreshing taste. Perfect as an apertif also. My grade: A-

Vina Borgia Grenache 2004

Vina Borgia Grenache Spain, Borja ($7)

Picked up this bottle to glug with a pizza, a meatball topped pizza to be specific. The Jorge Ordonez stamp of approval and the $7 price tag made this an easy decision. I've had the Borsao blend of garnacha and tempranillo before and was moderately satisfied for the price. Whether its called garnacha, grenache, or cannonau, it's just not my favorite varietal.

Vibrant purple color. The nose was packed with strawberry and what I thought to be maple syrup. Bright blackberry and cherry flavors with a well balanced acid to tannin ratio. In fact the tannins are almost non existent, but it still tasted well balanced. It complimented the pizza well and, for the price, I can't complain. My grade: B-

I do my best drinking in the morning.

It's 10:50 am, Saturday. It's freezing outside yet sunny -- perhaps the coldest day of the year so far, and my girlfriend and I share the unspoken thought of not leaving the apartment. As I map out my eating schedule for the rest of the day, she says "Let's drink some wine. Is there anything we can open?" I immediately go back into food thoughts. Linguine with meat ragu would be a tasty lunch, and I do have sauce I could thaw. If that's not a meal that wants red wine, I don't know what is. I figure I better open it before lunch so it can breathe and open up.

So I've rationalized opening a bottle of wine before 11 am. What do I open? Well, I've got many Italian bottles that aren't all that cheap, some I'm holding, and some that I'm saving for special occasions. Then I recalled a bottle that I purchased for no other reason than to taste it before Monday, the first day of all wines being 25% off at Astor Wines, and see if I want to buy a few at the discount price. My palate is fresh in the morning, so why not begin the day with red teeth and a smile?

The wine I chose is another from the value country of Spain. More specifically Bierzo in the Northwestern area that is a part of Castilla y Leon. What drew me to these parts was that reoccurring theme in my wine ramblings, Cabernet Franc. Apparently, once again another grape was either misidentified as or thought to be a clone of this grape, and this time it's a grape called Mencia. Most think that this grape makes fruit-driven light reds in the beaujolais style, but it turns out, in the right hands and soil, it can deliver bordeaux qualities, but more commonly, characteristics of the Rhone Valley.

Bodegas Pucho Mencia 2003
Spain, Bierzo ($13)

From Bodegas Pucho, this wine was grown and made in the Cantabrian Mountains, at elevations of around 1700 or 1800 feet. According to some in the know, the vines grown in the hills lead to wine with much more structure than the fruity, valley-grown vines in the area. The vines are between 40 to 80 years old and the soil is clay ferrous hillside. It's fermented in steel tanks for 12 months and aged in the bottle for 6 months before release.

Ruby red color. Red berry fruit driven nose. Smooth flavors of plum and cherry with a satisfying mineral quality. The taste that hits you first is reminiscent of a Cab Franc, a lively burst of fruit and minerals. The finish reminds me of a good Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with an almost tart cherry finish. It stood up well against my rich meat ragu, and I think it would go well with lighter dishes from chicken to pork. Taking a page from Taj of The Cork and Demon, I am going to do a superhero match to this wine...Spiderman. Not dark and mysterious like Batman, not muscular like Superman, but agile and clean cut with the ability to charm Kirsten Dunst. My grade: B+