I recently talked about my March wine class that covered Spain and Italy… so much fun, but what a whirlwind. I need a really great wine/geography map already! To pick back up where Italy left off, here I present the Spanish gems that we tasted.

NV Cavas Hill Brut Rosado Cava Reserva Artesania

The Cavas Hill is a beautiful, girly pink color. Delicious bright and crisp strawberry flavor. Goes great with salmon. 60% Garnacha and 40% Monastrell.

Origin: Spain
Price: $13
Next time: Get a case!

2005 Valle de Salinas Yecla

This yummy wine is a blend of Monastrell, Cab Sauv, and Merlot. Dark brick rid with subtle fruit and an earthy smell. Very mild in terms of fruit flavors but still a nice balance with tannins.

Origin: Spain
Price: $14
Next time: Get a case!

2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo Rioja

Similar to the above Yecla – the Campo Viejo has a bit more tannins than fruit, but still a nice balance with its blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, and Mazuelo. Still mild, but more acid here as well. Check out their website for some beautiful photos as well as videos about these specific wines, as well as tasting and serving wines in general.

Origin: Spain
Price $15
Next time: Get a case!

2007 Vinos Sin Ley G5 Garnacha Madrid – Puerto Bonita

This delicious Spanish red (100% Garnacha) is a real keeper. It clearly says Puerto Bonita on the label, but everyone seems to know this one as the “G5.” It’s a great fruity red with tannins as well. It’s similar to the previous two wines but lighter bodied but still the same fruit forward spirit.

Origin: Spain
Price $16
Next time: Get a case!

2006 Abadia Retuerta Rivola Sardon de Duero

For a red wine that’s 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, the Rivola has a buttery finish. I liked this better at the last tasting, but wasn’t a big fan of it compared to some of these other Spanish reds.

Origin: Spain
Price $17
Next time: I’ll pass

2008 Bodegas La Cartuja Priorat

This wine was an oaked Grenache blend that was just way too much in terms of tannins for my taste. Beautiful dark ruby red color, but a very tannic wine. Still a great fruit finish.

Origin: Spain
Price $17
Next time: Get a glass!

1996 Faustino I Tinto Gran Reserva Rioja

This Fuastino is a really weird wine. It smells like dirty shoes… leathery, dirty, funky. Crazy enough, the taste is much better… It still has its fair share of tannins, so it’s definitely not a sip on the porch kind of wine. Maybe with the right dish, this wine might thrive. Give it a shot, but I’m not expecting this to be a new favorite.

Origin: Spain
Price $32
Next time: Get a glass!

This Big Bang Rioja, also called “BB” made it to my wine collection by way of Highland Wine‘s monthly wine club (one of the best things I’ve ever signed up for!). The accompanying wine notes recommended pairing this powerful wine with roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic. Wouldn’t you know that’s exactly what our friends the Glovers cooked for our New Year’s Day feast! Perfect.

We uncorked the Big Bang with high expectations — and it delivered! This blended wine is composed of 50% Garnacha, 40% Tempranillo, and 10% Graciano. Wine Advocate describes this wine as:

The Garnacha was raised in concrete vats, the Tempranillo and Graciano in oak for nine months. Dark ruby colored, it offers up an exceptionally spicy nose (from the Graciano) along with floral notes, underbrush, cassis, cherry, and plum. Medium-to full-bodied on the palate, it has layers of flavor, excellent acidity, savory fruit, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. It will be at its best from 2010 to 2017.

I’d tried some Riojas in the past at tastings and was never particularly fond of them. The more I’ve thought about it, I think it comes down to the massive power of these wines – oftentimes, they have strong tannins, so they’re just not going to come across at their best at a tasting without a big powerful meat to go with it. They’re just too much to really enjoy as a solo beverage. So next time you have a spicy, flavorful lamb – definitely give this wine a try!

Origin: Rioja, Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $17
Next time: Get a glass!

W and I went to the weekly Muss & Turner’s wine tasting last week. Great theme – Big Burly BBQ Reds just in time for July 4th!

Here’s the lineup along with tasting notes provided at the tasting:

2008 Punto Final Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Punto Final’s 100% Malbec comes from vines more than 50 years old whose production is less than 8 tons per acre, resulting in concentrated and flavorful fruit. This wine is untiltered in order to preserve its distinct varietal’s qualities.

Next time: Get a glass if you like middle-of-the-road Cabs and Merlots

2007 Pas A Paso, La Mancha, Spain

The Paso a Paso Tinto is 100% Tempranillo source from vineyards averaging 40 years of age. The color is a saturated purple with fragrant aromas of mineral, scorched earth, and blackberry. The wine has a big core of fruit with enough structure to evolve for many years.

Next time: I’ll pass. I’ve learned after many tasting that Tempranillo is not for me… nor was it for the other four people sharing our communal table. Just too saturated and tannic.

2006 Sierra Cantabria, Rioja, Spain

Almost all Tempranillo from Rioja. Darkly colored, the aromas are of plum, candied violet, and raspberry. It’s very generous with its flavors of plum, raspberry, red cherry, and wood smoke (from barrel aging). The Sierra Cantabria folks produce a bit more of a new world style Rioja in that it is supple and easy to drink.

Next time: I’ll pass. I very much disagree with the notes saying this wine is “easy to drink.” Again, being Tempranillo, it’s very saturated and very tannic.

2006 Clos La Chance Zinfandel, Central Coast, CA

Sweet raspberries on the nose, ripe plums and figs, along with a cinnamon spice. Dried cherries and raspberries on the palate, hints of cocoa and rosemary. The finish is long and smooth, and there is a touch of vanilla at the very end, from the oak ageing.

Next time: Get a case! A bit on the lighter side for a Zinfandel but this was fantastic! At a restaurant, expect to pay $9.50 per glass, or $36 per bottle. What a steal! If you like this one, you’ll also like Eos Estate Winery Zinfandel… more on that below (and see picture above).

2006 Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain

It has a very dark cherry colour with purple tones. In the nose, it has powerful aromas of red berries, toasted and smoked notes from their ageing in the oak barrels. It has good structure with ripe and sweet tannins. In the mouth, it is very long and with a perfect balance between fruit, alcohol, and the oak tones, which make it very pleasant and easy to drink.

Next time: Get a case! Seriously fabulous! Like the Clos La Chance Zinfandel above, the price is great – expect $9.50 per glass or $36 per bottle at a restaurant… when I find it retail, I’ll comment back.

This next one wasn’t part of the tasting, but Ryan recommended it based on the popularity of the Clos La Chance Zinfandel. The 2007 Eos Estate Winery Zinfandel was excellent with our meal after the wine tasting. It was absolutely perfect – striking a great middle ground of very flavorful but without knocking you down with tannins and fruit concentration. Eos is located in Paso Robles, CA, about midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles east of the coast.

Notes from their website:

Nose: The 2007 Zinfandel aromas fill the senses with the fruit of plum and dark berry pie with graham cracker crust.
Mouth: The aromas carry over onto the palate and are balanced by the acidic fruits of black cherry, raspberry and strawberry.
Finish: This wine finishes out with floral aromatics, subtle hints of oak, dry dusty earth, fresh tobacco that lingers and spices of white pepper and sage.

Next time: Get a case! Or split a case with this and the Clos La Chance Zinfandel!