Luis Pato Vinha Pan 2005

I had a look at the 2003s of both these wines last year and was very impressed, but the wines were not being imported at the time. They are now being imported and the 2005s have just arrived, and boy are they good. I’ve seen them at a couple of tastings now, and the crowd reaction seems to be you either love them or can’t stand them. Personally, I’m a big fan of medium bodied wines with plenty of character and that describes these wines to a tee.

Every thing about this wine is medium: medium red in colour and medium bodied. All this mediumness is refreshing after a couple of block busters of late. The nose is a bit funky and earthy with some lovely cherry and raspberry with some bay leaf and pine resin/eucalyptus. Excellent balance and intensity with earthy and minerally raspberry flavours and driving acid. Textured thanks to some fine grained tannins and a very long finish. Drinking great now, but it will improve in the cellar over the long term, the 95 is drinking like a champ at the moment. 93+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $100 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Other Vintages: 2003

Don Aurelio ‘Tierracalar’ Tempranillo 2006

Easy drinking, affordable wines are one of the main reasons exports of Spanish wine to places like the UK, Germany and US have been booming over the past 10 years. To be honest, we haven’t seen a lot of the sub $20, but good Spanish gear here in Australia but that is starting to change. Many importers are looking for quality, low cost wines and this is a good example of how to get it right.

Nose of cherry liqueur, coco, a little raisin and day leaf. Rich and textured, with enough acid to keep everything moving along nicely. In the mouth it’s fairly straight forward, musky dark cherry and plum fruit with good balance and a long, spicy finish. Plenty to like here, especially the price. 87 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $18 Closure: Conventional Cork

Auroch Toro 2006

I’ve got a couple of inexpensive wines in this week, I’ve been drinking a bit too well of late (not that I’m complaining). Not too many details here, all you need to know is that its an unoaked joven wine made from 100% tempranillo that’s juicy and fresh. It’s made by Ana Martin.

And yes the label does look like a pair of boobs….I’m assuming its supposed to be a pair of bull horns.

Earth, spice, herby undergrowth, lavender, cherry liqueur and Irish pipe tobacco. Juicy, gamy fruit in the mouth followed by a healthy finish. On the palate there is roast meat juice, savoury cherry, cola and sage. The end of the bottle comes all to fast, excellent with some stewed ox tail too. 88 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $20 Closure: Conventional Cork

Mar del Frades Albariño 2006

This albariño is a little bit different to many of the wines we have seen here in Australia. And even though most albariños are food wines, this one is especially so. These guys really emphasise the relationship between the sea and the food and wine traditions of Galicia, right down to the blue bottle with waves at its base. There is also a little gimmick here, if you look at the larger image there is no blue ship on the front label. If you bung the bottle in the fridge for a bit, a blue ship will appear when the wine is cold enough to drink.

Something a bit different on the nose: honeysuckle, lemon, ripe melon and seaside undergrowth. In the mouth its an acid forward style, showing some minerals followed up some apple, peach and apricot fruit in the middle. The finish shows off more crunchy minerals and tangy acid. A big bowl of mussels is in order when you’ve got a bottle of this in the fridge, but maybe a bit too much acid for drinking by itself. 89Pts

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $40 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.mardefrades.com

Mundo de Yuntero Organic Airen 2007

Airen is the most widely planted white variety in Spain and it has some very important uses, mainly to be distilled and used as the fortifying sprit in Sherry and as the base wine for brandy production. Plus it gets used in all sorts of industrial products. Lots of table wine also gets made from it, and to be honest most of it is rubbish that you wouldn’t serve to anyone. However, this one is the exception tat proves the rule and is quite good. Perhaps its the organic practices, or perhaps just good management.

Very light colour in the glass with a fresh nose of nettles and sweet pear. Not all that complex in the mouth, but fresh and balanced with a bit of texture. More pears in the mouth with some lemon and herbs towards the finish. The finish goes on for a bit. A good, inexpensive by the glass house wine or BBQ quaffer. 86 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $14 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.yuntero.com

Niepoort LBV 2003

After a week off from drinking, I thought I’d ease myself back into tasting with a bottle of port and some blue cheese on Sunday afternoon. The cheese is Valdeon, made in the Picos de Europa areas of Léon and Asturias from mostly cows milk, with a little bit of goat for tang. It’s fairly punchy, but still quite creamy. It goes well with the quince paste and port, so I’m a happy chap.

One thing I’ve noticed around town is how much the price of these imported cheeses vary a lot. I buy most of my Spanish stuff from Casa Iberica (25 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9419 4420) and just about everything is half the price of the ‘gourmet’ stores around Melbourne (i.e. Valdeon is $38/kilo at Casa Iberica and $70 from the Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder cheese club).

Very dark in the glass with aromas of clove, pepper, nutmeg, dark cherry and plum with a bit of shisty rock. Dense and intense in the mouth, a mix of sweet and savoury that I pick up in a lot of Niepoort’s wines. The palate shows more dark cherry, rosella and plum with Dr. Pepper, christmas cake spices and a touch of chinoto on the finish. I think this may need some chill out time in the cellar (it’s not filtered, so it will improve) to show its best. 88+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $48 (750ml) Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.niepoort-vinhos.com

Mundo de Yuntero Organic Tempranillo 2007

I’m told by people much smarter than I am, that some regions of Spain have a great future as producers of organic wine. Apparently its all about the climate and lack of rainfall, which keeps a lot of the nasties away and hence you don’t need to spray etc. With some regions getting less than 300mm in some years, it has a ring of truth to it.

I’m not sure if organic wine means much in the Aussie market at the moment. Certainly restaurants and supermarkets/shops that bill themselves as organic need something to sell, but is the organic factor crossed out by the food miles for imported wine?

It opens up a bit reductive, but cleans itself up with a bit of air to show musky plum and cherry, a bit of earth, hot cinnamon and bay leaf. Plenty of pepper and spice in the mouth, over the top of some sappy, red cherry fruit. Balanced with some tangy acid and a good finish. A good little wine for the BBQ or cheap quaffing. 86 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $14 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.yuntero.com