La Mancha
Condesa de Leganza Sauvignon Blanc 2007
More Sauv Blanc from Spain. While it’s fairly maligned these days, I actually think the ol’ sauv blanc is a versatile grape that shows plenty of different styles and can be made in a way the enhances a dining experience. These cheapies from Spain are a case in point, I like them with food so they great in a bar by the glass, but I don’t think I’d really go out and buy a case to drink at home. The acid seems to be a bit more appealing than many I’ve had from NZ and Australia too…
Condesa de Leganza Tempranillo Crianza 2004
This is one of those wines where the point is not the correct expression of grape, the terror, a truck load of fruit descriptors or fancy oak treatment. It is, however, a good bet for putting it down your neck at a party, or when you’re standing next to a BBQ, maybe with a coupe of lamb chops while the girls onMasterchef screw up their suckling pig…
Condesa de Leganza Verdejo 2007
This is the La Mancha property for the Faustino Group. It’s just a small venture with 1,000 hectares up high at 800 meters above sea level. I’ve had a look at a couple of the wines, and to be honest they are really convincing. Add to that some good packaging and very reasonable pricing and you’ve got a very handy range of wines.
Finca Vieja Crianza 2003
Who would have thought that Hawthorn would have won the grand final? Hawks supporters I guess. I had my money on Gelong, but what I would I know about footy? You should see my supercoach team, I would have been better off picking blokes that had a surname starting with B. Anyway, I do know that watching the game is a great time to get stuck into a few wines and this bottle was next on the chopping block.
Finca Vieja Tempranillo 2007
I ran into this wine at Bar Lourinha a couple of weeks ago, the name wasn’t familiar so I thought I’d give it a go. A couple of days later a box of samples turned up. Excellent. Its a gutsy number from La Mancha thats well priced. 100% Tempranillo in a Joven style from what I can tell. It’s also under screwcap, which I’m starting to see a lot of…
El Vinculo 2004
This is Alejandro Fernández’s project in La Mancha, his last one according to the website. A lot of bulk wine comes from La Mancha, which is odd as it can be a very difficult region to make wine in. Droughts and generally extreme weather make it a challenge, so I wasn’t surprised when I read that they use irrigation in these vineyards. That’s nothing new here in Australia, but it is almost unheard of to use drip irrigation in Spain. For a start there is not usually enough ground water to use or enough land to store it. ManyDOs actually ban the use of irrigation too.
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 wouldn’t serve to anyone. This one is quite good, perhaps its the organic practices, or perhaps just good management.
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.
El Vinculo Crianza 2002
I haven't had too many wines from La Mancha, but its the largest wine region is Spain. It also has some of the the coldest winters and hottest summers.
This is another one of Alejandro Fernández's projects. The wine is 100% Tempranillo and sees 18 months in new American oak. There is also a Reserva [...]
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