La Perla del Priorat ‘Noster’ 2005

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I’ve got a couple of entry level on the tasting bench at the moment, this is the first. This was a big hit for me last year, a wine from Priorat at this price level and quality was quite rare at the time. But now wines in the $40-$60 price bracket are the must have item for many importers. And who’s complaining, seeing as the top wines from the region are going up again this year? There doesn’t seem to be one style at the price point, some are big rounded, easy drinking things, others are a bit tighter and focused. This falls into the later camp…

Cruz de Alba 2005

Here is a pleasing wine from Ribera del Duero along more traditional lines. A blend of mostly Tempranillo with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the 20+ year old vines in Pagos Valderío. Shown through some new French and American oak for the required 12 months, then off to market. From what I can work out, this is a venture of the Riojan house Ramon Bilbao.

Flor de Pingus 2006

Every where I go at the moment I see bottles of Flor de Pingus 2005 for sale or on the wine list. This is a good thing, but I rarely have the couple of hundred dollars required to pick up a bottle in a restaurant. One of the many things I love about Spain is the low markups on wine in restaurants, it is often the same price as retail, sometimes even cheaper. Plus many will let you buy bottles off the list to take home. Very civilised.

Vega Sicilia new releases 2009

This was actually billed as a master class, so a bit more than a new release tasting. And seeing as the next vintages were also available was a big bonus. Three days after returning from Rioja, a tasting of wines from Ribera del Duero and Toro was a most welcome change of atmosphere. It is [...]

10 years of Cillar de Silos Crianza

Late last year, The Spanish Acquisition put on a retrospective tasting of all of the vintages of Cillar de Silos Crianza that they have brought into the country, right back to the 1997….

Marques de Velellia Joven 2007

The joven wines from Ribera del Duero are very handy if you are looking for an early indication of the overall style and quality of the vintage. They are generally made in a fairly simple manner, without oak or winemaking tricks so you can see what the fruit really looks like. I’ve had a couple from the 2007 vintage and I can’t see this every being called a classic vintage, unless it’s as a classic wet vintage. This is where good vineyard management and smart winemaking come into effect, you can really tell how good a producer is by looking at their wines in a poor vintage. Some of these guys and gals came very close to turning a a sow’s ear into a silk purse…this is one such producer.

Marques de Velilla Crianza 2004

So, a new year and a bunch of new wines. I’ve got a stack of notes to get through over the next couple of weeks, then I’m off to Spain (with a quick trip to Poland on the way). Anyway on to the wine. I had a chance to catch up with Manuel Arias-Paz from Marques de Velilla late last year, a great guy, very passionate about Ribera del Duero and a real character (which you can see in this photo). They have embarked on a refresh of the vineyards and winemaking here, mostly along biodynamic lines but without the cow horn rubbish. Interestingly, the wine maker was in the Spanish rugby team and came out here. Who knew there was a Spanish rugby team?

Cillar de Silos Torresilo 2006

These 2006 wines for Cillar de Silos are looking quite smart. I’d rate this on par with the 05, which was very impressive in my book. If you don’t have any of this in your cellar and you’re a fan ofRibera del Duero you could do a lot worse than a couple of bottle of this in the cellar. A trio of Alion, Pesquera and this would be a very interesting look at modern style Ribera del Duero in 10 years…

Cillar de Silos Crianza 2006

Cillar de Silos is an old favourite, and this 2006 is showing very well. It was a challenging vintage, but the guys here seem to have to made all the right decicions and have producded something well worth drinking and cellaring over the short term.

Pesquera Crianza 2005

Pesqurea has to be one of the most well know producers in Ribera del Duero and introduced many people to the style of wine from the regions. For sure, the juicy, juby fruit that characterises Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero is a long way from daggy oak treatment and the 100 rackings that old school Rioja has as its trademark. I wouldn’t really call this a modern wine these days, but even so even there the fruit shines through and the oak treatment is reasonable.