Ramon Bilbao Edicion Limitada 2003

Another quick note, time seems to be getting away from me at the moment but I have a load of bottles to write up plus a couple of tastings this week.

So this is the best 604 barrells of Tempranillo from a single vineyard, Finca Valpierre. Bunch selection is used to find the best clusters and then fermented in oak vats. In to French and American oak for 14 months and aged in bottle for another 10 months.

Aromas of Vanilla coffee, chocolate, a touch of pencil shavings with some earthy dark cherry and a bit of prune. Its young at the moment, but opens up a bit with some time in the decanter, showing some coco like tannins and good structure. On the palate there is plenty to like: cola, dark cherry, blackberry, an Irishman's pipe bag, and peper. The fruit is a little baked, but it's balanced and copes with it well. Well done for the vintage, I'll be interested to see the 04. 92 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasramonbilbao.es

Ramon Bilbao Crianza 2004

I'm always on the lookout for a quality Rioja at a good price, and one seems to have landed in my lap here. Ramon Bilbao are a fairly traditional producer in Rioja, they also have a more modern high expression offering but the focus is on the traditional wines. This one is 100% Tempranillo from Rioja Alta, Haro and surounds to be specific.  Following fermentation it lives in American oak for 14 months and another 8 months in bottle before being released.

Notes of mocha and vanilla on the nose with cherry, mulberry and cola. Open and ready to go from the start. Plenty fluffy tannins provide texture, while there is good balance and a long finish, if a bit drying. A clean palate of cherry and mulberry fruit, a touch of balsamic, minerals and bay leaf. A bargain for drinking this winter, but it could do 5 years in the cellar if you can keep your hands off it. 90 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $25 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasramonbilbao.es

Bodegas Breton ‘Lorinon’ Crianza 2004

I have no idea why some wineries want to have gaudy flash websites, complete with a sound track direct from some bad 80s movie. These guys have a horrible one. But they seem to have the wine making sorted, this is a wine that will go well in the cellar over the next couple of years. Its their entry level red made from mostly tempranillo with 5% each of garnacha, mazeulo and graciano, then aged in robles Americano for 14 months. They make a whopping 820,000 bottles and 29,000 magnums of the stuff. And why not, it's a solid drink.

Oh and if you haven't checked it out, the guys at Catavino were off in Rioja last week (lucky bastards!), so they've had a few guest posters in. Adrian Murcia from Blame it on Rioja has written a great post on an American view of Rioja, its certainly worth a click.

A deep red in colour, moving to purple toward the rim. A fine nose of liquored up dark cherries and plums, dark chocolate and earth wrapped up in some fairly good oak. Heavily influence by old school rioja, with a bit more fruit. Tight at the moment, but its a middle weight in the mouth with plenty of backbone with good mouthfeel and fine, silky tannins. On the palate its fairly much a mirror of the nose, but its all ripe cherry rather than plum, and adds some cinnamon for added interest . Give this a good decant, or even better, a couple of years in the cellar. 88+ Pts.

Source: Boccaccio Cellars Price: $28 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasbreton.com

Telmo Rodriguez Lanzaga 2004

These 2004s from Telmo Rodriguez are looking great at the moment, and the excellent 2005s are not too far away. The oak treatment throughout the range is really well handled and the fruit just sings.  Whats not to like about that that?

Smokey earth with bright red cherry, mulberry, undergrowth and a touch of coffee. Really nice balance, with plenty of dusty tannins.  A bit tight, but showing all the classic Rioja characters of cherry, mulberry, pepper, a touch of chocolate and cinnamon.  The oak treatment is just right. A long finish completes the package.  A good decant will get you moving, but you really should stick this somewhere dark for a couple of years, then drink over the following 10.  92+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $55 Closure: Conventional Cork

Other vintages: 2003

Palacios Remondo Propiedad 2005

So, back to business.  Well, drinking actually.  I've been lucky enough to have a look at this wine twice in the last two weeks, a full bottle last weekend and another taste yesterday.  The wines from Palcios Remondo seemed to have moved into a very serious mould.  Both this wine and La Montesa are pretty serious wines from the 2005 vintage the need some chill out time in the cellar.  I double decanted the full bottle and drank it over 5 hours.  Of course the last glass was the best.

A classic nose of earthy undergrowth, cherry, raspberry, spice, mocha and pepper. Showing its youth at the moment, but showing loads of potential.  Very tight it gives up some nice tannins and a spike of acid. On the palate its very primary: mulberry, cherry, and raspberry with some dried herbs.  One for the cellar, but it will open up to be a beauty in a couple of years..  92+ Pts. 

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: Around $55 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.vinosherenciaremondo.com

Other Vintages: 2001, 2003, 2004

Bodegas Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 1998

This is a much loved wine for traditional Spanish wine drinkers.  Its traditional, but bold and smooth with plenty of secondary characters.  I'm lucky enough to have a few vintages in the cellar, mostly of dubious provenance from a passive cellar, but there have been a few great bottles.  The 98 vintage wasn't one of the best of the 90s in Rioja, but the chaps at Muga have managed to pull of something worth drinking and cellaring.

A nice medium red colour with good intensity. The nose is very much old Rioja, tobacco, earth, caramel, mulberry and cherry with notes of menthol/pine needles, vanilla and dried flowers. Nicely medium bodied with good balance and refined tannins. Complex, but refreshing. The palate kicks off with mulberry, plum and cherry and adds some soft spice and vanilla.  Good length with a pin prick of acid on the finish.   The perfect introduction to quality Rioja Gran Reserva.  92+ Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: $90 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasmuga.com

Comse Palacio y Hermanos Crianza 2004

This is a wine that is popular in a lot of the bigger chain stores, but lets not hold that against it.  Its a solid performer and the 2004 is a value for money winner, up there with Conde de Valdemar.  Its made from Tempranillo in the cooler Rioja Alvesa and gets 8 months in new french oak.  It needs a quick decant to show its best, but shows well from the first pour.

Very deep red in colour with aromas of cherry and mulberry with a touch of earth, violets and spice.  Really nice acid and plush, chalky tannins in mouth with the oak in the backseat giving a bit of direction.  Ripe, juicy fruit on the palate, more mulberry with some blueberry and cherry, with a bit of mocha coffee and spice.  Its not overly complex, its the good fruit and smart oak treatment that help this wine over deliver as a midweek tipple.  Excellent quality for the price.  89 Pts.

Source: Retail Cost: $24 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.habarcelo.es

Marques de Riscal Reserva 2003

If you are very observant you will notice that the thumbnail for this post is much better than normal.  That's mostly due to the iimage plug-in breaking with the upgrade to 2.3.  I did this one in Photoshop, I think I will keep it that way in the future.

Anyway on to the important stuff.  The 2001 vintage of this wine was a big hit, a kind of return to form for Marques de Riscal.  The 2003 is in the Marques de Riscal style, but not up to the 01 at this stage in the game.  I like it, it doesn't grab me at the moment.

Deep red in the glass, with a very good Rioja nose of varnishy mulberry and cherry, undergrowth and a touch of caramel and chocolate.  Quite young at the moment and showing a little bit too much acid at the moment.  There are some dusty tannins as well.  Tart blackberry and cherry on the palate with some sage leaves and pepper.  I have a feeling this will get better over the next couple of years, but for now it just doesn't have interest on the palate.  89+ Pts.

Source:  Toro/Woods Wines Price: Around $45  Closure: Conventional Cork 

Web:  www.marquesderiscal.com

R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado 1997

Now its not every day that you drink a ten year old rose.  Many would ask why you would want to.  You may be aware that some of the great wines of Rioja spend a lot of time in oak, some times more than 10 years.  However most people would assume that this is only really for red wines, but both white and rosados get the big oak treatment too.  The purpose here is not add huge oak flavours, rather to produce a wine with great texture and flavour that is more tertiary than primary.  It is not a style that everyone will like, However it is said to be the wine of Spanish royalty.

The wine is made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Viura and is aged in old oak barrels for 4 years.  It is a very interesting experiment to open a bottle of this with a a couple of wine lovers and compare notes after a glass or so.  From what I've experienced, no two notes are remotely similar except for the colour!

Light tangerine in colour with a very complex nose of ripe tangerine and lemon with vanilla, nutty old wood, a bit of cherry, earth and clove.  The texture is to die for, light, think, oily and dry all at the same time, quite amazing actually.  Mouth watering acid with subtle lime, lemon and tangerine fruit, which are nice, but the attraction is the minerals.  Huge finish.  This is certainly in a world of its own, I'll rate it 91 Pts

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: $50 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.lopezdeheredia.com

Bodegas Luis Cañas Blanco Fermentado en Barrica 2006

Bodegas Luis Canas is located in Rioja Alvesa and they make this cracking white Rioja.  I bet that is not a term you hear very often: cracking white Rioja.  White Rioja has a reputation as an oaky old thing with a little fruit and lots of secondary characters.  Which is great if you like the style, but a lot of drinkers don't get it, and more to the point, don't want to spend the time getting to know.  This is a little bit different, more modern with a short time French oak and shows fresh lemon fruit.

Its 90% Vuira and 10% Malvasia from 60 year old vines, fermented in new French oak, then left in oak for another 4 months.  If you really chill this wine you get a very sharp, stinging nettle character.  I like it, but I think most people will prefer the wine a bit warmer so I've gone with the note from the warmer wine.

Very light gold with a green tint.  Aromas of fennel bulb, vanilla been and coconut, a touch of fresh grass and iron ore/minerals. Textured in the mouth with a good hit of acid and extreme length.  Flavours of intense lemon, sage and bay leaf with some caramel oak.  Get stuck into some seafood with this one.  88 Pts.  

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: Around $25 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luiscanas.com