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

Bodegas Muga Rosado 2006

Bodegas Muga take a slightly different path to make their rosado.  The wine is made from a blend of two red grapes, Garnarcha (60%) and Tempranillo (10%), and a white grape, Viura (30%).  After 12 hours of skin contact, it is then fermented in bit old oak vats, stored there for about 2 months then bottled.  While its completely different to the Cillar de Silos, it retains that wine like quality and is highly glugable.

Very light pink in the glass with aromas of strawberries, peach and musky rose.  Very smooth and viscus in the mouth, its light and fresh with minerally acid.  Strawberry and lemon peel on the palate with some bitter herbs on finish.  Balanced, fresh, great flavours, what more do you want in a rose?  90 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: $23 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasmuga.com

Conde de Valdemar Reserva 2001

I really liked the 2000 vintage of this wine, and the 2001 is a more than worthy follow on.  How these guys get such quality at such a low price is beyond me.  Quality fruit from a top vintage, extended aging in quality barrels and more time in bottle often leads to much higher prices, this wine retails under US$10 in places in the US.

The vital stats: 85% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo from Rioja Alvesa and Rioja Baja.  25 months in mix of French and American oak.

Deep red, moving to ruby at the edge of the glass.  A very correct Rioja nose: Dark cherry, a hint of mulberry and strawberry, slight vanilla, coco powder, old tobacco and earthy undergrowth.  Really pleasing in the mouth, medium bodied, balanced,  and textured and silky with good acid/tannins balance.  More dark cherry and mulberry on the palate with cola, undergrowth and a sprinkle of pepper and spice.  Unbelievable value, and a great introduction to Rioja Reserva without breaking the bank.  91 Pts.

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

Web: www.martinezbujanda.com

Telmo Rodriguez LZ 2006

I don't think I'll ever get tired of the fresh, juicy tempranillo joven wines.  Perfect for casual drinking with earthy food at this time of year.  The three joven wines put out by Telmo Rodriguez are a good chance to look at different expressions of Tempranillo from the premier regions of northern Spain.   Same winemaker, similar production methods but different clones, climates and soil types.  Drinking all three in one sitting is a very educational experience, if a touch too boozy for a school night.

LZ is the joven wine from Rioja.  Its a wine that lives by a "straight edge" philosophy: no oak, no fancy wine making tricks just the raw flavours of tempranillo from Rioja.  Yes, I have been watching too many music documentaries…

Classic bright red cherry flavours with sarsaparilla, earth and cinnamon on the nose.   A bit of musk stick floats in and out as the wine builds with air. The tannins are soft and abundant and there is plenty of acid to clean up the mouth.  The palate fairly much mirrors the nose, the fruit is juicy and fresh with good concentration.  Very much on up to its usual standard and surprisingly a bit better than the 05.  89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $22 Closure: Conventional Cork

Bodegas Roda I Reserva 2003

Right then, on to Roda I.  Before I tasted either of the 2003 Rodas, I was a bit worried that the fruit might be a bit roasted, the wine a bit hot and short.  But there is nothing of the sort, its balanced, great black fruit that seems to be perfectly ripe.   The masses of silky smooth tannins aren't too shabby either.   Its a great follow on from the last couple of vintages and I can't wait to see what they've produced in 04.  As usual I find myself drawn toward Roda I at release, I find Roda Reserva needs a couple of years to really show its stuff.  This one is drinking really well with a couple of hours of sitting in a decanter.

Fairly dark in the glass, with a bright cherry edge.  The nose shows great blackcurrant fruit with toasty oak, freshly ground coffee, smoke and cinnamon.  A note of strong anise mellows out to liquorice/sarsaparilla with a bit of time. Gorgeous, concentrated blackcurrant and mulberry fruit on the palate with mocha and some minerally notes.  Really primary at this stage, the potential is clear: great balance, a good wack of acid and oak in all the right places.  Tannin obsessives will be happy, as usual, the tannins are outstanding and add great texture.  Stick this somewhere dark and cool for at least two years, and you'll be very happy with yourself for the next 15. 94 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $95 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.roda.es

Bodegas Roda Reserva 2003

The wines of Roda should need no introduction to wine geeks, they have been one of the leaders of top Rioja in Australia for a couple of years now.  This year Roda Reserva is available in just about every bottle size known to man, from 375ml to 6L.  Excellent.  The 03 reminds me of the 2000 in style, great red fruit with concentration and depth.  I think the oak treatment is spot on, the best I have seen on a young Roda so far.  As usual with young wines, a serious decant is required if you want to have a look at one of these now.

A quick run down on the wine: 85% Tempranillo, 11% Graciano and 4% Garnarcha aged in 50% new french oak for 16 months.  The percentage of Graciano is quite high for this vintage, in theory this should give the wine a bigger acid kick and increased aging capabilities.  There has always been a wiff of burgundy in a bottle of Roda, this year it’s more pronounced.  Not sure if this is the Graciano or not.

The nose opens  up with coffee, earth, strawberries and red cherries and old cut flowers. A spicy aspect builds as the wine fills out with more air, cinnamon, clove and pepper.  The balance and structure are up to Roda’s usual high standards, luxury tannins provide a velvet like texture .  Oak has been a criticism of Roda in the past, they must be listening.  The oak is just perfect, a supporting influence that doesn’t distract from the gorgeous fruit.  Mainly cherry, but a bit of mulberry, anise, pepper and spice with minerals on the persistent finish.  This is Roda in full swing.   Keep you hands off for until 2010 and drink for 10 years.  93 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $70 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.roda.es

Vinedos de Paganos El Puntido 2003

Vinedos de Paganos is one of the Eguren's modern styled properties in Rioja Alavesa.  A lot of traditional methods are used in producing the wine, but the result is a wine of high expression and restrained power. 

Two wines are produced at Vinedos de Paganos, this wine El Puntido and a new wine La Nieta that was released in 2004.  There were something like 6 bottles of La Nieta 2004 available for Australia. It is a very rare wine and the production methods are crazy, hand selected berries for example.

Anyway, El Puntido is all Tempranillo from the minerally, clay soils of Paganos from 30 year old vines .  The wine is aged in French oak for 18 months.  The 03 is showing a lot of character of the hot 2003 vintage.  Regardless, it is a great wine that will aged for 20+ years.

deep, deep purple in the glass with aromas of coffee, earth, spice, mulberry and blackberry.  There is also some red fruit as the wine opens up, cranberry and raspberry.  The wine moves straight into full bodied mode, mouth coating fruit and tannin, but there is good balance of fruit, acid and oak.  The palate shows characters of the vintage with some raisiny fruit, blackberry, dark cherry liqueur with liquorice and pepper and spice.  There is a huge finish with some iron/mineral character.  This won't appeal to everyone, this is full throttle Rioja.  Keep it in the cellar for at least 5 years.  93 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: Around $120 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.eguren.com