Bodegas Beronia Crianza 2005

I traveled up to Canberra for a day last week, damn is it cold up there. No time to look around at the wineries or drinking anything local unfortunately. Actually, I think my main achievement for the day was getting home on Qantas, what with cancelled flights and delays. Luckily I had Bar Lourinha waiting for me when I got home.

Anyway, here’s a tidy crianza from the 2005 vintage in Rioja. It leans towards the traditional in style and shows plenty of refinement at 13% alcohol. Its a blend of 82% Tempranillo, 14% Garnarcha and 4% Mazuelo that lives in oak for 12 months.

Mocha anise and cookie dough with some black berry and cherry fruit. Its friendly and well rounded, with some plush, juicy fruit. Plenty of savoury cherry and mulberry with bushy undergrowth. Some earth and anise thrown in for good measure. Solid winter drinking. 89 Pts

Bodegas Beronia Reserva 2001

If you’re inclined to indulge in a bit of traditional Rioja, you’ll know all about this house and this wine. I’ve been working through the range over the weekend, starting off with this Reserva from the great 2001 vintage.

A blend of Tempranillo (89%), Graciano (5%) and Mazuelo (6%), this Rerserva follows the usual pattern of aging in the bodega for at least 3 years. In this case, 18 months of that are in french and american oak, the other 18 months is in bottle.

The nose comes over smooth and confident with cherry and plum, with cinnamon, star anise and a bit of cigar box. Its full of beans in the mouth, with velvety and refined tannins. Cherry and blue fruits on the palate with subtle cinnamon and anise. A fairly robust wine that shows plenty of class. It went really well with my lamb racks, it even went well with a slab of fromage de meaux. 90 Pts.

Bodegas Mauro 2004

Like many countries, Spain has plenty of wine made outside the DO system, and there are some advantages for producers in following this path. Less overhead from the regulator and more freedom to make wine from whatever variety you like, however you like. The guys at Bodegas Mauro have taken this path, they sit just outside the Ribera del Duero DO and grow a bit of shiraz as well as tempranillo and garnarcha. They also have a bit of help from winemaking legend Mariano Garcia and his sons.

This is their entry level wine and its made from mostly tempranillo with 10% shiraz. It’s fermented in stainless steel, then into a mix of 75% french oak and 25% american oak for 14 months. Only 20% of that is new oak.

A rustic nose of dark cherry, plum, unfired clay, a touch of wood smoke, thyme and coco. Super smooth in the mouth, some subtle acid and some grainy tannins that build and soften as the wine get some air. On the palate there is plenty of dark cherry, plum, dark chocolate and some spicy oak. A bit of red cherry pops in from time to time to keep things interesting. A long finish with some grippy tannins and sage. A really interesting wine, a bit pricey perhaps, but quality all the way. 92+ Pts.

Source: Boccaccio Cellars RRP: $70 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasmauro.com

Telmo Rodriguez Pago la Jara 2005

This is the top wine from Toro for Telmo Rodriguez and it must be hardest bottle in the world to take a photo of, its a good thing that the wine is bloody good. Toro generally grows big and bold fruit that can handle plenty of oak, so there is always a temptation to bung the wine in loads of new, high toast oak. As a result there are some oak milkshake type wines that come out of Toro, however this wine fruit shows through with great pruity and plenty of earthy, gamey character. There is some expertly handled oak in there too, but it’s aiming for best supporting actor, not the big gong.

Very dark in the glass, with a purple rim. The nose is off and going from the start: gamey dark cherry, blackberry, sarsaparilla, a shake of black pepper with some rose and violet high notes. In the mouth the tannins slowly build into big, soft things followed up by some minerally acid. A bit tight in the mouth, but showing show meaty, juby dark cherry with some sars, espresso coffee, and sage. A good long finish with a herbal note wraps it all up. It has all the stuffing to go well in the cellar for 3-4 years then drink well over the following 10. 94+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $130 Closure: Conventional Cork

Roda Reserva 2004

Roda may make some pretty amazing wines, but they also spend a lot of time and money on R&D, specifially on Tempranillo clones. After studying 532 clones for 5 years, the guys in white coats have anounced their prefered clone and called it Roda 107. Not the most inspiring name, but thats scientific types for you. Sounds kind of like a radio station.

The 2004 Roda Reserva has the highest percentage of Graciano so far. This year’s blend is 81% Tempranillo, 14% Graciano, 5% Garnacha and gets 50% new oak for 16 months. The resulting wine is very classy, with the usual silky Roda tannins and a gorgious nose.

Very open on the nose straight away, very complex with aromas of musky red cherry, tobacco leaf, pencil shavings, plum, anise, and coco with some violets, undergrowth and mocha coffee. Classic Roda in the mouth, abundant silky tannins that lend a great texture, backed up buy some driving acid leaving the sence of perfect balance. The palate needed a bit more air time to show its stuff, it starts off with some red cherry and currents, plum with some earthy minerals, then adds cinnamon, pepper and mocha with time. A fairly long finish that shows off those lovely tannins. I think this may actually be a touch better than the 01, but only time will tell. 94 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $85 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.roda.es

Sierra Cantabria Coleccion Privada 2005

All this talk of modern V’s traditional Rioja seems logical until you come across a wine like this. The Coleccion Privada is what the Egurens call a Collection wine, that is a wine that shows character and tradition but with modern methods and oak treatment. The result is something that blurs the line between traditional and modern, however I’d have to question the oak treatment a bit here.

A quick google search tells me that the CP is made from two vineyards of 50 year old vines, barrell fermented in a mix of French and American oak and then left to age in the barrel for 18 months.

Very dark in the glass, with royal purple towards the rim. A concentrated nose of dark fruits and wood at this stage: blackberry, dark cherry with espresso, a year’s worth of pencil shavings, sarsparilla and cinamon. Very nice fruit tannins in the mouth, bigish and soft, that lend a bit of ommph and keep up with the acid. Although this is a very young wine, its fairly approachable now. The palate shows juicy black fruits with some mocha, pepper and hot cinamon. The finish is very long. A wine to be banished to the cellar for at least 5 years, preferably 7-10. But it looks like it will live for a very long time. 93 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods Wines Price: $125 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.eguren.com

González Lara Fuente del Conde Rosado 2006

Given the heat, this was a choice pick over the weekend. I believe this is the first wine from Cigales that I've reviewed. This DO sits just north of Ribera del Douro and is traditionally the land of the Rosado, with some reds and whites also being made. This is 70% tempranillo , 10% verdejo and 20% garnacha and shows more depth than many rose wines in both colour and flavour intensity. I'd prefer this with food, but its fine on its own too.

Dark pink/light red in colour, the tint is quite dark for a rose. The nose has sweet notes of Strawberry and fennel bulb, but the palate show ripe, savoury strawberry and raspberry. The palate adds some wintergreen herbs and a rocky/stoney note. A bit of grip in the mouth and a short finish. One for the BBQ, would be refreshing with some BBQ'd poultry. 88 Pts.

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

Misterio de Fontana 2006

Do the DO of Ulces is located smack in the middle of Spain, about an hours drive east of Madrid.  Its one of the smallest and newest in Spain.  There are only 8 registered producers at the moment, I think this is the only wine from the region being imported into Australia. 

This wine is made from mostly Tempranillo with a dollop of Syrah then aged in oak for just 3 months.  I quite like the Tempranillo/Syrah blend, it certainly adds something to this wine.

Aromas of cherry jam and mulberry with earth, smoke and pepper.  Smooth and inviting in the mouth, nice warm tannins and good balance. Cherry bursts onto the palate, followed up by some plums and pepper and spice.  Excellent for the BBQs that seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment.  86 Pts.

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

Web: www.bodegasfontana.com

Grandes Bodegas Marques de Velilla 2006

Here is a cheapy from Ribera del Douro.  I'm fairly sure that this wine has had a bit of carbonic maceration treatment (and has a bit of an ethyl mercaptan issue).  Its a fairly popular method for Joven wines, it brings out the softer, fruitier aspects of the wine.  But it can also has a downside in that it can also produce rather annoying burnt rubber and nutty smells, plus the wines don't really age that well. 

This wine is made from mostly Tempranillo with 10% Merlot.  Unfortunately, this bottle suffered quite badly from the smell of late night circle work that doesn't blow off.  It has a nice deep purple colour in the glass and under the burnt rubber it has some red fruit and plum on the nose.  Actually quite nice in the mouth, nice soft tannins and some red fruit with liquorice and spice.  This bottle is not quite right, I'll grab another at some point.  79 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price: $22 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.marquesdevelilla.com