I had a rather odd visit to this place last year, we got stuck in a snow storm, climbed up to the roof of the bodega, watched some dude clean barrels for about 30 minutes, tasted some wine and had a great conversation about native stalks and ducks (quite a common topic for discussion in northern Spain it seems). A very traditional bodega visit by all accounts.
Anyway, Pesquera seems to be back on form with the 2004 Crianza. It is a classic Pesquera that sees 18 months in American oak and a further 6 months in bottle before it's released. There has been a lot of noise in the past about brett, too much oak and slightly jammy fruit in the wines from Pesquera, but this one looks the goods. There is just a hint of brett here, nothing a cool cellar can't keep in check. I always question why people are drinking Spanish wine if they don't like a bit of brett here and there, its part of the style.
A great nose of earthy iron ore, ripe red cherry, mulberry, a bit of oak, vanilla and very slight barnyard characters. Luscious, concentrated plum, mulberry and cherry fruit, undergrowth, cola with pepper, spice and salty minerals. Great fruit tannins, and lots of them. Savory and balanced with a mid length finish, a little more acid would be welcome. Showing it's youth at the moment, about 2 years in the cellar will do wonders. 92+ Pts.
Source: Boccaccio Cellars RRP: $45 Closure: Conventional Cork
I had this on Friday night Shag. It has a fair bit of brett in this wine. Very old-school.
Yep, as soon as I opened it I could hear Dan Clarke’s brett-o-meter going off: woop-woop. It doesn’t bother me, in fact its all the better for it in my book.
But if your sensitive to it stay well clear of this one, in fact just about all the Pesquera wines. The Condado de Haza is much cleaner…
Talk of odd visits - I went there in 1984. Had gotten food poisoning on the flight over, but persisted in visting the winery just hours after landing in Madrid. Arriving with a friend in a similar condition, Alejandro Fernandez who was working amongst vats of wine in a large garage like structure greeted us. Able to speak only minimal Spanish we finally conveyed our wish to taste some of his wines. Both of us took one sip, went outside, threw up, came back in and bought a case. This drew some very odd looks from Alejandro.
Now that is an odd visit. I’m sure that the bodega has changed a bit since then….great story.