What we drank this weekend: Spanish wine tasting results
As many of you may have read, we helped host a wine tasting last weekend, of a selection of Spanish wines. We had planned on adding our own tasting notes to those by the Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator. But we were so busy leading the event that we didn’t fully get to experience the wines in a way that would allow us to write up complete tasting notes.
As a consolation, we’re going to give you a wrap up of the favorites of the evening, and the group’s overall responses to the wines. Nobody was aware of the prices of the wines or their scores when tasting, and these were only revealed after the votes were counted. White wines were used as the arrival cocktails and only the red wines were part of the scoring at the end of the evening.
NB, we didn’t vote in the final tally, so this list does not take domaine547 preferences into account. Additionally, the scoring here was done by a system that is not completely scientific, but one which this wine-tasting group has been using for years…so we just went with it.
1st place: 2003 Rioja Vega Crianza, Proprietary Red Blend, Rioja, $13.99
This came away with the most votes for favorite wine of the evening, and people were stunned to learn that the wine scored a 78 from the Spectator. In fact, one person said that this would now become his go-to “everyday” wine, but freely admitted that if he’d know about the Spectator score, he would never have bothered to try, and certainly wouldn’t have paid money, for the wine.
Wine Advocate notes (89pts): The 2003 Crianza is medium ruby-colored with an expressive nose of cedar, cinnamon, red currants, and black raspberry. This is followed by a supple-textured, ripe, medium-bodied wine with no hard edges (atypical for a 2003 Rioja). Drink this nicely balanced, fruit-driven Rioja over the next 6 years.
Wine Spectator notes (78pts): Firm and a bit sharp, this red delivers cherry and smoke flavors with gamy and earthy notes. Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano.
2nd place: 2005 Espelt “Saulo”, 60% Garnacha, 40% Carinera, Costa Brava (Emporda)
This was the second crowd pleaser of the bunch, with people noting its easy-to-drink fruit-forward style, very subdued tannins, and nice integration of the structure and fruit. When we showed off the synthetic cork closure, and revealed the cheap price-tag, the crowd seemed a little surprised, again admitting that if they knew any of these details it would have had an impact on whether or not they would have considered purchasing the wine.
Wine Advocate/Parker notes (87pts): Espelt Viticultors, an organically farmed estate, is located on the mountainous winding road leading to the world famous Catalunyan restaurant El Bulli. The red wine, the 2005 Saulo, is 50% Garnacha and 50% Carinena aged in barrel for 3-4 months. Dark ruby-colored, it offers smoky cherry aromas and flavors. Supple on the palate, with tasty flavors and no hard edges, this is an easy-drinking wine to accompany tapas and bistro cuisine.
3rd place: 2003 Ercavio “La Meseta” Shiraz/Tempranillo blend, La Mancha, $19.99
The group noted a raisin/currant element to the nose, along with some lilacs and cigar box. The spiciness of the wine along with the depth of fruit resonated, and the fact that there were no scores to validate or invalidate people’s opinions seemed to make everybody feel more confident with their own palates. Very interesting!
No published tasting notes that we could find.
4th place (tie): 2004 Vinas de la Vega Quinta Sardonia, Red blend, Castilla Leon, $60
Only two people voted for this wine, but both as their favorite. These happened to be the two people who seemed to have the most experience tasting wine, and could see through all the structure to what the wine will evolve into in the coming years. Others didn’t quite know what to make of the dusty tannins and earthy components. If this were a few years older, it would certainly have ranked closer to the top of the list.
Wine Advocate notes (96pts): This new project is co-owned by Peter Sisseck of Pingus fame and the vineyards are cultivated using biodynamic principles. The 2004 Quinta Sardonia is a blend of 36% Tinto Fino, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec,and 1% Petit Verdot. It is purple-colored with a sexy, kinky nose of spice box, smoke, creme de cassis, blueberry pie, rhubarb, and blackberry liqueur. Already complex on the palate, the wine is ripe and layered with gobs of spicy black fruits, beautifully integrated oak, tannin, and acidity, and a 45-second finish. It can be enjoyed now but should evolve for 4-6 years and drink well through 2027. Peter Sisseck hereby has demonstrated that he does not need old vines to achieve his magic.
4th place (tie) 2004 Bodegas Juan Gil, “Juan Gil”, 100% Monastrell, Jumilla, $14.99
While this went over very well, it was not number one for anybody. This was just that solid, middle-of-the-pack performer. A reliable wine, an enjoyable wine. It went over very well, but didn’t have that extra sumthin’ sumthin’ to push it to the top of anybody’s list. If we average the 90 parker gave it with the 84 from the Spectator, this becomes an 87 point wine…exactly how people perceived it.
Wine Advocate/Parker notes (90pts): A serious effort, the 2004 Juan Gil is fashioned from 45-year-old Mourvedre vines and is aged for 12 months in American and French oak. This rich, full-bodied, inky/purple-tinged cuvee exhibits aromas of scorched earth, blueberries, licorice, and pepper, a savory, layered texture, and remarkable opulence for a Mourvedre. Drink it over the next 3-4 years (2006 – 2010)
Wine Spectator notes (84pts): Oak dominates this thick red, with coffee and chocolate flavors and chewy tannins. Plum and raisin flavors are subdued, but they linger on the finish. Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2010
5th place: 2004 Cellar l’Encastell “Marge”, Garnacha, Syrah, Merlot, Cab blend), $24.99
Again, this went over well as an ‘easy drinking’ wine, but nobody claimed it as their favorite, and only one person, each, ranked the wine as either their second and third favorite wine of the evening. Our notes are a bit thin at this point, as it was getting late in the evening. Forgive us for not having a better explanation!
Wine Advocate notes for similarly constructed 2005 vintage (90pts): The 2005 Marge (named not after a female but rather the local name for the stone walls in the hillside vineyards of Priorat) is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 14% Syrah, 13% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 8 months in French and American oak. It reveals a lovely perfume of pepper, spice box, black cherry, and black currants. This is followed by a plush, ripe, full-flavored wine with nicely integrated oak, tannin, and acidity. Drink this tasty wine now and over the next 6-8 years.
6th place: 2003 Pasaijes IX, Tempranillo/Garnacha blend, Rioja
Two people claimed this as their 3rd favorite, and two others claimed it as their least favorite, canceling each other out. People could definitely taste the terroir in this, and were intrigued by the single vineyard aspect of the wine. Because vineyard designations aren’t allowed in the Rioja D.O. labeling rules, the winemakers assign a Roman numeral to refer to the specific plot of land from which the grapes for this wine originate. People tasted blueberries and dusty soil in this. For us, this is a stand-out wine with an incredible sense of place, but for the crowd this was more difficult to approach.
Wine Advocate notes on 2004 vintage (91pts): The 2004 Paisajes IX is composed of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Garnacha from 40- to 60-year-old vines planted in the village of Nalda. The wine was aged for 14 months in French oak. Inky in appearance, the wine offers up an unusual hint of mint as well as spice box, tobacco, black cherry and blackberry. The wine is supple on the palate with spicy black fruit flavors and excellent length. It should drink well now and over the next 8-10 years. Vila Viniteca is a joint venture between Miquel Angel de Gregorio of Finca Allende and Quim Vila, owner of Vila Viniteca, a fine wine shop in Barcelona. The objective, according to importer Eric Solomon, is to select special vineyard sites with old vines planted with unique/indigenous varietals. The wines are discussed in the order in which they were presented.
Last place: 2004 Anima Negra “AN/2” Callet, Mantonegro, Syrah blend, Balearas Islands (Majorca), $21.99
People didn’t know what to make of this wine. It is hands-down one of our favorites at domaine547, so we were extremely disappointed by the poor reception this wine garnered. Perhaps it had something to do with the wine being made of so many grape varietals not found in any of the other wines. This has flavors that border on Port-like without going over the edge in terms of alcohol or over-ripeness. We’re very, very sad that this didn’t receive standing ovations, and we still stand fully behind this wine. It’s just that against the Garnachas and Tempranillos, this was an oddball and one that seemed to throw the crowd off a bit.
Interestingly, the crowd this time agreed with the Spectator and not Parker (as with the Rioja Vega Crianza). So for the most and least favorite wines, the group allied themselves with different voices from the wine press. Which goes to show, there is only one palate to trust: your own.
Wine Advocate notes (91pts): The 2004 AN/2 is a blend of 65% Callet, 25% Mantonegro, and 10% Syrah. Subsequently, 85% of the wine was aged in French oak (70% new) and 15% in tank for a total of 10 months. Dark ruby-colored, with expressive toasty, smoky, kirsch and raspberry aromas and flavors, on the palate this medium to full-bodied wine is rich yet elegant, nicely layered, and has a long, pure finish. Drink this unique wine over the next 4-6 years.
Wine Spectator notes on 2003 vintage (79pts): Cherry candy, cedar and tobacco flavors jostle in this assertive red. It’s light-bodied, but the tannins are aggressive.
Disqualified (Corked): 2004 Tomas Cusine “El Vilosell” Tempranillo, Cab, Merlot, Garnacha and Syrah blend, Costers del Segre, Priorat, $13.99
What a bummer. Another wine we love, we opened this and immediately noticed something wrong with the cork. We tasted it and, sure enough, it was corked. We didn’t have a second bottle on hand so we weren’t able to include this in the tasting. This is a phenomenal wine and a terrific value, and we would have liked to see the group response since it was an anything but predictable group.
Wine Advocate notes for similar 2005 vintage (which will be coming in soon; 91pts): The 2005 El Vilosell is composed of 50% Tempranillo, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Garnacha, and 5% Syrah aged for 9 months in new French oak. Purple-colored, it reveals a fragrant array of scents including pepper, spice box, smoke, blackberry, black currant, and blueberry pie. Plush in texture, the wine is full-bodied, with layers of spicy fruit, intense flavors, and well-concealed tannins. Drink this superb value now and over the next 6-8 years.
For prices on these wines, see our previous post. Or go to our store to buy these wines if any intrigue you.
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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freshly pressed
The Business of Saying No:
No, I am not a natural wine merchant.
And no, I am also not not a natural wine merchant.
So what exactly is my store, Domaine LA? This is a tricky question that I try to answer here.
________
A couple of months back, I participated in the first annual Los Angeles Natural Wine Week, spearheaded by Lou Amdur of Lou Wine Bar. At that time, I took some heat from a few folks around the Internet who felt I might have been merely capitalizing on a trend and didn’t see me as a true natural wine merchant.
The thing is, I’ve never claimed to be a natural wine merchant. When I started my business online a few years ago, I stated plainly that I wanted to sell wines I loved. I was an enthusiast with a fairly receptive, wide-ranging palate, and I considered learning about wine a journey I would be going on alongside my customers. While I’ve since expanded my business to include a brick and mortar space, my self-conception and mission statement haven’t really changed. But my palate has.
To be absolutely blunt about it, I used to love wines that I simply can’t stomach anymore. There are blog posts archived on my website that in retrospect make me cringe, paragraphs singing the praises of some of the most blatantly manipulated wines in the world. I once criticized a wine bar for not having any Southern Hemisphere selections; it’s now my favorite spot in Los Angeles. And today I carry barely a dozen Southern Hemisphere SKUs myself.
By and large, my palate-shift is reflected in what I bring into the store. Chris Ringland and Mollydooker have been replaced by Eric Texier and Thierry Puzelat; the California fruit- and alcohol-bombs, for the most part, have given way to wines from La Clarine Farm, Donkey and Goat and LIOCO.
As a result of my largely obscure inventory, almost every day I’m faced with customers asking for items that I don’t stock. On a regular basis, I hear:
“Do you have Rombauer Chardonnay?”
No, I answer.
“Do you have Caymus?”
Afraid not, I reply.
“What about Blackstone Merlot?”
So sorry, but no.
“Where’s the Veuve Clicquot? This is a gift. I need the recipient to know it’s nice!”
Sigh.
Saying no to people sets up a potentially risky relationship that may start and end with that one exchange—many customers want what they want and aren’t open to alternative suggestions. In other cases, however, that simple “no” can be the beginning of something beautiful, a dialogue that winds up with a customer who came in looking for the Prisoner instead going home with something like Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Bedrock Heirloom Red, a wine which, while perhaps not 100% natural, is a more honest “made in the vineyard” (yes, I know this is also a cliché) version of what the Prisoner purports to be.
Of course, sometimes that customer really just wants the Prisoner. Which leads me to my major confession here: despite more than a bit of ambivalence, I continue to sell the Prisoner, along with other wines that are by no means natural, wines that are quite frankly manufactured. The Prisoner sits on the shelf right next to the Bedrock Heirloom Red, and for the time being, it will stay there. At least twice a week people come in asking specifically for this wine, and, for several reasons, it’s a request I’m not—yet—willing to deny.
Even though I no longer drink the Prisoner, there was a time–not too long ago–when I did so happily. When I first started getting interested in wine, it was a bottle that captured my imagination and helped launch me on the journey I remain committed to today. So maybe I keep the Prisoner around out of a sense of nostalgia. Or maybe I keep it around to remind me how far I’ve come. Maybe I keep it around hoping that for those who ask for it, it will simply be their starting place just as it was mine.
Or, more cynically, maybe I keep it around because people buy it. Maybe it’s a crutch to lean on when I’m too tired to hand-sell the less familiar items on my shelves. Seeing something recognizable is comforting to consumers, and that comfort somehow lends me credibility; credibility is a precedent to trust. Trust is what enables me to recommend something different to a customer who normally drinks the Prisoner.
In this sense, the Prisoner is of great value to me, not just as an easy sell, but even more so as a gateway to all the other wines I have available. I don’t know that I’d be able to move as much of the Bedrock, an unknown wine with a tiny case production, without the Prisoner right next to it.
______
Saying no is extremely hard. Right now, I’m willing to do so 90% of the time, maybe even 95%. Call me a coward or a fake if you want. But I know where I started out, and it’s been a logical evolution. And while I’m headed in a particular direction, guided by my palate, it’s safe to assume I won’t ever be a 100% “natural wine merchant.”
I like to think there’s room for somebody like me—somebody with confidence in her tastes, who also takes into account modes of production in buying decisions; someone who has a particular point of view, yet retains an inclusive attitude. I am strong in my opinions, and enthusiastic in my passions. I never judge my customers, and hope that they’ll be as open-minded and respectful of my offerings as I am of their preferences.
So far, it seems to be working out. In recent months, I’ve brought in only one case of the Prisoner (less than a thousandth of a percent of its total production) for every three cases of the Bedrock (1.3% of its total production).
So, what am I?
I’m not a natural wine merchant. And I’m not not a natural wine merchant.
I’m a work in progress. And I’m okay with that.
The Business of Saying No
Los Angeles Natural Wine Week: Taste California Terroir on 5/15/2010 at Heath Ceramics
Meet the Reps: Amy Atwood
wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
grapewise
DomaineLA Store Contact Info
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(323) 932-0280
Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.
Read more…Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
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Fabulous & Frugal!
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
August 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Wild. This is one of the most illuminating posts on ratings, varied palates, wine experience, and price/quality ratio that I’ve read in a long time. I had to read it twice to really feel like it had all sunk in. Excellent and thought provoking post.
August 9th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Yeah we love to see more Spanish wine coverage! Great to hear you had a good experience with what looks like a very nice selection of wines.The Espelt wines(didn’t know they made it there yet) remind me of your graphics…great labels for sure! Oh and some pretty good wines too! Cheers,
August 9th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
I am having a glass of espelt saulo 2005 and your opinions are spot on. I have always been a fan of what the Spaniards produce from the granacha grape.
This is a bit more fruit forward than I prefer but a good value.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:20 am
[…] is part store, part community and most definitely interesting. Last week, they tasted a series of Spanish wines available in the USA and included both a nice write-up and some interesting tasting notes. While […]
August 10th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Thanks guys! We’d assumed the Espelt, with its modern label, was for export only (as several of Eric Solomon’s selections are, such as the Burgans Albarino which we’ve learned he plays a winemaking role in). So it’s nice to find out that it’s available in Europe as well. Makes it seem more authentic somehow and less market pandering. Curious what the cost for the Saulo is over there.
Somebody (Tim at Winecast? Joel at Winelifetoday?) suggested that low-scoring Spectator wines might make a good WBW subject. I think that could be really interesting, though NOT knowing scores beforehand seemed to be the most helpful part of this tasting experience for people!
August 10th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Sounds like I might want to cellar my bottle of Quinta Sardonia for a couple years.
Was great to read all of the reviews as well.
August 21st, 2007 at 1:34 am
Hello everybody,
Thanks very much for your comments regarding the Saulo 2005.
I just discovered your commennts googling “Espelt Wines”
We just hope you will love the Saulo 2006 as well.
Please visit our website to obtain more information:www.espeltviticultors.com
Best regards from sunny Emporda region.
Ramuntxo Andonegui
Export Manager
Espelt Viticultors
August 21st, 2007 at 7:40 am
Ramuntxo,
Thanks for visiting our site. We’ll definitely check out the ‘06 vintage. When are they due to arrive in the US?
April 11th, 2008 at 9:35 am
[…] have scored consistently in the mid to high 80s (interesting to see that in consideration of our Spanish tasting last year that revealed similar gaps between WS and WA scores for that country as […]