A Wonderful Wine from the Golden Mile. Abadía Retuerta “Selección Especial”

Abadía Retuerta “Selección Especial” Castilla y León (IGP) 2014, 14%

A Wonderful Wine from the Golden Mile.

We are on the bank of the Douro river in Spain, just leaving the famous Ribera del Duero winery of Vega Sicilia. The car is taking us west along the N122. A few minutes later, with the river still to our right, we pass another of the well-known wineries here, this called Pingus. We are heading to the winery of Abadia Retuerta in Sardon and we soon arrive there, as close to the river as we have been in the 15 minutes since leaving Vega Sicilia.

We have travelled the “Golden Mile”. Maybe not so golden for some. Abadia falls just outside the DO of Ribera del Duero. And so you’ll find the wines of Abadia and its neighbours just west of the official boundary sold under the IGP Castilla y León. According to the current World Wine Atlas, “local politics rather than geography is responsible for the exclusion”.

Santa María de Retuerta is one of the historical estates in the region. Its beautiful abbey of Santa María de Retuerta is a reminder of a winemaking tradition which faded and even disappeared. In 1996, the Spanish Wine Lover tells us that the financial support of Novartis, the pharmaceutical group, helped to launch an ambitious project which now has 210 hectares under vine in the 700-hectare estate.

“Our winemaker Ángel Anocíbar likes to describe Selección Especial as a compendium of each new vintage in the Abadía Retuerta estate. And the recently released 2014, …., is one that he finds particularly satisfying.”

This is how Abadia introduce this wine and it is indeed a particularly good one, outstanding in fact. But don’t let the Vino de la Tierra of Castilla y Leon on the label put you off - this is excellent, as good as many Ribera and Very Highly Recommended.

The 2014 is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 17% Syrah and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. The richness of Tempranillo, the intensity of Syrah and the aromatic elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon have earned it international recognition (according to the back label). I got a few bottles in Karwig Wines both before and during last year’s closing down sale. Don’t think it’s available anywhere in Ireland now.

Colour is a dark ruby. Aromas are intense, of blackcurrant, cherry, vanilla. Fruit flavours are concentrated, a touch of spice, abundant fine-grained tannins a benign factor. Vintage conditions were excellent and this rich wine is a polished expression of the fruit and the year. Eleven months in oak, French and American, help make this a harmonious wine, smooth and easy drinking. An excellent example of the winery’s style and a very special selection indeed.

“Although Tempranillo is the dominant variety, French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot are also meticulously planted in the slopes by the Douro river. As vinification is gravity-led, the winery uses small crane-operated tanks and each pago (parcel) is worked separately. Aging is all done in French oak.”

It seems that the perceived handicap of being outside the Ribera DO is being carried lightly. The less precise limits of the IGP Castilla y Leon allows the winemaker quite a lot of freedom and it is used well. Besides, being in the Golden Mile, with a string of illustrious wineries within a few minutes drive, is quite a selling point for well-made Abadia Retuerta wines.

And not just for the wines. The ruined abbey became the property of the Novartis Group in 1988 and the group has successfully resumed its age-old wine-making tradition through Bodega Abadía Retuerta and, today, Abadía Retuerta Le Domaine has been completely restored and houses a 12th century Romanesque church and a luxurious five-star hotel called Le Domaine. It is in the Relais & Châteaux network and hosts a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Time now to get out of the car, stretch our legs, have a bite to eat in the Refectorio. A glass of that Selección Especial should go well with the De-boned Wagyu rib-eye lacquered in sweet & sour sauce, turnip purée and tender onion.

Ex El Bulli Somm Brings Stunning Duo To Liberty Wines Portfolio Tasting

Ex El Bulli Somm Brings Stunning Duo

 To Liberty Wines Portfolio Tasting

Didn’t quite realise it at the time, but the David I was chatting with at the amazing Liberty Wines Portfolio tasting in the Westbury Hotel (Dublin) last week was none other than David Seijas Vila (above), the former head-sommelier at the world famous restaurant El Bulli. David worked at Catalonia’s famous three-Michelin starred restaurant for 11 years until it closed in 2011.

He was in Dublin to promote his latest venture, the Gallina de Piel wines. This is in conjunction with Ferran Centelles (another El Bulli alumnus). The highly acclaimed Spanish duo’s aim is to create versatile wines from Spain’s gastronomic northern regions: Catalonia, Aragon and Galicia. They work with local growers, selecting the best vineyards and indigenous grape varieties.

Lithograph for the Mimetic label

The vineyards are located in the Penedès denomination at an altitude of between 750 and 1,000 metres above sea level on deep clay soil with pebbles on the surface. The vines are aged between 35 to 80 years old and trained on the double Guyot system.

The vineyards are located in the Penedès denomination at an altitude of between 750 and 1,000 metres above sea level on deep clay soil with pebbles on the surface. The vines are aged between 35 to 80 years old and trained on the double Guyot system.

Liberty Lads: Joe and Marcus (right)

The first thing that caught my attention when I got these two bottles a few months back were the labels and their amazing designs. Then again, I shouldn’t have been too surprised because some of the best label designs I’ve seen in recent years have come from Catalonia. 

The Gallina de Piel white is `Ikigall` Penedès (DO) 2018, produced mostly from Xarel-lo, a light-skinned grape from Catalonia, perhaps best known for its role in sparkling Cava. The other grapes included here are Malvasia (10%) and Muscat of Alexandria (5%). Mid straw is the colour. Fragrant for sure, floral and citrus (lime). Immediately you note that tingly feel at the tip of your tongue, a feeling that soon spreads, right through to crisp finish. Citrus flavours are subtly influential in this fresh and rather elegant and very lovely wine.

Their red is the Mimetic Calatayud (DO) 2018. It’s a bright juicy Garnacha (98%) with an engaging freshness. Colour is a mid to a dark ruby. Dark fruits with a touch of herb (marjoram), feature in the aromas. First thing I noticed on the palate is the balance, no extremes in this graph, and that perfect harmony continues between the delicious fruit flavour and acidity. A touch of spice adds interest through to the lengthy finish. Elegant and fresh and well worth looking out for.

There are dry wines and then there's Txakoli

Another Spanish wine worth noting, for me at least, is the Xtrème Ecologico organic Rioja Crianza 2015. It is 100 per cent Tempranillo and has spent 14 months in oak. Very well made, well rounded and one I'll be chasing for sure.

I sipped the Bodega Agerre Txakoli, a Basque wine, for old times sake. Had some nice holidays down in that region and the wine in the Westbury certainly lacked nothing in acidity! Better on hols methinks than here.

Italy, like France, were very well represented here and thought a pair from Cantina di Nizza were pretty good. These were the Le Pole Barbera D’Asti 2018 and the Magister Barbera D’Asti 2017.Not much between them so both make my shortlist.

You have to visit Sicily on these occasions and I enjoyed two well-priced wines here from Vigneti Zabù (with Marco Scarinci), their 2019 Grillo and the 2018 Nero D’Avola.

Chianti of course is another must-stop and my lucky dip  was the Poggiotondo Organic Chianti Superiore. This 2016 also gets the thumbs up.

Organic from Capezzana

I always expect good things when Capezzana is on the label and so it proved once again. Delighted with my first wine, the Barco Real di Carmignano. Even better was the Villa di Capezzana Carmignano, not a total surprise considering it’s almost double the price.

With over 300 wines open, I was exercising discipline and operating off a short list (no sparklers to start with and nothing sweet at the end) and so tasted just a fraction of what was available. I must say though that my list worked out well and I didn’t have a dud for the afternoon in the packed room. Just shows that the Liberty buyers know what they are about.

The Domaine Corinne Perchaud Chablis 2018 was the first wine tasted and that set a high standard indeed. Never a doubt but that I was going to try a Beaujolais or two and neither the Frédéric Berne Lantignié “Pierre Bleue” nor the Dominique Morel Fleurie 2018 let me down! 

The Via Caritatis wines from an old papal vineyard in France were good as was the story and there’s a separate post here. 

Chile had two that I fancied, both from Itata. Surprisingly enough, I preferred the Clos des Fous ‘Pour Ma Gueule’ to the Pedro Parra ‘Vinista’ Pais, not that I disliked the latter, far from it.

There were two other quite excellent wines tasted from the Southern hemisphere. From Argentina, came the Amalaya Calchaqui Valley Malbec while the Tinpot Hut’s Sauvignon Blanc emphasised the continued excellence of Fiona Turner’s Marlborough wines.

No doubt I  missed out on some beauties but overall the feeling at the end of the afternoon was one of satisfaction and my list will be the basis for some even more satisfactory evenings ahead with full bottles instead of tasting samples! Cheers to all at Liberty for a terrific tasting and great that it was so well supported.

Two Superb Reds in my Mystery Case from Wines Direct

The Mystery Case

I've often seen Wines Direct advertise their Mystery Case, six reds and six wines, quality guaranteed with twenty five per cent off and free delivery. Sounds good and this time I ordered one. No regrets so far! Au contraire. The first two opened turned out to be two gems, one from Italy, the other from Spain.

Nicodemi “Le Murate” Colline Teramane Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (DOCG) 2017, 13.5%, €15.60 Wines Direct

Abruzzo is a DOC zone in the east of Italy. It borders the Adriatic and has the Apennines to the west, Puglia to the south. In and near the mountains, wild horses and bears may be seen here, and certainly saffron. Our producers, Nicodemi, are an hour away from the mountains, twenty minutes from the coast. And this wine is made from the Montepulciano grape. By the way, just to confuse things, there is a town called Montepulciano in Tuscany, also well known for its wines!

The Colline Teramane is a sub zone of the general Montepulciano zone and has that extra letter (G) at the end indicating its superiority. This particular wine is smooth and medium-bodied with a dark ruby colour. Black berry fruit and ripe plum feature in the attractive aromas, cracked black pepper notes there too. No shortage of rounded flavours on the warm and enticing palate, and it’s round and smooth right to the very satisfactory finish, soft tannins and a soft mouthfeel also. Soft and generous as I’ve come to expect from these wines in general and this is one of the better examples. VHR

Foods pairings recommended by Wines Direct include: Spicy Food, Pasta and Pizza, Hard Cheese, Game. Speciality foods of the region include lamb (they have one called Abbachio al Diavolo, hot suff!), Scamorza (check out the Toons Bridge Dairy version of this cheese), mortadella (spicy, garlicky), pork liver sausage, dried pasta and saffron. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees.

The Nicodemi estate abides by all the rules that organic farming demands, leaving wild grasses to grow around the rows, oxygenating and enriching the soil. “We believe in biodiversity and even our new vines are selected from our heirloom cultivars, because something that was good in the past can play a role in the future…. With careful actions, respectful of the grapes, our experience helps us turn them into wine without pushing too hard”. Nicodemi are also well-known for their Trebbiano.

Bodegas Maximo Abete ‘Guerinda El Maximo’ Tinto Crianza Navarra DO 2016, 14.5%, €18.55 Wines Direct.

This red blend, of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha, is named in honour of the family’s father and was indeed the first wine Maximo made here in Vallervitos, “an incredible place” in the middle of the Sierra de Guerinda. His moustache was also of the large variety and an illustration dominates the label of the tallish bottle with a plastic disc over the top of its cork rather than foil or similar. 

The wine is dark, close to purple, with a  crimson rim. Nose of dark fruit, some herbal notes also. Complex and smooth, blackberry fruit and peppery on the palate, it has a lively acidity and ripe tannins, all echoed in a persistent finish. Very Highly Recommended.

The fruit is grown at altitude (700m) and the importers say that El Maximo showcases Navarra’s strengths as a DO. It certainly does. Recommended pairings are soft cheese, game, beef and lamb. Open 30 minutes before serving at the recommended temperature is 16 to 18 degrees.

Spanish Wine Sale at Supervalu. Look out for Lunático Double!

Spanish Wine Sale at Supervalu
Look out for Lunático Double!

Lunático Bianco Jumilla (DOP) 2018, 13%, Regular price €18.99, down to 12.00 during February offer.

This casual and easy-drinking wine has a rose gold colour, very clean and bright, quite attractive. Quite intense with both floral and ripe fruit notes. Creamy, with an unmistakable touch of oak (in which it has spent 3 months), fresh and fruity and a decent finalé. Perfect to pair with fish, white meats, medium strong cheese, cured fish, and Asian salads.  Take note of the serving temperature of 8 to 10 degrees. A superb Viognier and well worth looking out for in the sale.

Look out also for the Lunático red. This young Monastrell is part of SuperValu’s Specially Sourced Signature Range and has spent 12 months in French oak. It is 100% Monastrell (probably better known to many by its French name Mourvedre). Jumilla is one of the better areas for this grape.

Colour is medium purple with the legs slow to clear. Black berries feature in the aromas. On the palate, the rich berry flavours are enhanced by the sweet oak spice. It is rich and smooth overall with a long and pleasant finish and, I must say, I have a preference for the red over the white. But that’s personal. Do your own thing - especially in wine. 

Mosaic “Winemaker Selection” Priorat (DO) 2016, 14.5%, €12.00 (was 23.99) SuperValu

Full bodied red Priorat wines from a small region in Catalonia (north-eastern Spain), have been finding a much wider audience in the past few decades. So I was expecting good things from this Mosaic blend. And I got them.

Colour of this very accessible wine is purple. There are complex aromas with red fruits and spice featuring. Intense and full-bodied, moderate spice all the way, fresh and dry, tannins silky smooth with hardly a bite at all in a deliciously lingering finish. High quality here, and now at a terrific price.

Condado de Oriza Roble Ribera Del Duero (DO) 2017, 13.5%, €10.00 (14.99)

Say “hola” to this impressive youth from Ribera Del Duero where they’ll tell you they make better wines from the Tempranillo grape than their Riojan counterparts. 

Wine has been produced in this beautiful region since Roman times, though it became well known outside of Spain only in the 1990s. Just two hours north of Madrid, there are about 300 vineyards following the banks of the Duero River in the Castilla y León region, a flowing swathe of land that’s approximately 115 kms long and 35 kms wide. A few years back, Larousse Wine described the DO as “truly the queen of the Iberian peninsula and the cradle of the greatest wines”.

This Condado de Oriza is one hundred per cent Tempranillo (also known here as Tinta del Pais) and has been aged in new American oak for six months, a style known as Roble. After the oak, it is kept in bottle in the cellar for another six months.

It has a dark ruby colour. Ripe darker fruits (plum, cherry) in the aromas, plus spice and fresh herb notes. Rich fruit flavours fill the palate, muted spice, hints of the oak, full bodied and the finish is strong and long.

Serve it at 16 to 17 degrees and pair, the vineyard advise, with lamb chops, pies, cured or semi-cured Manchego or Gouda cheese, as well as dates wrapped in bacon.

Abellio Albarino Rias Baixas (DO), 12.5%, €10.00 (was 14.99).

Liked the colour of this current Wine of the Month immediately, an inviting medium gold. It is hand-harvested and ideal with shellfish and fish and also recommended for lightly spiced Asian chicken dishes. The medium intense aromas are of white fruit. It has a smooth character on the palate, intense fruit (pear, apple and peach) with refreshing minerality. It is zesty and well balanced.

On the Case!

As usual the Supervalu buyers have come up with a very attractive case deal, featuring the aromatic and soft La Miranda de Secastilla. Normal price for this six bottle deal in a wooden is ninety euro but during the Spanish sale you can get it for €50.00. Not to be sniffed at! Though you probably will have a nose or two at the fruity aromas before enjoying!

Like Cava, Spain's excellent sparkling wine, made in the same way as Champagne but better-priced, especially in this sale. We reviewed a couple recently - check it out here. 

* By the way....  If you buy any 6 normal sized bottles, including wines already on offer, you save another €10.00. So buy and enjoy responsibly.

Supervalu Highlight Increase in Sales of Cava during 2020 Spanish Wine Launch

Supervalu Highlight Increase in Sales of Cava

 during 2020 Spanish Wine Launch

Supervalu have had a long association with Spanish wines and recently launched their 2020 selection. It includes the two Cava below. 

Head wine buyer Kevin O’Callaghan: “Ten years ago, Spanish wines sales were dominated by red wines, but today Spanish white wines have enjoyed a 9% growth and now account for 22% of total Spanish wine sales, a sizeable increase considering ten years ago SuperValu’s Spanish white wine sales amounted to less than 6%...while Spanish Cava has also seen growth of 18%…”

Cava is a different distinctive under-rated sparkling wine, made in Spain using the same method as Champagne. There’s a great choice with the Spanish, mainly Catalan, wine whereas many of the big Champagne houses are nowadays owned by the LVMH Group and many smaller producers are now selling their grapes to the big names rather than sticking to the increasingly more difficult independent route. Prosecco is extremely popular in Ireland of course and sometimes I wonder why. Having said that, there are some really good examples of the main Italian sparkler.

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad 12%, €30.00*.

Light gold is the colour of this elegant Cava, so elegantly presented, constant little fountains send micro-bubbles to the top while slightly bigger ones cling to the sides. Fruit (apple), and a touch of honey in the intense aromas. Mouthfeel is excellent (it has spent some time on the lees), and the high standard, fruity and full of flavour, plus that biscuity touch, is maintained all through to a long impressive finish. 

This premium Cava comes in a decorated bottle. Patiently resting in its precious bottle, it is allowed to quietly mature for the most time in the calm darkness of the Segura Viudas cellars before a last poignettage, from Head Winemaker Gabriel Suberviola, intensifies the contact of the lees for a more complex and finished bouquet. Poignettage occurs when the bottle is shaken vigorously so that the dosage liqueur marries perfectly with the wine. Some of you may be familiar with dosage; it not, check here. 

Notes indicate that it pairs well with meat dishes, such as pork and chicken. It is produced in the Penedès area (near Barcelona) and the blend is of just two grapes: Macabeo (67%) and Parellada.

Gran Troya Cava Brut NV 11.5%, €26.00*  

It may be a little less intense in all aspects than the Segura Viudas and it’s very approachable. If you haven’t tried Cava before, this is a terrific introduction. Indeed, if you are not familiar with Cava,  start with the Troya and then make Segura Viudas your next drop.

The Troya colour is a pale gold and there is no shortage of tiny bubbles rising to the top and forming a ring around the perimeter of the glass. It is reasonably intense, mellow aromas, and fruity in the mouth with a long dry finish. A fairly typical Cava. The grapes used are the traditional Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada “from our own vineyards”. Try with olives, grilled almonds. Serve at 6-8 degrees.

* Watch out for the regular Supervalu offers. For instance, during the second half of February, the Segura Viudas is on offer at €20, and I have seen the Gran Troya as low as €12.00.

Two Outstanding Reds from Yecla and Valpolicella

Two Outstanding Reds despite contrasting growing seasons in Yecla and Valpolicella

Drought was a regular feature in Spain’s Yecla in 2016, resulting in very low yields, but that in turn led to increased concentration in the Monastrell grapes. No complaints about the season in Valpolicella in north east Italy and the results were excellent. Here, the wine-maker availed of a version of the Ripasso method to enhance concentration. And so we have two excellent reds for you to enjoy.

Bodegas Castano “Hécula” Monastrell Yecla (DO) 2016, 14%, €17.99

Baggot Street Wines; McHugh’s Off Licence; Red Island Wine Co Ltd; World Wide Wines; Martins Off Licence; JJ O’Driscoll; The Wine Centre; Drink Store; Clontarf Wines; Fresh The Good Food Market; wineonline.ie

Just a few info bits and pieces for you…

“Hécula” is the name of the wine and it is produced by the Castano family from the Monastrell grape in Yecla ( a small wine DO in the north of Murcia, about an hour inland from Alicante). The grape is known as Mourvedre in France and the fruit used here is from 40-year old vines.

Dark intense ruby, legs slow to clear. Inviting aromas of blueberry and raspberry. Not at all shy on the palate, soft and elegant with fresh juicy raspberry flavours, a hint of the oak too, quite concentrated. A long and substantial finish. This wonderfully harmonious wine is Very Highly Recommended.

Drought was a regular feature in Yecla in 2016, resulting in very low yields and that probably accounts for the extra concentration of flavour. After fermentation, the wine was aged for six months in oak barrels of which 50% were new. The oak used was 80% French and 20% American. It is untreated and unfiltered so you expect to see some sediment. It may be best to decant. I didn’t take my own advice but, as it happened, there was no sediment.

Pic via Allegrini Facebook

Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre Rosso Veronese (IGT) 2016,  13.5%, €27.99

Clontarf Wines; 64 Wine; Blackrock Cellar; McHugh’s Off Licence - Malahide Road; Mitchell & Son Wine Merchants; Thomas`s of Foxrock; Jus de Vine; Whelehans Wines; Drink Store; Seamus Foley T/A Cashel Wine Cellar; Red Nose Wine Ltd; La Touche Wines 4U; Martins Off Licence; Wineonline.ie

Mid to dark ruby is the colour of this blend of 70% Corvina/Corvinone, 25% Rondinella, 5% Sangiovese. Quite aromatic with cherry prominent and some scents too of chocolate/coffee. Juicy and darkly flavoursome, velvety smooth with refreshing acidity. Harmonious all the way with silky tannins in a long and richly satisfying finish. 

Back in 2002 when Vino Italiano was first published, its authors described  Allegrini as one of the biggest names in Valpolicella. They added: “the value-priced Palazzo della Torre (which includes 30% dried grapes) is a fruity and fun Valpolicella with more meat than most.” Still holds true today and this 2016 is Very Highly Recommended.

The Modern History of Italian Wine praises the “fruit philosophy” of the Allegrinis, first espoused by Giovanni, “a true innovator of the 1960s”, a philosophy based on preserving the fruit from the vine to the bottle.  They are based in Fumane, with Lake Garda about 20 minutes to the west and Verona less than 30 to the southeast.

Nowadays Franco Allegrini (of the new generation) uses the modern version of the traditional 'ripasso' technique for Palazzo della Torre, drying a proportion of the grapes in the 'Terre di Fumane' drying centre, to intensify “the character of this vineyard”. And, the 2016 season and the result here “was one of the best ever, outstanding for its great balance and elegance”.

Palazzo della Torre pairs effortlessly with various Italian dishes, above all risottos, especially those flavoured with saffron, porcini mushrooms and pork; classic dishes such as pasta with Amatriciana and Carbonara sauces, baked lasagna, gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts; grilled meats and roasts. It also excels when matched with Parma ham and fine-cured Zibello pork loin, as well as medium-matured cheeses, especially Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), Pecorino and Monte Veronese. Anything Italian by the looks of it!