Spanish tasting (Artadi/Pingus/Aalto)

Gathered some friends for a tasting of Spanish wines last night. The reds were opened two hours before; the dessert wine was opened eight hours before and decanted.

2005 Pazo di Señorans Albariño Rias Baixas
Some citrus and a surprising touch of vanilla on the nose (I would have thought this was unoaked). Mouth confirms grapefruit, white flowers, some toast, but the oak vanishes. Fresh and pleasant, with a quick, upfront attack, but little mid-palate or finish. Expected a bit more body and persistence, so disappointing. Score: 86. Served with chabichou goat’s milk cheese

2003 Artadi Rioja Viñas de Gain
Beautiful deep crimson, nose shows Bordeaux-like cedar and cherry. Bracing acidity, red fruits, but mild intensity of flavor, so that the alcohol (13%) stands out and feels unbalanced. But refined in texture, tannins, and flavor. Must use French oak, because I don’t like the taste of American oak in most Riojas. Score: 88. Served with morbier.

2001 Dominio de Pingus Flor de Pingus Ribera del Duero
Ripe and expressive nose, with vintage Bordeaux barnyard, blackberry, French oak, a hint of truffles and bacon. This was my wine of the evening, really wonderful! Refined and complex, perfectly integrated, with superb balance, at a point where every aspect feels like it’s in a state of grace. It’s for moments like this that I bear the wine cross. Score: 96. Served with brie.

2001 Bodegas Aalto Ribera del Duero
Similar barnyard, French oak and blackberry aromas, but less expressive and complex than the Pingus. A wine of distinction, but suffered by comparison. In the mouth, the acid and alcohol stand out and appear insufficiently integrated. Has years of life left, but my intuition is that it will not become more fully integrated. Score: 90. Served with an artisanal cured cow’s milk cheese

2003 Bodegas Olivares Dulce Monastrell
A very interesting red dessert wine, with a nose that screams molasses and whispers juniper. Wet earth, mint, and burnt sugar in the mouth, good viscosity, velvety tannins, good acid/sweetness balance, a wine with personality and a hit among my non-geek friends. Score: 92. Served with gorgonzola. To add insult to injury, after this I served some home-made grape ice cream with mascarpone, to mix the grapes and cheese before they enter the mouth.

use French oak, because I don’t like the taste of American oak in most Riojas.

Infidel!

thanks for notes

Hell of a tasting!

I'm surprised by the scoring of the Pazo di Señorans. Although your notes are pretty close to what I know of this wine, I'm left wondering if you let this wine open all the way. Or if this bottle was flawed in some way. To me, this wine was a dead ringer for a white Rhone. I know, interesting grape for that dead ringer... but it was.

Anyway, what a fun tasting!! Thanks for the notes.....

mark

Oswaldo, thanks for the notes.

The only one of the wines I know well is the Vinas de Gain which I have been drinking since the 1998 vintage.

Currently finishing a case of 2001 but have had the first bottles from my cases of 2003 and 2004.

IMO the 2001 and the 2004 are better than the 2003 for a reason you cite in the note [the former are better balanced] but the 2003 is still very good. IIRC the winemaker/owner does indeed use French oak - new for the top cuvees and small French barrels for the VdG.

I have been struck by how consistent and what good value these delicious, well-made wines are and will continue to buy them on a regular basis.

The Artadi Vinas de Gain is indeed aged in French oak, for 18 months.
The Flor de Pingus 2001 has really impressed me. I don't do points, but will say that it is one of the favorites in my cellar. I have unfortunately gone thru 9 bottles of my case, and your note suggests I bring one out on the next special occasion, like hamburger nite.
Thanks for the notes.

Dale, do you suppose there's any correlation between the temper of a people and the temper of their oak? But, but, but, some of my best friends are American...

Mark, perhaps I didn't let the wine open all the way. We were eight, and the portions didn't last long. But I didn't sense anything off about the bottle, just a certain insufficiency. I've had two bottles of the 2004, and liked them better.

Nigel, I'll look out for the other vintages you mention.

OW, have you ever had the "real" (and astronomically expensive) Pingus? If the second wine is this good, I shudder to think what the first might be like...

[Jenise]

Oswaldo, I have six of the Flor in my cellar and have put off opening one for fear of wasting a bottle on infanticide. Your note makes me happy--it's not only time, it's great wine! Was this a pop-and-pour, or did it get prepped with decanting well ahead of time?

OW, have you ever had the "real" (and astronomically expensive) Pingus? If the second wine is this good, I shudder to think what the first might be like...

Only one small taste of the '99, I think it was, at a wine tasting a year ago last December. Unfortunately, it came late in the evening, after many fine wines, so my palate was a touch tired. Even so, it was memorable. Quite rich and layered, and the 9 others at the tasting were going nuts over it, but I remember thinking that, even in that context, it was almost too much, a clearly Parkerized style. That's by memory. Somewhere or another there is a note, if I only knew where.
I know I did not rush out to buy any.

Hi, Jenise, I opened the three reds two hours before the tasting, but did not decant (the so-called Franços Audouze method). The Flor immediately stood out, the glorious aroma jumping out of bottle. By the time it was poured, I'd say three hours had passed since opening. Good luck with yours! Let us know how it goes.

Hi, Jenise, I opened the three reds two hours before the tasting, but did not decant (the so-called Franços Audouze method). The Flor immediately stood out, the glorious aroma jumping out of bottle. By the time it was poured, I'd say three hours had passed since opening. Good luck with yours! Let us know how it goes.

The last bottle I opened, we consumed pretty much immediately, and it was also fabulous. I agree with Oswaldo, the glorious aroma jumps out of the glass immediately. I remember a fishing/wine buddy sitting in a rocker, holding the glass in his lap, smiling. "My god, it smells great even at this distance!"