Notes from a tasting of new wines at Barcino.
Jean Perico Cava Brut NV - Dry but with a good concentration of fruit. Just a hint of breadiness. Very clean with a bright finish. There's a bit of butterscotch as well if you let it warm up a bit. Good for the price.
Vilarnau Xarel-lo 2008 - My first 100% Xarel-lo so I was eager to try this. Soft but lemony. Hollow. A lemon-water mixture. Not much of a nose. It seems Xarel-lo is better used in Cava. This didn't do anything for me.
We had a couple of wines from Vinas del Vero which is a large producer from Somontano,
Vinas del Vero Colleccion Gewurztraminer El Enebro 2008 - Very dry, light style of gewurz. Easy but just a little bitter in the finish. Expensive for what it offers although those who are turned off by the very aromatic styles of this grape might want to give this a try.
Vinas del Vero Colleccion Cabernet Sauvignon Los Sasos 2004 - Smoky and very dry. Rather soft. The fruit has faded from this and it's hollowing out. Expensive.
Vinas del Vero Colleccion Merlot El Arino 2004 - Good fruit on the nose but like the Cab, this is over the hill, with very little fruit and a hollow mid-palate. Also expensive.
These wines were a bit puzzling as Sergi assured us they were very good when he tried them in Spain. Perhaps a younger vintage might show better.
Finca Constancia VdT Castilla 2007 - A mix of Petit Verdot, Cab Franc, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Graciano. Leather and sawdust on the nose. Good fruit but on the soft side which made it a little flabby on the finish. Just a bit above quaffer quality. An OK wine for the price.
La Miranda de Secatilla 2006 - Another Somontano wine, this time mostly Garnacha. Dry, with good balance. Real friendly. Not complex but a good, solid wine for current drinking.
Vinas del Vero Cabernet-Merlot 2008 - Rather high acidity but good fruit. A friendly, dry quaffer. Quite good with the tapas, especially the angulas.
Finca Moncloa 2005 - A VdT Cadiz made of Cabernet and Syrah. Nice nose but a little hot. A bit of mint. Spicy, soft, lots of fruit. Good wine but you can probably do better for the price.
Beronia III a.C. 2004 - I was told the name translates to 3 BC (III antes Cristo) but no one could tell me why they named the wine this way. Beautiful nose. Tremendous concentration of fruit. The oak is sticking out in places but hopefully a little more time will integrate it better. Sweet, ripe fruit. Meaty, vibrant, medium-bodied. Firm tannins. Excellent wine but the price is rather high at about $ 90.00. This was my #2 wine of the night but I think everyone else voted it #1.
I was asked what to try next. The choices being a Palo Cortado and a Cava. I've only had Palo Cortado thrice before and all of them were very dry and austere so I figured we do the Sherry first and end with a refreshing cava. Wrong!
Gonzalez-Byass Apostoles Palo Cortado - One of the top wines of Gonzalez-Byass. Beautiful, shiny mahogany-red color. Nutty nose. Amazing, fine flavor. Nutty, coffee, with just a hint of oxidation. Elegant, gentle, understated flavors and sweetness. Round and creamy but then the acidity comes in to keep it fresh. A very seductive wine. Superlative stuff. Painfully expensive at about $ 60.00 for a half bottle but this is a must-have for me. My wine #1. A bit of trivia, JC de Terry was with us for the tasting and told us the Gonzalez-Byass winery has 12 large barrels each named for the 12 Apostles of Christ. However, the barrel called Judas contains not wine but vinegar!
Albert de Vilarnau Cava Chardonnay 2005 - Unfortunately, very light and lacks body. I preferred the much cheaper first cava we had. This is very expensive for $60.00. You can get some pretty good Champagne for this price.
I think there were more misses than hits in this tasting but the Palo Cortado made up for it. Many thanks to Sergi for hosting us.