WTN: Rioja at Gotham- great night!

Gotham Bar and Grill has been running a series of dinners, with a national theme- last night was Spain, and any Spanish wine was free corkage. Ramon organized a group for last night, and we had a great time. Food quality and service were outstanding, and I wished I had gone to some of the earlier evenings (Jacques had been to the French night and said food was extraordinary).

While theme was Spain, it seemed what we decided to bring was mostly Rioja (and most of that Lopez de Heredia). I was worried that we didn't have enough whites, Jacques jumped into the breach by picking up a bottle recommended by Zachys. Ramon emailed the sommelier (Lacey) our  list of wines. This is where knowing the actual dish makes a difference- I was sceptical when she suggested the squid with some of the reds, but it actually worked well.


1st course : Pan Con Tomate
pickled onions, idiazabal cheese and serrano ham
(really nice dish, I expected something like panzanella, this was more like bruscetta)

1989 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Reserva Blanco
Nice, crisp,. drinking extremely well. Cherries and lemon, light nutty notes. B+

1987 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco
I think this will eventually be a great wine, but for now it was in a bit of a shell. Big, canteloupe and citrus zest, dense. For now, B.

1997 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva Rosado
Oranges, cherry, flowers. A distinct onion skin note. Good length. B/B+

2006 Celler Bollidora Flor de Garnaxta
Ripe, with an oily texture that reminds me of Southern Rhone whites. Herby, in a good way. Just needs a bit more acid for my tastes. B/B-

2nd course: Grilled Octopus
pimientos de padrón, patatas bravas and aioli
(the char on the octopus made it quite red friendly

1976 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva
I got some brett when this was first opened, but within my tolerance level and it seemed to blow off (or I got acclimated). Sweet red cherry fruit, smoke, orange peel. B+/A-

1981 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva
No brett but otherwise a similar flavor profile (I thought all of the LdH reds had a distinct citrus zest note), cherries and a little coffee. Earthy, long finish. I loved both of these wines, but gave this the edge for a little more depth and concentration. A-/B+

3rd course
Olive Oil Braised Cod
cockles, merguez, bacalao and romesco sauce 
(lovely, pretty good with red except the cockles begged for some white)

1970 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva
My WOTN, against stiff competetion. Sweet raspberry and red plum fruit, smoke, blood oranges. Earth, leather, with a long finish. Saline/mineral notes on finish. Great wine. A/A-

1973 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva
Between my handwriting and food stains, can't read some of my comments. But see aromatic, coffee, and tar. This was judged edged by the 70 in my grading for the night. A-


4th course
Grilled Lamb Chops
chickpeas, escarole, lemon confit and salsa verde   
(too lemony to showcase the wines, and the tomatillo didn't help, but delicious)

1985 La Rioja Alta 904 Rioja Gran Reserva 
Solid and tasty, kirsch, cedar, and herbs. B/B+

1997 La Rioja Alta 904 Rioja Gran Reserva
This caused some discussion over whether it was modern. My position was it is young and from a ripe year, but I'd still call it tradtional. Fruity but with some complexity, stood up to the chops. B+

2001 San Vicente Rioja
This edges closer to modernity, but not over the top. Ripe red fruits and some serious mocha notes, but good tangy acids and nice length. B+/B

Arroz con Leche
marcona almonds and sangria sorbet

Really an excellent night. Not a wine that I wouldn't be happy to drink again. Thanks to Ramon for organizing, and it was delightful to see Jacques, Ian, Matt, and Ren again.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.  

Ian provided the totals of our voting (everyone votes for the top 3, with 3 votes for 1st, 2 2nd, 1 3rd)
73 Tondonia 13 points
70 Tondonia 10
76 Bosconia 5
87 Tondonia Blanco 4
97 La Rioja Alta 2
81 Bosconia 1
01 San Vicente 1

Great notes as always, Dale. While all the wines were delicious, I liked the more modern ones the most last night. It may be because I was congested and needed a big wallop of fruit to affect me, or just that I thought they paired better with the big flavors of the food.

The White Riojas in particular were a revelation but I also liked the Garnatxa for its vibrancy and freshness. Among the reds, the 1973 Tondonia I thought was absolutely delicious while the 1970 didn't do much for me (I actually liked it the least of all the reds, but again, that was probably because of my cold).

Again, a great night of food, wine and friendship, and I highly recommend the Gotham Uncorked venue/menu.

Spanish Dinner & Wine Tasting
Gotham Bar & Grill, NYC
March 8, 2010

Whites

1989 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco
Very dry, smooth, lime notes, wax, high acidity. Very long and lingering finish. B+

1987 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco
Expressive aromatics of sweet fruit, floral and confection spices. Lemony. Power. Well-structured. I thought presented more complexity than the ‘89 Reserva. My 3rd place WOTN. A-.

1997 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rosado
Showed as the most dense gold in color among the whites. Leafy notes, sweet, slight lemony, some watermelon. Nice and easy. B

2006 Celler Bollidora Flor de Garnaxta
Mint, white pepper, quite ripe, medium bodied, but I find too much peppery notes. B-

Overall, a quartet of good wines to get us started. They complemented what I had originally thought as a simple appetizer of Pan con Tomate, and which turned our to be an excellent cacophony of flavor including pickled onions, a slice of aged and ripened Idiazabal cheese (which happened to be a personal favorite sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque country) and generous slices of tasty and moist Serrano ham - all on top of a thin-sliced grill-marked baguette.


Reds

1976 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva
Fresh meat with wet leaves and ripe fruit on the nose. Soft and silky, with layers of red fruit. I think that this bottle is drinking at its peak form. A-

1981 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva
Confection and earth on the enticing aromatics. Darker cherry red than the 1976. Cherries, raspberries, vibrant acidity. Jacques commented that this showed the more traditional Rioja traits than the 1976. I think that this is poised to get better with more bottle age. B+

The Bosconia bottles were paired with another excellent dish, my personal DOTN, which wsa the Grilled Octopus, sliced into 4 golf ball-sized chunks, nicely charred, very meaty, and complemented with patatas bravas, aioli and tasty pimientos de padron. A little discussion ensued on how the wines were comparable to red Burgundies. This was also my favorite Food-Wine pairing for the evening.


1970 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva
Dark red and still fresh-looking color. Meat, and I detected just the slightest hint of brett in the first pour but which dissipated after then. Some old wood notes. Very mature but in an elegant manner with rustic and earthy complexity. A-

1973 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva
Slightly lighter in color than the 1970, with some brick color near the rim. High acidity, ripe cherries, fresh-tasting, well-balanced and lively on the palate. Good medium-length finish. A-

Prior to tonight, I was expecting that the Bosconias would be kicking some Tondonia butts. Some at the table wondered aloud how much more can the Bosconia flight be topped? Well, the Tondonia was easily the Flight-of-the-night for me. The pairing was with the Olive oil Braised Cod, with cockles, bacalao and merguez. Even the spicy Romesco sauce did not detract me from enjoying these wines. I wish I have some of these stored away.


1985 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva
Floral and confection on the nose. Tinge of green, red and black fruit, with a fresh medium–length finish. My last of 2 bottles, purchased at a closeout in a local store, and I kinda liked more the first one that I had last year. B+/B

1997 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva
Aromatics that reminded me as Northern Rhone-like, with fresh meat, earth and tree bark. Ripe black and red fruit, good structure that I think straddles just so slightly to the modern style. Fresh tasting. I liked this wine. B+

2001 San Vicente Rioja
Dense and inky, it was the darkest wine of the evening. Leafy nose. Ripe, big, tannic, sweet and modern. Lots of red fruit. I am not familiar with the producer, but, imho, a well made wine. B

The last flight was paired with the Grilled Lamb Chops with salsa verde and lemon confit. Not exactly one that worked very well due to the lemony taste. The chops were actually tasty, cooked to medium perfection and were of the large kind. I liked the wines, but were just a notch below the high standards set by the LdH. The 1997 La Roja Alta 904 was a pleasant surprise.

This was a truly good dinner-tasting where both high levels of food and wines will be etched in my memories, notwithstanding the very nice group that attended, bantered and shared their terrific wines.

Ramon

SPANISH WINES AT GOTHAM BAR & GRILL - Gotham Bar & Grill, NYC (3/8/2010)

• 1989 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Broad with some yeast and floral notes with a touch of caramel. Bright acidity on a nice long finish.
  B/B-
  
  
• 1987 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  A bit tight with bright acidity. Long bright finish. Pretty and clear. I've always felt these Heredia whites have a bit of VA, kind of like many Musar have, that doesn't show as a flaw but add to the unique taste of the wine. It adds a broad, caramelized note. This was very enjoyable, something I'd love to drink again but not something I'd drink often
  B
  
  
• 1997 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  My first Heredia rose. Nice and smooth with abroad floral notes and stiff acidity. A bit light, but pleasant. I'm not a big rose fan, but this was good.
  B/B-
  
  
• 2006 Celler la Bollidora Terra Alta Flor de Garnatxa - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta
  Pretty, broad with a touch of acidity. Thick and a bit dense with some green apple notes. This had a silky feel and quite a bit of weight for what it was. I liked it, although it did not pair well with the other higher acid wines in the flight. I would drink this again if it wasn't too expensive ($25ish) and pair it with either a meaty, heavy, oily fish and/or a fish off the grill.
  B

• 1976 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Smooth, pretty. Drinking beautifully. A bit of a sweet note. Floral and complex with a light, bright profile and a bit of dark notes. Long finish. Very nice. Although I came into the tasting expecting to prefer the Bosconias I found that I preferred the Tondonia flight. Not sure if the vintages we had or the food pairing influenced that. The Bosconias were prettier, but the Tondonias added a bit more muscle and heft that I really liked. They were all gorgeous and wonderful wines.
  A-/B+
  
  
• 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Firmer than the '76 with higher acid. A pretty wine that has a long life ahead of it. Dark notes with tar and a sweet core.
  B++

• 1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Sweet core with dark notes. Silky smooth, beautiful, pretty, and strong. Lovely with good grip. Drinking beautifully now and has years to go. This was my WOTN.
  A
  
  
• 1973 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Sweet core. A bit lighter than the '70 with higher acid, firmer. Beautifully complex with a long tar finish.
  A-

• 1985 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
  Strong with some sweetness, acid, and a touch of tannin. Some muscle, some tar. To my palate this falls just on the traditional side of the modern/traditional divide. It's a very good place to be and pretty much hits my target for Rioja. This bottle was drinking very well.
  B/B+
  
  
• 1997 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
  Sweet baking spice nose. Orange peel acidity, firm. Bright with some sweetness. This feels like a style change from the '85. More modern, sweeter. Akin to the style changes happening in Bordeaux at the same time. I preferred the older bottle and wonder if this will mature in the same direction.
  B/B-
  
  
• 2001 Señorío de San Vicente Tempranillo Rioja San Vicente - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
  Strong with a sweet muscular punch. Lots of vanilla. Drinking very well right now. Chocolate, espresso. I think this suffered a bit from being served after so many older, more traditional and higher acid wines. It comes off a bit overdone, which I've not felt when drinking this wine solo.
  B/B+

Perfect, guys! Just enough disagreement for spice but mostly on same page.

I'm trying to think of a wine that would have gone with the chops with all of that lemon. I should have done a repour of the rosado then!