Ten dorks gathered for Iberian wines on Sunday night. This is a great and very generous group of people. I love them all so much! Several always bring 5 or 6 bottles; I would happily do so as well and often do when it's a smaller group but too many is too many, so I settled for three. As it was we ended up with 21 bottles, though one was corked.
Bubbles and Whites
2015 Dulcinea Santos Ferreira Sidónio de Sousa Rosé Special Cuvée Espumante Vinho Regional Beiras Baga
Doran brought this pale pink extra fine specimen of dry bubbly home from a recent trip to Portugal. The grape is Bada, which is considered "the nebbiolo of Portugal". Mind-blowingly fresh, hard to believe it's a 9 yr old. There are no aged flavors about this at all. Wish we could buy this here.
2023 Avinyó Penedès Petillant vi d'agulla Muscat Blend, Muscat
Erik's. Pale white, a dry muscat spritzer and the muscat isn't hiding. Gingery with bergamot and 4711 cologne. I actually love 4711, so it's too weird to me to drink it. Not a fan.
2022 Quinta das Bágeiras Bairrada Garrafeira Branco White Blend
Doran's, a wine brought home from his recent trip to Portugal. Immediate impression of rocks and salt, bone dry and unfiltered, with notes of lemon and maiz (corn tortilla dough) developing in the glass. Only made in good years. Interesting!
2023 Agro de Bazan Albariño Rías Baixas Granbazán Etiqueta Verde
Vicki's. Unmistakably albarino. Bright and aromatic profile with vivid notes of green apple, pear, and lemon zest along with white flowers and salinity. Very good.
At this point a new guy put out a La Cana Albarino, didn't catch the vintage but probably the latest. Always decent, but ordinary in the company of most of these wines.
2020 Pazo de Señoráns Albariño Rías Baixas Colección
Doran's. A serious, excellent albarino with chardonnay-like texture and lots of depth. This wine apparently spends six months in SS before moving to bottle for a two year rest before release. I noted that our bottle read 'Coleccion Grandes'; I don't know if that's actually another rung up the ladder or what, but CT didn't have any entries with 'Grandes' so I'm presuming this is the wine we had.
2019 Victoria Ordoñez Monticara Sierras de Málaga Moscatel de Alejandría, Muscat
Hannah's. Brilliant wine--chardonnay like, rich, creamy yet minerally, concentrated and complex. Gets more so as it lingers on the palate. Tastes expensive and it is, comparatively speaking for Iberian wine. $44 and I'd happily pay that--goes on my shopping list.
2013 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia Viura, Macabeo
My bottle. Tawny color, mildly cloudy. At the tasting, the flor was front and center. Very sherried, more than I remembered, and some didn't care for it. BUT! Sampled the remainders at home the next night and wow: there it was, all of it, everything I expected the night before. The oxidative notes that dominated were, though still there, no longer the lead vocalist and dry honey plus a panoply of cheerful citrus elements had joined it. Spectacular: if you have these, aerate!
The reds:
2021 Leyenda del Paramo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León Mary Taylor Prieto Picudo
Tony's. This is a better bottle than one I bought last summer. A little more fruit anyway, but on the whole it lacks character and isn't compelling.
1994 Adega Cooperativa de Borba Alentejo Reserva "The Cork Label" Red Blend
Erik's. Got distracted at this point and didn't take any detailed notes but gave it a B+, so it was good!
1998 Bodegas Leda Viñas Viejas Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
My bottle. Mildly funky nose but in a good way with black cherry, black currant, tobacco, walnuts, fennel and mint--or to put it another way, the cabernet was evident and no trace of American oak (if in fact it was used). Napa-ish. Very good but was probably better a few years ago.
2015 Almaroja Arribes Cielos & Besos by Charlotte Allen Red Blend
Tim's. Sweet nose with a bit of V.A. that we expected to blow off. Attractive and spicy red blend of 50% Juan Garcia, 30% Tempranillo, 10% Brunel and 10% Rufete, 18 months on oak, by an English lady winemaker. One of the those highly likable wines that's not quite like any wine you've had before, even before the reveal confirms it. Drinks well now, no rush.
2017 Bodegas Valdemar Graciano Rioja Valdemar Las Seis Alhajas
Tim's. Very attractive cassis-like nose with black currant and blueberry fruit, reminds of petite verdot. I've had very few 100% gracianos but I've liked most and this is one of the best
1992 Bodegas Inviosa Ribera del Guadiana Lar de Barros Tempranillo
Erik's bottle, and my WOTN. Excellent cabernet typicity, hardly seems that aged but it echos profoundly in the mouth with a forever finish, absolute perfection. Erik also brought an excellent '96, but I didn't get my hands on the bottle to write down the (unfamiliar) name.
2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Reserva Culmen Tempranillo
My bottle. Opened about two hours before pouring but not decanted. One of the heaviest bottles I've ever seen--so big we double-checked to make sure it was a 750 not a 1.0, which it looked like. Black currant, black cherry, herbs, dense and liberally oaked with offscale tannins for a 20 yr old wine. I think we opened it about ten years too soon!
The stickies:
NV Villa Oeiras Carcavelos 10 Anos Tinto Red Blend
Asher brought this. Nuts, toffee and tea accent apricot and tangerine flavors in this rare and divine delicacy from Portugal.
At this point Doran opened another Carcavelos he hand-carried back. I did not catch the name/label, but wow in spades. Older than Asher's but brighter, more crystalline and faceted. Where has Carcavelos been all my life?
2007 Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Porto Late Bottled Vintage Port Blend
Tim's. A lively, correct and interesting port from a producer I've never heard of, not showing any age.