Vega Escal Priorat 2006

I am a lover of all things Spanish, but I especially love Spanish food and wine. Many months ago I discovered Despana, a fantastic and authentic Spanish food shop on Broome St in New York City that carries everything from Bomba rice and piquillo peppers to Jamon Serrano and a huge assortment of Spanish cheese. I make a point of stopping in to stock up on goodies every few weeks. Recently on one of my trips I discovered to my delight that they opened up a wine store next door. Despana Vinos y Mas is a small wine shop that carries a huge selection of Spanish wine. Their cozy little shop has over 400 different bottles of wine from all over Spain, and they are very knowledgeable about their wine and the many fantastic and varied wine regions in Spain. My only lament is that I was taking the train home and was only able to carry a box of six bottles back with me. Otherwise I would have walked out with 3 or 4 cases of delicious juice!

One of the first bottles I tried after coming home was the Vega Escal Priorat 2006. Priorat is one of my favorite regions, but there are so few values to be found in lower price ranges. The Vega Escal Priorat 2006 retails for about $20 which is about as low as it goes for a Priorat. The wine is made from 60% Carinena, 30% Garnacha, and 10% Syrah that is aged for 6 months in American and French oak. The wine is deep red in color and has a beautiful, intense nose of black raspberry and cherry with notes of leather and mocha. On the palate you get black raspberry, raspberry, and sour cherry fruit with a hint of dark chocolate on the finish. The acidity and nicely integrated tannins bring some structure. This is a really nice bottle of wine for right around $20.

From a pairing standpoint, this would go very nicely with a flank or hanger steak or it would certainly go well with some Jamon Iberico. If you live in the NYC area, definitely check out Desspana Vinos y Mas http://despanafinewines.com/ and pick up a bottle of this great Priorat value.

Cheers!

Cote 125 Corbieres Rouge 2009

As someone who loves wine and spends a fair amount of time researching and writing about it, I start to believe that I know a little bit about the subject. What makes wine so interesting thought is that no matter how much you know, there are always new things to discover that force you to be humble about your knowledge. One new thing that I have discovered lately is that I'm starting to enjoy wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. Languedoc-Roussillon is not very well known, even by many who profess to be knowledgeable about wine. Even many of those who might be familiar with the region, don't know all that much about it. I for one was surprised to learn that it is the largest wine producing area in the world. Like many other lesser known regions that are gaining awareness recently, it's wine heritage largely consists of low quality wines produced in high quantity. Over the past few decades, however, that has changed. There is a new found focus on quality wine in the region that is benefiting everyone in the form of very enjoyable wines that won't break the bank. Languedoc-Roussillon is in Southern France and is just west of Provence and the Southern Rhone. Many of the red wine grapes used here are the same grapes you will see in Rhone reds. The climate is hot and dry and will vary quite a bit as you get nearer or further from the Mediterranean. There are also several microclimates as you move east and west in the region. As the region gains in reputation, some of these areas are getting their own AOC designation. This includes regions like Coteaux du Languedoc (or simply Languedoc), Corbieres, and Minervois. Over the next several days, I will be examining some red wines from these varied regions of the Languedoc-Roussillon area. To start, let's take a look at a wine from Corbieres, the Cote 125 Corbieres Rouge 2009. Corbieres is the largest AOC within the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It has very different terroir throughout that includes hillside vineyards and flatlands with heights from sea level to 1600 feet, and the soil itself also changes considerably throughout the region. The region's variety is so strong that the growers have divided the AOC unofficially into 11 different zones, many of which might attain AOC status in the future. The Cote 125 Corbieres Rouge 2009 is dark purple in color and brings aromas of blackberry and raspberry fruit with some very subtle barnyard. On the palate you get blackberry and sour cherry fruit with some very mild tannins from this blend of 50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, and 15% Syrah. The acidity is nice and there is a little bit of minerality on the finish. Overall you get decent fruit with just a little bit of tannins and acidity to balance things out. It's certainly not spectacular, but for $10 a bottle it's a pretty enjoyable, everyday red. Pair with everyday fare such as pork tenderloin or grilled pork chops. Cheers!

Castell de Falset Montsant 2004

All week I have been writing about wines from regions that are not necessarily the best known in their respective countries. We have looked at wines from Campania in Italy, Vacqueyras in France, and the Columbia Valley in Washington. Today we’ll be taking a look at a great little region from Spain. Spain is very famous in the wine world for Tempranillo based wines from Rioja, but it has a great variety of different regions and grapes (for more in depth info on the main Spanish red wine regions, see my post on Spanish wine here http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/2009/07/intro-to-spanish-wine-part-1.html ). Spain’s second best known region is probably Priorat, which produces some intense, highly sought after collectible wines. Just to the south of Priorat, almost in a horseshoe shape around it on three sides, is the relatively newly formed region of Montsant, which just received its Denominacion de Origen or DO classification in 2001.

Montsant does not have the same elevations and steep hillsides as its neighbor to the north, but it does have the benefit of the same great climate with the combination of hot days and cool nights that can be so good for developing powerful but nicely structured wines. Most of the DO is planted with Garnacha (called Grenache in most of the world) and Carinena (called Carignan in most of the world), which even many experts mistakenly refer to as French grapes; however, the truth is that both of these varietals are native to Spain and have been grown there for wine for centuries. There are also plenty of wineries experimenting with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.

The Montsant we are looking at today is the Castell de Falset Montsant 2004. Consisting of 50% Carinena, 25% Garnacha, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in French oak, the wine has an intense purple color in your glass. The nose brings wonderful aromas of black cherry and blackberries with a hint of cedar. In your mouth you get a very nice and very dark black fruit profile with a little bit of earthy minerality. There is enough acidity and very smooth tannins that provide some structure to balance out the fruit. This wine is drinking great now and probably just in the beginning of its prime. You could easily lay this down for a few more years.

Overall this Montsant is a very nice wine that has a great combination of fruit and structure. Retailing for about $27, it gives you much more bang for the buck than similarly priced wines from Priorat. In fact it drinks like a $50 bottle of Priorat.

This would pair well with grilled beef or lamb, or my preferred pairing would be with an appetizer or tapas course of authentic Spanish Serrano ham and Mahon cheese. Yum!

As a final note, if this all sounds great, but you want to start with a less expensive wine from Montsant, check out my review of the Mas Donis Montsant here http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/2009/07/mas-donis-barrica-cellar-de-capcanes.html

Cheers!

Chateau d'Oupia Minervois 2007

French wines have been famous for centuries. Everybody is familiar with Champagne, and even most casual wine drinkers are familiar with Burgundy and the great blends of Bordeaux. Serious wine drinkers have long coveted Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Cote Roties as well as other great wines from the Rhone Valley. There are, however, many other wine regions in France and some of them are starting to turn out really nice quality wines in recent times. Some of the most interesting areas are in Provence and the Languedoc in the south of France near the Rhone Valley. Here you have some very nice wines being made in places like Bandol in Provence as well as Minervois on the western edge of the Languedoc. The Minervois AOC allows for multiple red grapes including Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, and Cinsault as well as a few others.

The subject for today is the Chateau d'Oupia Minervois 2007. Made from 60% old vine Carignan, 30% Syrah, and 10% Grenache, it is a deep, intense purple in color. On the nose I get black raspberry and black cherry, a little chocolate, and a wonderful element of Herbes de Provence. In your mouth you get very focused and very dark berry flavors and black cherry. The wine is full bodied with decent structure, and it has a nice length to the finish that gives you even more dark fruit flavor, herbs, and a dark chocolate influence. I will caution that this wine has a very dark flavor profile. If your looking for bright, cheery fruit flavors, this is probably not the wine for you.

As far as value goes, the Chateua d'Oupia is a great one. Retailing in the $13-14 range, this delicious Minervois red is a very good value. I had this with a grilled pork tenderloin with a balsamic vinegar and rosemary marinade. The herbal element of the wine and the rosemary in the pork made for a perfect match. This could also be paired with other grilled meats especially if they have a nice rub or marinade with Herbes de Provence. Cheers!

Clos De Noi Vinyes Velles Negre Samso 2007 Montsant

Wow - that title is a mouthful isn't it? This old vine wine is made entirely from Samso which is the region of Montsant's local name for the native Spanish Carinena grape. Most of the rest of the world calls it Carignan. Regardless of what you call it, this grape is getting some good results in Spain in the northeastern regions of Montsant and Priorat.

This bottling from Clos de Noi has a dark purple color. On the nose you get a nice bouquet of plum, blackberry, and black cherry with just a touch of earthiness to go along with the fruit. In your mouth you get a smooth pleasant feel to the wine with flavors of blackberry as well as red and black raspberry. All of this leads to a decent but somewhat uninspiring finish. Overall, it is a nice wine.

At a price point in the under $15 range, this Montsant gives you decent value.

From a pairing standpoint you could go in a couple different directions. Pork tenderloin cooked medium rare worked rather nicely for me with this, but I would caution against pairing it with well done pork. I also thinks this would go very nicely with a big, juicy burger or some authentic, fresh chorizo sausage.