Thirsty Thursday: Wines of Spain
Where shall we begin? As we said many times during wine club, “We must focus!” (except we said it with a short ‘o’ sound, which made it sound like…well, not focusing)…Primero, el vino tinto.
Carchelo Jumilla ***
We got to try the Carchelo two ways, and what a fun experiment. The first taste came from a bottle that had been opened at 10:30 a.m. that day, loosening itself up a good 8.5 hours. Great cedar chest aroma, big nose from that first tasting. An expressive wine with lots of pepper lingering on the tongue (those who like spicy, it’s for you); good for pairing — a bright, complementary wine. The second taste we had was a freshly opened bottle, which was entirely different, altogether too tight. When we get our bottle in, we will be airing that baby!
This wine harvested at an altitude of 2,400-3,400 feet in clay soil, which brings out the fruit. Smoky-sweet nose, “brambly,” with a pinot-noir weight, a bit “nutty” with a heat on the front (strong heat at first) and a deep red fruit flavor. Definitely a wine for the more adventuresome oenophiles. Went very well with the gorgonzola walnut dressing that some wine clubbers had with their salads.
Dehesa la Granja Zamora Red **
A wine by Alejandro Fernandez, the “Mondavi of Spain” as he was referred to by the wine rep. Another big nose, earthy with a hint of a rubbery tire smell. This was Malbeca’s pick of the night. Kept for 2 yrs in caves (pretty cool). Sweet, sweet tobacco, if that’s what you’re into. Paired well with the carbonara.
Back-to-back Alejandro Fernandez. Lighter, yet similar smell to the previous red with a “stony” quality, what the wine rep called a “mineral spine.” A little basil on the nose, and overall, sweetly herbal.
“Reds are confrontational; whites are passive aggressive.”
Ahora, el vino blanco.
This white wine is from a 17th century vineyard with a riverbed 30 ft deep filled with rocks — very unique. (But who doesn’t love a good wine struggle?!) Deep, deep sleepy nose — had the lingering and intoxicating smell of juniper or cypress (if you like gin…) Grapefruit flavor, citrus, sweet finish. For the lovers of the unoaked whites (you know who you are!)…we got your back.
No one was ready for this sherry. That was the overall consensus. Some called it “mushroom water,” others thought it tasted like a branch with flowers and apricots on it (as if branches are flavored by their blooms — why not?), and one person declared it “so wrong, it’s right.” All agreed it would pair best with a good spread of charcuterie. Because who doesn’t love saying “charcuterie” with a glass of wine in their hand?
As always, by the time we get to the last one — and, we realized later, there may have been a tempranillo in there somewhere (!) — the notes get very short. What stood out about this sparkling after 6-7 others was that it had a mineral-lemon nose and “the bubbles tasted tinier” than other sparklings (?) Thanks, self, for that awesomely unhelpful scribble. Perhaps we’ll say it had a flair for constricted effervescence…yeah, something classy like that. We’ll make it have a big picture so it doesn’t feel left out…Better luck next time!
* = We bought | ** = Malbeca bought | *** = We all bought
