Otazu Premium Cuvée 2007

SWIC score: 92 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Cooked vegetables, cinnamon, ripen, concentrated, long.

Available:

QC (SAQ 11387298 - $ 19.10)

ON (VINTAGES 313809 - $ 16.95)

Winery: Señorío de Otazu

Region: D.O. Navarra

Varieties: 45% Tempranillo, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon

Ageing: 14 months in French Allier oak barrels

Alcohol content: 14.5% alc./vol.

Señorío de Otazu is located in an historical site in Navarra D.O., where it tries to connect art with modernity and tradition. Under the claim of “the art of winemaking”, Otazu creates a very interesting range of wines exclusively from the grapes grown in their own 285 acres vineyard. This Otazu Premiu Cuvée 2007 is a Tempranillo blend which shows a great aromatic complexity, with flavours mainly given by the oak ageing process. Well structured and with a long finish, it can be a good partner for almost any meat recipe you can imagine.

Vintage tasted: 2007 (November 2012)

Clos Petó 2010

SWIC score: 91 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Dried apricots, flint, thyme, chocolate.

Available: BC (Legacy 660837 - $ 50.25)

Winery: Clos Dominic

Region: D.O.Q. Priorat (Catalunya)

Varieties: Garnatxa Negra, Cabernet Sauvignon, Picapoll Negre, Merlot, Carinyena

Ageing: 14 months in French Allier oak barrels

Alcohol content: 15.0% alc./vol.

Clos Dominic is a great example of one of the typical tiny family owned and operated wineries in Priorat. The couple formed by Dominic Baraguet and Paco Castillo and their two daughters are based in the village of Porrera, in the heart of the appellation. They only work with the fruit of the Vinyes Altes’ 10,000 vines, planted on a hill of llicorella, the characteristic slate schist soil of this region. Extremely low crops and limited productions are the seal of this winery, which offers outstanding wines which reflect perfectly the land where they are born. Clos Petó is the result of the youngest vines of the property and combines the mineral complexity of a big Priorat with an easy-to-drink soul.

Vintage tasted: 2010 (October 2012)

Luis Cañas Reserva 2005

SWIC score: 89 (JMG)
Tasting notes: Plum, clove, balanced, intense.

Available: ON (VINTAGES 334094 - $ 22.95)

Winery: Bodegas Luis Cañas

Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja (Alavesa)

Varieties: 95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano

Ageing: 18 months in French and American oak barrels

Alcohol content: 14.0% alc./vol.

Based on the philosophy that a good wine can only be obtained from good grapes, the people at Bodegas Luis Cañas take an intense care of their 865 acres of vineyards. The aim is to obtain the best possible fruit to produce their range of typical Rioja Alavesa wines (balanced, complex and deep). Talking specifically about Luis Cañas Reserva, it comes from vines with an average of 40 years old. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is tasted to decide the kind of barrels used for its ageing (70% French and 30% American, in this case). The result is this elegant red wine, an excellent pairing for almost all kind of meat dishes of even oily fishes.

Vintage tasted: 2005 (July 2012)

Segura Viudas Brut Rosé

SWIC score: 85 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Mown grass, citrus, raspberry, sharp, light, fresh.

Available:

ON (LCBO 320275 - $ 13.75)
NL (NLLS 11145 - $ 14.68)

Winery: Segura Viudas

Region: D.O. Cava (Catalunya)

Varieties: 90% Trepat, 10% Garnacha

Ageing: minimum 12 months in the bottle

Alcohol content: 12.0% alc./vol.

Trepat is the most typical source for rosé Cava as it is the main grape in the blend of this Segura Viudas Brut Rosé, which shows a lively color, a fresh character and a light texture. The Penedes firm was pioneer in the regeneration of Trepat (originally from Conca de Barberà area) through its policy of working with indigenous varieties to give typicity to their creations. Besides Trepat, Garnacha enhances its flavors. The blend of this cava is made from seven different wines of both varieties, then aged for at least 12 months in the bottle.

Vintage tasted: N.V. (February 2013)

Fillaboa 2011

SWIC score: 91 (JMG)
Tasting notes: Peach, anise, lemon zest, silky, long.

Available: QC (SAQ 11668129 - $ 21.80)

Winery: Bodegas Fillaboa

Region: D.O. Rías Baixas (Galicia)

Varieties: 100% Albariño

Alcohol level: 12.5% alc./vol.

Bodegas Fillaboa is located in the Condado de Tea subregion of the Rias Baixas D.O., at the very north-western corner of Spain, facing the Portuguese borderline from the northern shore of Miño river. They only work with the fruit of their 170 acres of Albariño vineyards, one of the biggest  estates there. In the old stony house where the cellar is located, they look for making modern wines without losing their long tradition. Fillaboa 2011 is a young Albariño wine which offers a very good sample of what this variety is. Complex fruity aromas combine with a long aftertaste and an elegant texture.

Vintage tasted: 2011 (February 2013)

Costers del Gravet 2009

SWIC score: 89 (JMG)
Tasting notes: Black fruit, toffee, black pepper, intense.

Available:

ON (VINTAGES 707059 - $ 19.95)

QC (SAQ 898551 - $ 21.00)

NL (NLLS 2238 – $ 22.63) another vintage

Winery: Celler Capçanes

Region: D.O. Montsant (Catalunya)

Varieties: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Garnacha, 20% Cariñena

Ageing: 14 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14.3% alc./vol.

Costers del Gravet is a concentrated and intense single estate wine produced by the cooperative winery of Capçanes village. Located in the Priorat county (but in the territory of Montsant D.O. instead of Priorat D.O.Q.), it has the traditional blend with Garnacha and Cariñena (both old vines), although the main variety is a more international Cabernet Sauvignon (younger vines of 15 to 25 years old). The three varieties are vinified and aged separately. After 14 months in new to two years old French oak barrels, the blend is made and then the blending age for 3 months in tank before bottling. It matches very good with game and beef dishes, as well as barbeques and stews.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (July 2013)

Valserrano Crianza 2009

SWIC score: 87 (JMG)
Tasting notes: Blackberries, sweet fruit, vanilla, direct, intense.

Available: ON (VINTAGES 338863 - $ 18.95)

Winery: Viñedos y Bodegas de la Marquesa

Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja (Alavesa)

Varieties: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo

Ageing: 18 months in American and French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14.0% alc./vol.

Family, their own vineyards, respect for quality and well done work are the main concepts that Viñedos y Bodegas de la Marquesa has followed since its foundation by the second half of 19^th century. Nowadays, the fifth generation of the De Simón family (brothers Pablo, Jaime and María) takes on the tasks and responsibilities of the business, taking care of the 160 acres of family-owned vineyards and the whole process of winemaking. This Valserrano Crianza 2009 is a good example of a Rioja Alavesa wine, made mainly with Tempranillo (90%) with a small addition of Mazuelo. It was aged for 18 months in American and French oak barrels, and then stored for a few months in large vats before bottling to ensure good harmonisation. It was scored with plus than 90 points by both Wine Advocate and International Wine Cellar.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (July 2013)

El Maestro Sierra Oloroso 15 years old

SWIC Score: 92 (JMG) 
Tasting notes: Rosemary, anise, dried apricots, sharp, long.
Available: ON (VINTAGES 330571 - $ 12.95) 375 ml bottle

Winery: El Maestro Sierra

Region: D.O. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (Andalucía)

Varieties: 100% Palomino

Ageing: 15 years by the solera system

Alcohol level: 19.0% alc./vol.

El Maestro Sierra shows again its mastery in the traditional production of sherry wines. This Oloroso has been made under an oxidative ageing by the typical solera system. Actually, it has been in 500 liters American oak barrels for 15 years, finally acquiring the structure and complexity expected in a very good Oloroso. It’s powerful and elegant at a time, and it offers a complete wine experience, especially if paired with matured cheeses. You can already tasted as a different matching for meat stews and game dishes.

Vintage tasted: N.V. (February 2013)

Celeste Crianza 2010

SWIC Score: 91 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Black cherry, plum, vanilla, liquorice, smooth.

Available:

QC (SAQ 11741285 - $ 21.25)

ON (VINTAGES 210872 - $ 22.95)

BC (BCLS 384040 - $ 24.99)

AB (deVine, CSN - $ 27.99)

MB (LM 14310 - $ 20.80)

NB (ANBL 8410113003508 - $ 28.29)

YK (YLC 384040 - $ 27.00)

Winery: Torres

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León)

Varieties: 100% Tinto Fino

Ageing: 12 months in oak barrel

Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

The Ribera del Duero bid of Miguel Torres demonstrates a successful improvement vintage after vintage, as you can feel in this 2010 Celeste Crianza. It shows the characteristic Torres touch of high quality at affordable prices that the Penedes-based family imprints in several other Spanish regions as well (not only Penedes, but Catalunya, Rioja or Rueda, for example). Celeste Crianza is made 100% with the indigenous Tinto Fino (the name given to Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero), planted at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level. This 2010 vintage is notable for its smoothness, emphasizing its elegancy and balance. It goes very well with red meat dishes.

Vintage tasted: 2010 (August 2013)

El Miracle Brut

SWIC score: 82 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Pear, grapefruit, white flower, light, crisp.

Available: QC (SAQ 11791741 - $ 20.20)

 

Winery: Vicente Gandía 
Region: D.O. Cava (Com. Valenciana)

Varieties: Macabeo, Chardonnay

Ageing: 12 months in the bottle

Alcohol level: 11.5% alc./vol.

Bodegas Vicente Gandía has condensed tradition and modernity in this El Miracle Brut. Tradition comes from the traditional champenoise method used to make it. Modernity comes from the grapes used in the coupage, a blend of Macabeo and Chardonnay. It is a cava produced in the Comunidad Valenciana region, a few hundred kilometers south from the typical Cava region. The result is crisp and light, easy to drink in those hot sunny days to come. Match it with your appetizers and oysters, as well as fish and seafood recipes.

Vintage tasted: N.V. (February 2013)

Botani 2011

SWIC score: 91 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Passion fruit, citrus, fresh, silky, balanced.

Available:

QC (SAQ 11903301 - $ 22.35)

BC (BCLS 839589 - $ 24.98) vintage 2009

Winery: Jorge Ordóñez

Region: D.O. Málaga y Sierras de Málaga

Varieties: 100% Moscatel de Alejandría

Alcohol level: 13.5% alc./vol.

Jorge Ordóñez created a very special wine from an almost unknown appellation as D.O. Málaga y Sierras de Málaga. This delicate Botani is made only with a selection of Muscat grapes grown at Almáchar, where the vineyards are cultivated on steep hills north oriented. After a mixed fermentation in inox tanks (70% of the wine) and oak barrels (30%), it results a dry and fruity wine, very fresh and seductive. It pairs very well with fish and seafood, and it is a good option for Asian cuisine, as sushi and some slightly spicy dishes.

Vintage tasted: 2011 (September 2012)

Beronia Gran Reserva 2005

SWIC score: 93 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Figs, black pepper, silky, balanced, long.

Available:

ON (VINTAGES 940965 - $ 32.95)

QC (SAQ 11688550 - $ 31.75) vintage 2004

BC (BCLS 200782 - $ 39.99) vintage 2004

Winery: Bodegas Beronia

Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja

Varieties: 90% Tempranillo, 8% Mazuelo, 2% Graciano

Ageing: 27 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14.0% alc./vol.

Beronia Gran Reserva is a very good example of a Rioja Gran Reserva wine from the traditional Rioja Alta sub region. Mainly made with accurately selected Tempranillo grapes, with a few Mazuelo and Graciano as the necessary complement, it ages for more than 2 years in French oak barrels, and then 3 years in the bottle before being sold. The result is intense, elegant and balanced, and shows what Tempranillo can offer when it’s well vinified. Beronia Gran Reserva is an ideal pairing for red meats, game and cheeses.

Vintage tasted: 2005 (April 2013)

Finca Villacreces 2006

SWIC score: 94 (JMG)
Tasting notes: Blackberries, cocoa, coffee, structured, intense, long.
Available:
QC (SAQ 11807547 - $ 37.00)
ON (LCBO 236422 - $ 49.00)
AB (Kensington WM - $ 54.99)

Winery: Villacreces

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Varieties: 86% Tinto Fino, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot

Ageing: 16 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

Nice example of what a Ribera del Duero wine is. Finca Villacreces is made using the Tinto Fino grapes grown in the own vineyars of Villacreces winery in the municipality of Quintanilla de Onésimo, at Valladolid province. As a reminder, note that Tinto Fino is the traditional name for Tempranillo at the Ribera del Duero territory. After doing the malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, it remains there for 16 months until it results in a full-bodied and well balanced wine. It is a very intense and long wine, which can be cellared perfectly 15 years more, although it is ready to be enjoyed right now.

Vintage tasted: 2006 (August 2012)

El Maestro Sierra Amontillado 12 years old

SWIC score: 93 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Tofee, dried fruits, creamy, balanced.

Available: ON (VINTAGES 310458 - $ 24.00) online purchase

Winery: El Maestro Sierra 
Region: D.O. Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (Andalucía)

Varieties: 100% Palomino

Ageing: 12 years by the solera system

Alcohol level: 17.5% alc./vol.

Amontillado is a very special kind of sherry wine, which you could say begins as a Fino but at some point it tends to Oloroso. It results from the fusion of two different styles of ageing: the characteristic biological ageing under the flor and the oxidative ageing, both of them by the solera system. This Amontillado of El Maestro Sierra follows a process of 12 years before being bottled. It a very elegant subtle and complex wine and matches perfectly with smoked salmon. El Maestro Sierra is an ancient high quality sherry producer from the city of Jerez, that was designated among the Top100 wineries of 2011 of the world by the renowned Wine & Spirits magazine. They craft their different styles of sherries under a very accurate way, trying always to offer their wines as fresh as possible.

Vintage tasted: N.V. (February 2013)

Príncipe de Viana Edición Limitada 2009

SWIC score: 90 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Blackberries, vanilla, green bell pepper, chocolate, volume, silky, balanced.

Available: QC (Private - Importation Épicurienne - $ 18.95)

Winery: Príncipe de Viana 
Region: D.O. Navarra

Varieties: 50% Merlot, 25% Tempranillo, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon

Ageing: 14 months in French and American oak barrels

Alcohol level: 13.5% alc./vol.

Three selected plots of the Príncipe de Viana’s property in Navarra’s Riberra Baja are the origin of this Príncipe de Viana Edición Limitada. El Carrascal gives the Tempranillo grapes, El Crucero offers the Merlot and La Muga produces the Cabernet Sauvignon, respectively. All of them, considered the best by the winemaker Isabel López, who tries to “create a wine with a soul”. A wine which expresses the terroir of Navarra in a fantastically complex and balanced way.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (March 2013)

Abadal 3.9 2007

SWIC score: 90 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Candied fruits, toffee, powerful, long.

Available: QC (SAQ 11463916 - $ 32.25)

Winery: Masies d’Avinyó 
Region: D.O. Pla de Bages (Catalunya)

Varieties: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah

Ageing: 12 months in new oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

Masies d’Avinyó is the leading winery of the tiny D.O. Pla de Bages appellation, located in the geographical centre of Catalunya. Abadal range of products is consistent in terms of quality and pretty good on value for price. With this Cabernet-based wine, the winemaker wanted to express the terroir of a single terraced plot. So it is a single estate wine with a 12 months ageing in new oak barrels. The result is a powerful red, with ripen fruit and some balsamic and oaky hints. The fierce identity of a small territory.

Vintage tasted: 2007 (September 2012)

Mas Borràs 2009

SWIC score: 91 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Cherry, cassis, toast, fresh, silky, intense.

Available:

ON (VINTAGES 673483 – $ 34.95)

QC (SAQ 856039 - $ 33.50) vintage 2010

Winery: Torres 
Region: D.O. Penedès (Catalunya)

Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir

Ageing: 9 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

Mas Borràs is one of the premium wines of the most renowned Penedès producer, Bodegas Miguel Torres. Surprisingly, it is not made with any of the indigenous Catalan varieties (Garnatxa, Carinyena or even Ull de Llebre), but with the less common in the region Pinot Noir. The key is that the Pinot Noir vines used for this wine are grown in the municipality of Santa Maria de Miralles, in the Upper Penedès, at an altitude of 520 metres above sea level. That ensures the balanced ripening of the delicate grapes of Pinot Noir. After a balanced ageing in French oak barrels, the result is a quite different Pinot Noir wine, more intense and powerful (14% alc./vol.) without losing its characteristic subtlety.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (March 2013)

Entreflores Verdejo 2012

SWIC score: 85 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Floral, grass, anise, pineapple, light, fresh, crisp.

Available: ON (Private - John Hanna & Sons - $ 17.65)

Winery: Príncipe de Viana 
Region: D.O. Rueda (Castilla y León)

Varieties: 100% Verdejo

Alcohol level: 13.0% alc./vol.

The name Príncipe de Viana comes from the 15^th century, when the king Carlos III of the ancient kingdom of Navarra bestowed this title on his newborn son. Nowadays, the title is still in force in the figure of the Spanish prince. Since 1983, one of the most prestigious wineries in Navarra D.O. carries this name and produces high quality wines under that appellation. Recently, Príncipe de Viana has gone beyond Navarra boundaries to add some other appellations to its portfolio. This is the case of this Entrefores -"among flowers" in Spanish-, a light and fresh 100% Verdejo from Rueda D.O. It is an excellent pairing for salads, pasta and rice dishes, as well as fish and seafood.

Vintage tasted: 2012 (March 2013)

Bikandi Crianza 2008

SWIC score: 86 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Plums, toffee, fruity, volume, warm.

Available: ON (VINTAGES 315689 - $ 16.95)

 

Winery: Viña Olabarri 
Region: D.O.Ca. Rioja

Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Ageing: 12 months in new American & French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 13.5% alc./vol.

Bikandi Crianza is a 100% Tempranillo wine organically made using the Bikandi estate’s own grapes. Vineyards are located in the heart of Rioja Alta sub region, a territory especially renowned for the quality of its Tempranillo. Viña Olabarri was created by Mr. Pablo Olabarri Bikandi almost 30 years ago, and it is still owned and operated by his family, with his son Luis Olabarri as director. Bikandi Crianza 2008 offers a good value for price, showing an amazing tasty and fruity feeling on the palate.

Vintage tasted: 2008 (March 2013)

Veratón 2009

SWIC score: 91 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Blackberries, liquorice, coffee, chocolate, pleasant, velvety.

Available: QC (SAQ 11668241 - $ 29.50)

Winery: Bodegas Alto Moncayo 
Region: D.O. Campo de Borja (Aragón)

Varieties: 100% Garnacha

Ageing: 17 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 15.5% alc./vol.

Campo de Borja and Garnacha are almost synonyms. This wine region has named itself ‘The Empire of Garnacha’ and wines like this Veratón 2009 are the explanation for that. Below the Moncayo hillsides, very old Garnacha vines are still grown and used by the modern winemakers to create high quality wines. Veratón 2009 is a powerful concentrated red with a surprising balance and tastiness. Even though the label states an excessive 15.5% alcohol, you cannot feel that while drinking it, but a velvety texture.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (June 2012)

Tilenus Pagos de Posada 2004

SWIC score: 92 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Kirsch, coffee, spices, savoury.

Available: QC (SAQ 10855889 - $ 36.00)

 

Winery: Bodegas Estefanía 
Region: D.O. Bierzo (Castilla y León)

Varieties: 100% Mencía

Ageing: 14-16 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

Mencía wines are among the subtlest and most elegant reds of Spain. And this Tilenus Pagos de Posada is a good example of that. It is only made using the grapes grown in a special plot: very old vines planted 80-90 years ago, low yields (less than 1 kg), perfect orientation, high concentration. The winemaker reinforces this concentration with a very long maceration process, before a maturing period of 14 to 16 months in French oak barrels.

Vintage tasted: 2004 (December 2012)

Hoya de Cadenas Reserva Privada 2008

SWIC score: 88 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Plums, coffee, green pepper, silky, drying, long.

Available: QC (SAQ 11133108 - $ 15.85)

 

Winery: Vicente Gandía 
Region: D.O. Utiel-Requena (Com. Valenciana)
Varieties: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Ageing: 14 months in new American oak barrels
Alcohol level: 12.5% alc./vol.

Bodegas Vicente Gandía, the biggest and one of the oldest of Valencia region, has in this Hoya de Cadenas Reserva Privada one of its best bets. This Tempranillo-based blend is made using the grapes grown in the most valued plots of Hoya de Cadenas estate. After a long maceration process and an ageing period of 14 months in new American oak barrels, the result is a complex and elegant wine, especially on the nose. It has received accolades from all around the world, including the Gold Medal in the 2010 Public Choice Awards (Québec).

Vintage tasted: 2008 (February 2013)

Tridente Tempranillo 2009

SWIC score: 89 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Blackberries, liquorice, varnish, intense, warm.

Available: BC (BCLS 189852 - $ 24.99)

Winery: Bodegas Tritón

Region: V.T. Castilla y León

Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Ageing: 15 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 15% alc./vol.

Bodegas Tritón is the winery created by the Gil family (from Jumilla’s Juan Gil) at the southern part of the Zamora province – at the Duero valley, northwest of Spain. There they grow 155 acres of vineyards, some of them pretty old, as those Tempranillo vines which produce the grapes used in their Tridente Tempranillo. Powerful and ripen but balanced as well, it is a good pairing for rice dishes cooked with game meat, poultry, cured cheeses, mushrooms and red and white grilled meat.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (March 2013)

Volver 2010

SWIC score: 91 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Raspberries, creamy, savoury, ripe, long.

Available:
QC (SAQ 11387327 - $ 20.55)
QC (SAQ 11896578 - $ 40.25) 1.5 L

Winery: Bodegas Volver

Region: D.O. La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha)

Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Ageing: 14 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol level: 15% alc./vol.

Volver is one of the wines created by Jorge Ordóñez and Rafael Cañizares in their Bodegas Volver project, in La Mancha D.O. It is made using only the Tempranillo grapes cultivated since 1957 in a single estate named Finca Los Juncares. After a malolactic fermentation in French oak, it ages for 14 months, resulting in a very pleasant wine, with a fine structure and pretty high concentration. It matches perfectly with red meat dishes and stews as well as cured cheeses.

Vintage tasted: 2010 (January 2013)

Fino C.B. Alvear

SWIC score: 88 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Green apple, salty, dead leaves, sharp.

Available: BC (BCLS 154476 - $ 17.99)

Winery: Bodegas Alvear

Region: D.O. Montilla-Moriles (Andalucía)

Varieties: 100% Pedro Ximénez

Ageing: more than 5 years in American oak by the solera system

Alcohol level: 15% alc./vol.

Bodegas Alvear has created this Fino (a sherry style wine but from Montilla-Moriles D.O. instead of Jerez D.O.) with a surprising characteristic: it is not made with Palomino grape -which is the typical for Finos and the other sherries- but with Pedro Ximénez grape, which is usually used for sweet wines. As it has a higher sugar level, this Fino C.B. doesn’t need to receive any added alcohol as it naturally reaches the 15% wished. Apart from that, it tastes as a regular Fino and it shows prominent elegance and freshness. Spanish tapas and other appetizers are the best pairings for it.

Vintage tasted: N.V. (January 2013)

Ludovicus 2010

SWIC score: 88 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Black cherry, vanilla, black pepper, direct, warm.

Available:

ON (VINTAGES 313791 - $ 13.95)

QC (SAQ 11096909 - $ 14.15)

AB (deVine W&S - $ 19.99)

BC (Everything W - $ 21.99)

Winery: Celler Piñol / Compañía de Vinos del Atlántico
Region: D.O. Terra Alta (Catalunya)
Varieties: 40% Garnatxa, 20% Syrah, 15% Cariñena, 15% Tempranillo, 10% Merlot
Ageing: 4 months in French and American oak
Alcohol level: 14% alc./vol.

The family owned and operated Celler Piñol was one of the first wineries of the Terra Alta D.O. in selling their wines abroad. Nowadays, the exporting market represents the 90% of their sales. It is a good example of the Terra Alta’s potential in terms of high quality wines. Definitely, a region to discover. Ludovicus is a red blend with a great value for price. Garnatxa is the main grape used in its coupage, complemented by minor parts of the local Cariñena and Tempranillo, as well as the international Syrah and Merlot. After a brief period of maturation in oak, it results in a complex and easy to drink wine at the same time.

Vintage tasted: 2010 (March 2013)

Viñas Elías Mora 2009

SWIC score: 90 (IFS)

Tasting notes: Blackcurrant, liquorice, bitter chocolate, volume, long.

Available:

ON (VINTAGES 209650 - $ 17.95)

BC (BCLS 119677 - $ 19.99)

NL (NLC 6262 - $ 23.51)

Winery: Bodegas Elías Mora 
Region: D.O. Toro (Castilla y León) 
Varieties: 100% Tinta de Toro 
Ageing: 6 months in American oak 
Alcohol level: 14.5% alc./vol.

Concentration, complexity and volume are three words that describe pretty well the main features of this Viñas Elías Mora 2009. Big red wine made exclusively with Tinta de Toro grapes (the name for Tempranillo in Toro D.O.), it’s a good example of what a Toro wine can offer. Located between the Duero and Hornija rivers, at a high elevation (2,600 ft) and with a cold continental climate, the vineyards of Elías Mora give premium quality fruits for their premium quality wines. Viñas Elías Mora is aged for 6 months in American oak and it matches very well with red meat recipes as well as cold meats and cured cheeses.

Vintage tasted: 2009 (March 2013)

El Miracle Planet 2011

SWIC score: 86 (JMG)

Tasting notes: Blackberries, cinnamon, dairy, fruity, pleasant.

Available: QC (SAQ 11184941 - $ 13.85)

 

Winery: Vicente Gandía 

Region: D.O. Alicante (Com. Valenciana)

Varieties: 100% Monastrell

Ageing: 3 months in American oak

Alcohol level: 13.5% alc./vol.

El Miracle Planet is an organic 100% Monastrell wine, which tries to be as respectful with the environment as possible. The use of organically grown Monastrell grapes -the most characteristic red variety in the southeastern part of Spain- and natural cultivation techniques ensures the genuineness of the product. Founded in 1885, Bodegas Vicente Gandía is considered the biggest Comunidad Valenciana winery. Their goal is creating strong character wines, linked to the land where they are born. This wine shows a pretty interesting complexity on the nose, with a mainly fruity character and some sweet spice hints. It is straight and easy to drink, well adapted to most tapas as well as a wide range of meat dishes.

Vintage tasted: 2011 (February 2013)