The Iberian Minefield

[Blanquito]

Good luck on your Spanish wine adventure, Jim.

I cut my teeth on Rioja and it still holds a special spot for me.

That said, Spain embodies the best and the worst of wine trends, IMHO.

There are some many terrific values, so many innovative producers accessing old vines... but then, there are so many over oaked, over extracted, over priced Aussie look-alikes from Spain, it's a risky business.

For me, "tempranillo" no longer guarantees goodness-- if it's anything from Spain, I'd say "Jorge Ordonez" is the passport to reliability.

I'm sure you've had their wines before, but Muga and Pesquera are still my go-to bodegas. Allende and Artadi are excellent, in a more modern vein.

Priorat makes some killer juice, but boy are those wines pricey.

Let us know what you discover, BD!

[JimHow]

Well I must admit I'm focusing on mid-priced reds that have 90+ parker scores. For better or worse, those will be the wines in my Great Spanish Wine Experiment!

[jal]

Old school Rioja that I like are La Rioja Alta Ardanza 2000, and La Rioja Alta 904 1997. I only had those once each but that was enough for me to buy a few bottles.

I like Lopez de Herredia for the most part, but the wines are less approachable on release, probably too much old school. I often find them a bit awkward and need to wait a few years for them to settle. That may seem strange as the available released wines now are 1997 -2003, but they are aged a long time at the estate. Still, I like them a lot.

I haven't tasted Muga in a while, but I agree with you Patrick, I like the wines a lot.

I am staying away from modern Spanish wines. I have a feeling I will just spend money and not enjoy them.

[JimHow]

Any thoughts on this wine?

2004 Alion, Vega Sicilia 750 ml $75.00 24+ Available
96 points Parker's WA: "Bodegas Alion was started by the renowned estate of Vega Sicilia in 1991. Grapes are sourced from vineyards next to the winery and from Vega Sicilia?s own vineyards at Valbuena. Eighteen hectares of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) form the actual Alion estate. The 2004 Alion is inky purple-colored with an alluring perfume of toasty oak, lavender, violets, mineral, blackberry, and blueberry compote. This is followed by a full-bodied, rich, opulent, wine with incipient complexity, and notes of licorice, mocha, and espresso emerging on the palate. The lengthy finish is pure and persistent. Give it 3-5 years in the cellar and drink it through 2025."

[Blanquito]

Alion is a sensational, flagship Tempranillo, though I no longer buy it given its absurb prices (I used to consistently buy it for $30-ish not all that long ago). I did pick up a bottle of the '04 for $55, but mainly out of nostalgia.

I agree completely with your thoughts on Rioja Alta (classic but too pricey) and Lopez Heredia (good value, but "challenging"), Jal. My current favorite Lopez Heredia is the 1989 white that PJ's had for $30 recently (it's the currently release!). I recall that Ramon is a fan of this wine too, but it's style is not for everyone.

Another really good bodega is Remelluri, though they may have slipped a bit in recent vintages.

I am sipping a Spanish wine right now, the 2006 Rivola from Abadia Retuerta. I've followed this producer since its debut vintage in 1996-- the wines don't age all that well and couldn't live up to Parker's initially effusive praise, but those 1996ers were some sensational wines across the whole line-up. Today, Abadia Retuerta seems a bit commercial, but for $9, the 2006 Rivola is a terrific value in a simple, balanced, satisfying quaffer. This is this price range ($10-15) where Spain has no competition: Las Rocas, Gotim Bru, Tres Picos, Hecula, Solanera, Sierra Cantabria, Etim, Casa de la Ermita, and on and on. None of these wines have much complexity or any profundity, but they are great great values.

[DavidG]

Another thumbs up for the quality of Alion, and another thumbs down for its price.

[JonB]

I've been buying Artadi Vinas de Gain (tempranillo, generally under half new french oak) for several years....I think I first saw posts on this by Arv. It's about a $25 wine now. It comes from old vines, shows a little monolithic early so best to hold at least 3 or 4 years after vintage IMO, and they'll probably last 10-15 years after that.

[Tom In DC]

Interesting , indeed! Jim doesn't trust any pundits, but is going to start his Spanish sojourn based on Parker 90+ pointers????

Alion is a winner, and due to pretty much everyone knowing this, we have to pay up for the experience. I used to buy Haut-Brion for $25 or so a bottle... Bobby Zimmerman suggested that the times are changing a few decades ago...

[JimHow]

I wrote that just to get a rise out of you, Tom.
I think I will add a bottle or two of this '94 'Alion to my great Spanish wine experiment. After all, it merits 96 points on the RMP scale.

[Houndsong]

You mock RMP scores but laugh at this: 89 points is highly correlated to pleasing my palate. Oddly, anything higher than this (regardless of whether I paid up or got a good deal) tends to yield a disappointing experience. I guess it's because I'm expecting something (seeing God, having an orgasm [which reminds me of that one guy who regulary invoked the Copulating Diety in his tasting notes]) that ends up not being there.

[Rick]

I agree on the Jorge Ordonez ......I find his wines to be very good.............doe she still send his wines in refrigerated ships from that port that supported refrigerating wines?

Numanthia was Jorge Ordonez until the current release ..............as I understood it was treated well from a shipping standpoint but is not currently receiving the same white glove treatment??

Jim, Clio , has been very good from recent vintages

rick