Spain

January 11 2021

The present potential of Finca San Blas’Garnacha from one of Spain’s driest & coldest DOs

AdminYaL Latest article, Red Wine, Spain, Winejus Emag, Wines worth trying - Tasted an tried Finca san blas 0

Rooted vision

When you combine the wine ambition of Finca San Blas’ owners, the Spanish Zahonero family, with the vision of the innovative winemaker oenologist Nicolás Sánchez don’t be surprised when Garnacha speaks to you.

On the way to Requena, I contemplate on the subject of roots. Since I had not been west of Valencia for a long time many impressions crowed in on me as I was looking at the vines. If my remote ancestors would have stayed in Spain, would wine be part of my history? Roots imply a connection with the land, the vines, and ultimately making wine. It seemed to me that the earth here was generous and that Finca San Blas took a cue from it.

Ladybird-in-vineyard-symbol-biodiversity

The natural wealth of Finca San Blas

Finca San Blas’ owners, the Zahonero family, have a very close connection with nature and a very special relationship with wine. The family’s feet are firmly rooted in the soil of their vast 585 hectares estate, 2 km Southwest of Requena and 80 km west of Valencia. Moreover, they strongly believe in biodiversity. Finca San Blas’ not only consists of lush forests with pines and junipers in the high lands. There are the olive and almond trees, plus cereals fields too, and aromatic herbs such as rosemary and saffron. And, vines.

The first vintage of the new Garnacha

Finca San Blas’ grows a kaleidoscope of grapes varieties, such as Bobal, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Merseguera, Xarello and Chenin Blanc, yet they select the best grapes for their terroir wines. Their roots impregnated with a diverse range of local flora aromas and flavours known as matoral or tomillares, similar to the impact of garrigue, the local hillside vegetation in the Languedoc. The result, a wine full of character but still elegant. I tasted their new wine, the first vintage -2019- of Finca San Blas Garnacha, the grape called Grenache in France.

Tasting Finca San Blas Garnacha

I immediately noticed the silky texture, it is Garnacha at its young, fruity best. Finca San Blas Garnacha is the result of old bush vines, terroir and winemaking, a 100 % pure varietal wine. Fresh, juicy, medium-bodied, with lively acidity, showing a unique natural, mouth-coating varietal wealth. Generous pure ripe blackberry, red cherry, plum, black and red currant along with subtle, spicy, herbal and some mineral notes too. This is a serious, yet elegant, easy to understand Garnacha that goes extremely well with food.

The natural terroir and height are decisive for Garnacha in Utiel-Requena

To make interesting wine, Garnacha has to be ripe and is in any case late-ripening. Vines are planted on an average altitude of 700 m above sea level. Height is decisive for Utiel-Requena. The diurnal day-night differences (sometimes up to 30 ° C) allow for a slow, optimal maturation of the grapes. Garnacha is helped as well by its ability to thrive without much water. The natural conditions also protect the vines from diseases, they are less prone to vineyard plagues.

The strong link between the Zahonero family and winemaker, oenologist Prof Nicolás Sánchez

The wish to create terroir wines with character is part of the philosophy of the Zahonero family and the winemaker at Finca San Blas, Nicolás Sánchez. Both the Zahonero family as Nicolás are innovators who dare to experiment. Besides, Nicolás Sánchez is a specialist of the Bobal grape variety and one of the most veteran professors of the prestigious School of Viticulture and Enology of Requena. When there were only two wine schools in Spain, many of today’s leading winemakers received their education at Requena. Nicolás also teaches at the famed Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Pioneer in D.O. Utiel-Requena

Nicolás Sánchez makes elegant and complex wines using pioneering techniques never employed before in the area of D.O. Utiel-Requena. Never satisfied with only making the wines that the market wants, he enjoys taking the San Blas terroir to its extreme potential. In 2016, Fica San Blas’ Dulce wine, made in 2013 out of Chardonnay en Merseguera under the influence of noble rot, was awarded “Platinum Best in Show” in the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Of old vines and Garnacha

In an area where cultivating grapes started as early as 700 B.C., it took until the 19th century for the wine production to expand. Finca San Blas started first bottling wines in 1971. Notwithstanding, the region Utiel-Requena is still considered the new kid on the block. Known for its unique and long underestimated Bobal variety, Utiel-Requena started to re-evaluate dry-farmed Garnacha vines too. Instead of cutting Garnacha’s roots away, Garnacha gained permanence, making for a great mix between history and progression. When handled with care Garnacha has its roots deeply embedded in the abundant natural resources of the thriving wine region of Utiel-Requena.

Freixenet-cava-garnatxa-subirat-parent-2015

December 27 2020

Unusual assemblage of white Subirat Parent & Red Garnatxa in the 2015 Freixenet Cuvée Prestige

AdminYaL Catalunya, Cava, Spain, Sparkling Wines, Tasting notes, Winejus Emag 0

Tasting Note

Ten to one, when you associate a grape variety with cava -the sparkling Spanish wine made in the Traditional Method – you will not think of the grape Subirat Parent. This almost forgotten indigenous (white) grape with its intense orange-yellow thick-skin, has many aliases in Spain.

In Catalonia, it is called Subirat Parent, in Extremadura Alarije, in Rioja Malvasía de Rioja or Malvasía Riojana. Once you smell Subirat Parent, it is easy to distinguish the wine just by smelling it. Its quite intense, aromatic qualities make it an excellent blending grape for Dulce and Semi Dulce Cavas. Subirat Parent’s unique aromatic profile expresses predominately of flowers, ripe stone fruits and grapes. There is some orange blossom too and pineapple-like tropical fruit.

After tasting lots of cavas for a food and wine online Christmas edition, I noticed in the Freixenet 2015 Cava Cuvée de Prestige the unusual assemblage of the white Subirat Parent varietal and the Red Grenache. The red grape variety Garnatxa, generally used in rosé cavas or in “blanc de noirs” cava, is rarely blended with the autochthonous white variety Subirat Parent.

Freixenet calls the blend a balancing act. It is a special “blanc de noirs” cuvée. The cava is relatively young, aged in the bottle for 9 months or more. Slightly pink in colour, it is still a white cava, but then with the aromas of red fruit coming from the around 50% Garnatxa.

The Subirat Parent adds crisp freshness and aromatic richness to smooth out the potent influence of red Grenache, a tannic variety, with moderate acidity and high sugar content. Subirat Parent, on the other hand, shows aromatic intensity, ripe stone and tropical fruit, floral aromas of white flowers and rose, and herbal notes. All these nuances become more complex with ageing. The elegant, well-integrated fine bubbles are smooth and persistent. Freixenet produced 19.650 bottles of this Cava Garnatxa Subirat Parent 2015 Cuvées de Prestige.

Wine Info

Style – medium-bodied sparkling wine

Grape varieties – Garnacha Negra, Subirat Parent (also called Alarije)

Vintage – 2015

Country – Spain

Appellation – DO Cava

Region – Catalunya / Catalonia

Producent – Freixenet Cava

Winemaker – Josep Bujan

Production method – Traditional method with second fermentation in the bottle

Alcohol – 11,5%

Aged – for 9 months or more

Serving temperature – 6º to 8º

Score – 86 points

Freixenet 2015 Brut Garnatxa Subirat Pare nt

Freixenet

October 30 2020

Torres’ Salmos Priorat 2016 pays homage to the founders of viticulture in Priorat

AdminYaL Catalunya, Red Wine, Spain, Tasting notes, Winejus Emag 0

Tasting Note

Salmos 2016 Priorat is an intense and seductive wine, and even better on the day after opening. Dark, ruby red colour. On the nose a violet floral note, lots of spices, blackberry, red and black cherry aromas, oak and vanilla. Beautifully balanced, lively on the palate with a depth of flavours. Soft, velvety tannins. Black fruit, dried prunes, liquorice, mineral, stony influences too. Oak well integrated. Round, long finish.

The prestigious International Wine Challenge not only awarded the Torres Salmos 2016 with 95 points and a gold medal but this red blend from Cariñena, Garnacha and Syrah also gained the title best Priorat wine.

Priorat has been a source for wine for almost a millennium. Winemaking emerged around 1095 when Carthusian monks established a ‘Priorat’ (the Catalan word for priory) and started to plant vines. In 1835 the monastery was sacked, and the church lands later auctioned off. In the late 19th century Phylloxera further deteriorated winemaking in Priorat. Priorat is a very steep and rocky kind of area and an arduous place for viticulture. Costers are the ancient way of cultivating vines on the steep slopes. The densely planted vines move up the treacherous hillsides naturally shaping their contours. Most of the 20th century the steep slate hills southwest of Barcelona with their ancient costers produced only cheap, robust, tannic wine.

Young French and Spanish winemakers propelled Priorat’s rediscovery in the 1980s and 1990s. They recognized the potential of the old garnacha and cariñena vines planted in what the Catalans call llicorella, the hard, stony soils of black and brown slate that occasionally sparkle due to quartz.

One of those wine making families was the family Torres, although Torres already in the early 1920s traded in regional Priorat wines. In 1996 the Torres Family planted their first vineyards on the llicorella slopes in the municipalities of Porrera and Lloar. The vineyards show extreme diurnal differences between day and night temperature and these natural fluctuations add to Salmos’ balance between on the one hand power and on the other elegance and finesse. In short, Salmos 2016 is a beautiful vinous homage to the monks of the courageous Carthusian order.

Wine Info

Style – full-bodied red

Grape varieties – Cariñena, Garnacha, Syrah

Vintage – 2016

Country – Spain

Appellation – Priorat DOCa

Region – Catalunya / Catalonia

Producent – Familia Torres

Winemaker – Jordi Foraster

Alcohol – 14,5%

Vineyards – Vineyards on the Priorat estates Porrera and El Lloar

Ageing potential – 8 to 9 years

Serving temperature – 16º to 18º

Score – 92 points

Tip – The wine may be decanted ½ to 1 hour before serving

Salmos 2016 Familia Torres

Finca La Solteta El Lloar

August 20 2020

Cava Huguet at Can Feixes: we want to try to sell our passion for what we do

AdminYaL Cava, Latest article, Spain, Sparkling Wines, Winejus Emag, Wines worth trying - Tasted an tried 0

Passionate about Cava

The family Huguet produces first and foremost Cava. They are very passionate about Cava. Winemaker Joan Huguet believes in terroir, diversity and history.
A history shaped by a lifetime of being immersed in the craft of making the best Cava possible.

There must be in everyone a love for Cava, Spain’s sparkling wine. There is a uniqueness to a well made Cava in the traditional method known as Methode Champenoise. For starters, the so-called classical blend uses three different local Spanish grapes: Macabeo adds delicate aromas, Xarel-lo adds a balanced acidity and aromatic structure, while Parellada, well, adds even more freshness and floral aromas. Winejus tasted Cava Huguet Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2009 with as star grape the Parellada.

Catalunya is Cava country

Although there are 7 regions in Spain where Cava is made, Catalunya and especially Penedès south of Barcelona is renowned worldwide for its Cava. About 85% to 95% of the Cava production comes from Penedès. Do note that many other areas in Spain make great sparkling wine, yet they are not produced under the Cava label because the producers don’t want to be bound by the rules of the Consejo Regulador DO Cava. The heartland of Penedès Cava is the area around Sant Sadurní d’Anoia.

There are two leagues of Cava

When I visited the Penedès one producer told me: “There are two leagues of Cava. Either the very good to the excellent quality or poor quality produced from a simply blended wine sourced from any number of vineyards.” One of the excellent Cavas producers out there is Cava Huguet Can Feixes.

Cava Huguet born in the heart of the Penedès

Cava Huguet – Can Feixes is one of the 9 members of Corpinnat, which means ‘born in the heart of the Penedès’. Corpinnat was created in 2017 to promote Cavas produced from specific terroirs within the historic winegrowing area of the Penedès. They work with respect for the (mainly) autochthonous varieties within the geography, climate, geology and history of each terroir. However, the Corpinnat label is about much more than just terroir.

Corpinnat values terroir and quality

Their Cavas are made from 100% organic grapes, at least 75% must be estate grown or come from the Corpinnat designated vineyard area. The grapes are harvested by hand and entirely vinified on the premises of the winery. Corpinnat’s commitment to quality shows as well in the bottle ageing time of Cava, which is always longer than 18 months. Sometimes even more than 30 or more than 60 months. Cava DO starts only at a minimum of 9 months.

Photocredits: Corpinnat

The passion of the family Huguet for Cava

Bodegas Can Feixes is located near the village of Cabrera d’Anoia and has been the domain of the Feixes family since the 14th-century. Can Feixes has constantly produced wine since 1690. Unfortunately, the Feixes family died out in 1904, and the Huguet family, originally from Piera, acquired the property in 1945. The current Huguet generation, the three brothers José-Maria, Joan and Xavier, run Can Feixas with enormous passion.

Cava Huguet at Can Feixes: we want to try to sell our passion for what we do

The principles of sustainable agriculture and organic farming reign at Can Feixes

The Huguet family devotes specific high parcels to the production of their world-class sparkling wine. The altitude of the vineyards on the slopes of the northernmost part of the Penedès mountains (400 meters, or even higher), in combination with the calcareous soils and the sea winds, ensure the good ripening of the grapes. Can Feixas works according to the principles of sustainable agriculture and organic farming using many traditional techniques but also new oenological technologies.

The Parellada variety performs exceptional here

We tasted the Huguet Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2009, their long-ageing cava. A blend 56% of the Parellada variety, locally known as ‘Montonec’ or the grape of the mountain, and 23% Macabeo, with a significant 21% of Pinot Noir. All grown exclusively at the Can Feixes Estate. Winery Can Feixas doesn’t buy grapes from other growers. The cavas have aged more than the Gran Reserva minimum of 30 months. In this case, 7-year ‘sur lattes’. Are hand-riddled and disgorged on order. Preferably open the bottle up to 2 years after the date of disgorgement as indicated on the back label.

The best grapes are kept for production under the Huguet Can Feixes label

Only free-run must from rigorously selected grapes is used for this Cava, with a strong influence of the grape Parellada. There is zero sugar in this wine. We have the correct acidity, explains Joan Huguet, we don’t need sugar to balance the wine. The fresh malic acid is enough. We don’t do malolactic fermentation.

On the nose the first impression of citrus freshness, then the mature notes of yeast, brioche, nuts, spices and some smokiness set in. A mineral palate with very ripe, almost confected, fruits and ginger complexity and a fresh long finish make the Huguet Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2009 a complex cava, within a marvellous subtlety.

Cava Huguet Can Feixes website

July 28 2020

The result of terroir and the saline winds: Mar de Frades Albariño Atlantico

AdminYaL Rias Baixas, Spain, Tasting notes, White wine 0

Tasting Note

Do all Albariño wines smell and taste alike? Not really, although many tasters would emphasise the citrus zest, slightly salty, mineral characteristics of Albariños, and their typical acidity. Albariño is also considered quite aromatic.

The Albariño of Mar de Frades transmits all the aroma qualities of the Albariño variety: the white flowers, yellow grapefruit, nectarine, some orange peel and exotic fruits, such as lychee and lime. Yet, what stands out here is its subtle, delicate smell. A light flowery, citrus scent that captivates the nose of the beholder.

The Mar de Frades (which translates as a sea of friars) Albariño originates in the vineyards of Valiñas Finca, located to the south of Mount Valiñas in the Salnés Valley. The vines are trained on trellises to decrease the influence of soil humidity on the grapes. The soil is mostly sandy, decomposed granite. Granite gives the wine a mineral touch.

The harvest is done manually, following a strict selection process. After a 10 to 20 hours maceration and light pressing the grapes are fermented slowly, at controlled temperatures.

The salty winds coming off the nearby Atlantic ocean give Mar de Frades a saline touch you can taste so well in the 2019 vintage. 2019 is called “the Atlantic vintage” because it was cooler and wetter than usual.

While tasting you notice the care and preciseness of Mar de Frades’ winemaker Paula Fandino on the palate. Very good balance, crediting both terroir and fruit influences. Elegant and delicate finish. Almost like a pleasant sea breeze with a scent of fruit passing by in your mouth.

No wonder the wine goes so well with all kinds of sea fruits, oysters, prawns, crab, white fish, and Asian food, but also a light green vegetable salad with some asparagus. We paired the wine with mezze, or tapas, a selection of small Meditteranean dishes served as appetizers. One can truly say a winning combination.

Wine Info

Style – Light to medium bodied white

Grape varieties –Albariño

Vintage – 2019

Country – Spain

Appellation – D.O. Rías Baixas

Region – Galicia

Producent – Mar de Frades

Winemaker – Paula Fandino

Alcohol – 12,5%

Vineyards – Valiñas Finca

Ageing potential – drink young, but can also age 2 to 4 years

Serving temperature – 8º to 10º

Score – 90 points

Remarkable – The bottle is printed with heat-sensitive ink. When the serving temperature is right around 10° to 11 ° C, a blue ship appears on the waves of the logo.

Bodega Mar de Frades