Jan. 19 Wine Picks: Spanish Wines

The next Vintages Release will be on LCBO shelves across Ontario on Saturday, January 19. This is the 2nd release of 2013 and has Spanish wines as its main feature. Spanish wines tend to offer great value, and this release offers a few very good wines from this Iberian country.

Spain is known for its two red varietals Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache); both tend to go wonderfully with mildly-spiced chicken curries, in my opinion. The Don Jacobo is 8 years old and drinking great! It's from the Rioja DOCa and made from 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha / Mazuelo (Carignan). The Borsao Garnacha is a limited edition release from the Campo de Borja DO, which is just southeast of neighbouring Rioja. It's 100% Garnacha and made from vines 35-60 years old. The Planets de Prior Pons, from the Priorat DOCa in Catalunya, is a blend of 40% Carinena (Carignan), 40% Garnacha, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 5% Syrah. The Legón Reserva is from north-central Spain from the Ribera del Duero DO, which is situated along the Duero river that runs eastward into Portugal and to the Atlantic Ocean; this wine is 100% Tempranillo.

In white wines, Spain is known for its Albariño and Verdejo varietals. The Cuatro Rayas is from the Rueda DO in the north-central part of Spain, just west of Ribera del Duero. It`s made using 100% Verdejo from vines over 100 years old! The Señorio de Rubiós is 100% Albariño and is from the far west part of Spain (near the Atlantic, just north of Portugal) in the Rias Baixas DO.

I was also surprised to see a Roussanne from California in this release, as it's not widely planted. I was in Napa over the holidays and tasted a great Roussanne - I get the feeling that this highly aromatic white varietal will be making heads turn in the very near future, if it hasn't already. It has definitely gotten my attention!

There is also a feature on wines from the Okanagan Valley, of which I was less than impressed. If you're into Scotch, there are a few "distilled treasures". Enjoy my picks for this week. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• DON JACOBO RESERVA 2004 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#313270) (XD) - $17.95
• ANGULO INNOCENTI CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - La Consulta, Mendoza, Argentina (#306688) (D) - $18.95
• JACKSON-TRIGGS NIAGARA ESTATE GRAND RESERVE SHIRAZ 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#317941) (XD) - $19.95
• LES HAUTS DE CASTELLAS VACQUEYRAS 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#177634) (XD) - $19.95
• BORSAO TRES PICOS GARNACHA 2010 - DO Campo de Borja, Spain (#273748) (XD) - $19.95
• PLANETS DE PRIOR PONS 2008 - DOQ Priorat, Spain (#314559) (XD) - $22.95
• LEGÓN RESERVA 2005 - DO Ribera del Duero, Spain (#303511) (XD) - $23.95
• MARCHESI MAZZEI ZISOLA NERO D’AVOLA 2009 - IGT Sicilia, Italy (#303925) (XD) - $25.95
• DOMAINE TOURNON SHAY’S FLAT VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2010 - Pyrenees, Victoria, Australia (#311480) (D) - $29.95
• CAPRILI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2007 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#305888) (XD) - $44.95

White Wine:

• CUATRO RAYAS VIÑEDOS CENTENARIOS VERDEJO 2011 - DO Rueda, Spain (#312900) (XD) - $15.95
• SEÑORIO DE RUBIÓS ALBARIÑO 2011 - DO Rias Baixas, Spain (#314427) (XD) - $17.95
• MCNAB RIDGE SHADOW BROOK FARMS ROUSSANNE 2009 - Mendocino, California, USA (#312892) (D) - $18.95
• ANNE BOECKLIN GEWURZTRAMINER 2010 - AC Alsace, France (#141226) (D) - $18.95
• C.H. BERRES ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2010 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#301952) (MS) - $24.95
• FOREIGN AFFAIR ABBRACCIO SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#307587) (D) - $24.95

Fortifieds:

• DOW’S LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2007 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#613927) (S) - $16.95

The rest of the wines and other features from this Release can be found here.