August 2024 Tinto Wine Club
For the first release of our new, elevated Tinto club for August we ended up with a last-minute procurement oops. We had chosen Jose Gil's stellar, small production, terroir-driven super-wine from grapes grown in Riojas fabled San Vicente De La Sonsierra subregion. On tasting the delivered wine, one bottle was super tight, one bottle was corked, and one bottle was brilliantly awesome. This left us a bit spooked, and we ordered a replacement wine, the Arribas 2019 Raiola. Equally AS good, but stylistically different, this wine was more natural, big juicy, fat and natural (not natty). With each of these wines fundamentally appealing to a different kind of wine drinker, it was hard to make a decision. But rather than returning the Jose Gil potentially robbing you of a fantastic experience, we chose to turn this into a matter of choice for you: choose a laser-focused Rioja from Jose Gil (and bring it back if you happen to get a bad bottle), or choose a big happy juicy natural wine from Portugal's Trás-os-Montes district (and bring it back if it's too natty). Maybe a great opportunity to make another Tinto wine club member friend, make a different choice, and compare notes. We are also working on a tasting date for all of us to taste them all together.
So, the upshot, before you pick up, read this and make a choice as to which of the two gets to go home with you.
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Arribas 2019
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After years of research, friends and former Dirk Niepoort disciples and enologists, Riccardo Alves and Frederico Machado, began their own courageous project in 2018. In the desolate high altitude (600-700m) hills overlooking the Douro River
The Douro of Portugal’s Trás-os-Montes, the territory is rugged, rocky, and steep; a terrain of ancient acidic Pangean-era rocks (mostly granite, schist and gneiss), variations of sand and clay. Their quest for diversity and a spot with unique characteristics took them to Bemposta, a small village from Mogadouro, where the grandparents of one of the founders were born. There they found very old vineyards, some of them recently abandoned due to the owners old age. The first wine they made from a 2ha plot they restored was named the "Saroto", named after the local word for an animal with its tail cut off. They chose it for its symbolism: like a lizard can regenerate from a lost tail, they feel their missison was to successfully revive a rich and diverse heritage that had almost been lost. A wide variety of grapes now once again flourish: Tinta Gorda, Malvasia, Bastardo, Verdelho, Rufete, Bastardo Branco, Verdelho Vermelho, Tinta Serrana and other varieties some yet to be identified. These varietals, together with altitude, a wide variation of soils and exposures, traditional and sustainable viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking are the soul-threads of this project which aims at elevating the full potential of Arribas. For even more information and DEEP writeup of Arribas wine company, please visit this link.
Raiola is a special blend from the 2019 vintage. Red grapes from 4 different old vineyards, were whole-cluster foot trodden in a traditional stone lagar and fermented/macerated for 4 days. The grapes were pressed and the wine racked into 6 used french and Austrian oak barrels and 1 new French oak barrel, where it fermented and aged for 10 months. After this aging, the 7 barrels were blended with 4 barrels of from two old vineyards (with a field blend similar to that of Saroto Red, a mixture of red and white grapes). The final blend brought together the intensity and structure of the red grapes vinified on their own with the elegance, freshness and lightness of the natural field blend of the old vineyards of the Arribas area.
The result is a fun and expressive wine that oozes with structure and ripe fruit, but finds a natural balance. The nose is all dried red flower petals with a touch of straw, and some black cherry, with undertones of dill. Ripe blackberry and plum fill the mouth, with a herbal dried grass and herbal quality, moving into licoric spice, especially if the glass is let to rest and the wine opens up more. The mouthfeel is generally light, with fresh, crunchy grapey-ness and soft tannins to give structure without making it heavy or thick. The wine is ultimately a blend of red and white grapes, which gives it the levity that most red-white co-ferments bring to the glass. It's hard to define this wine, exactly because a blend of so many grapes can be so many things, and each sips brings a different set of flavors and aromas. It has a natural wildness, but not an untamed one. This would be great with a can of sardines, spicy or not and a green salad. I could also see this pairing with a slice of Mahon Joven. - BMS
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Jose Gil 2021
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We will attribute the motivation to bring in this wine to famous Spanish wine writer Luis Gutierrez, who is quoted as saying "
“One of the reasons I went to San Vicente was to see Jose Gil. I loved the wines from day one, and I had to see his vineyards. He is one of the leading young producers in Rioja and the whole of Spain. ”
That's a big statement. But many publications and writers feel the same, giving Jose Gil's wines scores in the low to mid 90 point range, so we had to take a closer look.
The young and open-minded José Gil and his Uruguayan life partner, Vicky, are major influencers in the new generation of Rioja grower-producers focused on single-site, organically farmed wines. Employing straightforward cellar practices with fermentation and aging in small to medium-sized barrels, José’s wines are direct, aromatic, fully flavored and driven by each wine’s terroir. José gives weight to the influence of the surrounding area, mostly from the mountains just to the north, and handles the wines gently to retain the area’s identity beyond the vineyards. The production is miniscule but on the rise. The San Vicente is the only wine that's not highly allocated and we were lucky to get the last of it.
Jose’s Viñedos en San Vicente de la Sonsierra is sourced from vineyards around the village of San Vicente, all at elevations above 500m. This stretches the limitations of the region’s naturally long ripening season. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha and a tiny percentage of white varieties, which are co-fermented in concrete tanks, then aged for ten months in Jose’s cellar in San Vincente. Comprising the majority of the total production, Jose feels this wine represents the essence of the place of his birth – forthright, expressive, uncomplicated but far from simple, and something that could only come from his vineyards. Truly an ancestral expression of Rioja. One of our tasters felt that the wine was a "rural" or village wine. Others felt it possessed a straightforward simplicity that is deliberate. We all felt that the wine is a bit tight at first, opening tremendously with some time on air. We had one bottle a full day later, when it had really blossomed. Leather and chocolate, tightly stretched over firm but pleasant tannins, the last of each glass especially turning into liquid licorice infused gold on the tongue. A few bottles were reductive at opening, so we definitely recommend giving this wine a bit of time. When fully unfolded, it is a tremendously powerful example of the fruit forward strength of the San Vicente de Sonsierra terroir, which you can taste in other mega wines like the La Nieta (where it is more thickly accented, some may say obscured by oak). Give this wine time, and it will give you much pleasure. - BMS
93 points - WA
93+ points - Decanter
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Marco Abella Loidana Tinto 2020Regular Price: $38.99
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One of the best parts of diving into wines at the Spanish Table is uncovering the unique stories that come with each bottle. Take Marco Abella Wines, for instance—besides being one of the oldest winemakers in Priorat, they’ve got an interesting local link to the Bay Area. I appreciate finding those little connections and feeling that small-world magic.
The Marco Abella family's winemaking legacy goes back to the fifteenth century. They were listed in Europe's first census in 1497 in Porrera. It was Ramón Marco Abella, born in 1898, who decided to revive one of the region's best vineyards. His legacy was carried on by his son, Joaquín Marco Revilla, a renowned poet with a deep love for Porrera and viticulture. Along with his wife, Clotilde Moliner, they passed on a passion for the land and its vines to their children. This passion came to fruition when Ramón's grandson, David, and his wife, Olivia, left their careers in engineering and law, respectively, to build a modern winery in 2005 and recuperate some vines they had, breathing new life into the estate.
Porrera’s high elevation and proximity to the sea give Marco Abella wines a unique freshness and finesse, balancing Priorat’s famed minerality with optimal acidity. This distinctiveness caught the eye of Napa-based wine consultant Jean Hoefliger, who discovered Priorat through his sister Jenny, who married a Spaniard from Barcelona. Jean was captivated by the region’s dramatic landscapes and unique slate soils. He believes the biggest threat to wine quality in the region is the heat, which can cause over-ripeness and a loss of structure and soul in the wines.
Before meeting David and Olivia, Jean had collaborated with wineries worldwide and saw an opportunity to craft even more elegant wines in Priorat. Through his partnership with David and Olivia, he helps maximize the vineyards' potential and influences the winemaking process. Now, these extraordinary wines from some of Priorat’s oldest vines are available to a wider audience, including at the Spanish Table.
You might also notice the striking artwork on the label. Here's a bit of background on that: Josep Guinovart (Barcelona 1927-2007) was one of the most internationally renowned Spanish painters. His abstract, informalist art made him a standout in the Barcelona avant-garde scene. He was a close friend of the Marco family, Guinovart created paintings that inspired the wine labels, expressing the winery’s connection to the terroir and its modern spirit. As payment he only asked for a case of wine now and then. His works are featured in various museums and public collections worldwide, including in New York, Mexico City, Caracas, Germany, Barcelona, and Madrid.
Loidana 2021—If you're new to Priorat wines, Loidana is a great starting point. Made from 65% Cariñena, 30% Garnacha, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon This wine captures the unique character of the high-altitude plots of Porrera. It's versatile and lively, but still has an elegant feel to it. The aroma is full of a rich blend of earthiness, treacle, ripe red cherry, wildflowers, lilac, and raisin. The first sip reveals flavors of cherry, dried plum, fig, raisin, and brown sugar. The finish is long and dry, featuring floral notes and balanced acidity, with tart red cherry coming to the forefront and light to medium tannins bring everything together seamlessly. This wine is robust and juicy, leaving you feeling warm and satisfied after each sip. The floral elements, likely from the Cabernet Sauvignon, are subtle but add a delicate beauty and depth without being overwhelming.
91 points-Peñin
92 points-Decanter
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