October 2024 Blanco y Tinto Club
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José Pariente VerdejoRegular Price: $23.99
Club Price: $ 21.25
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Last month, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the remarkable vineyards of Ribera del Duero and Rueda in Spain. Picture this: sitting down—or, in some cases, strolling wine caves—with some of my favorite winemakers, immersing myself in their passion and stories all while tasting extraordinary wines.
From bold Tempranillos to refreshing Verdejos, each day was an amazing exploration of flavors and connection. Energized by these moments I’m super excited to share some selections for our wine club this month and the coming months.
José Pariente is one of the top names in Rueda, the region that's just northwest of Madrid in the Castillian plains, and is known for the indigenous grape Verdejo. It's interesting that this region produces a white wine, as historically Verdejo was made into an oxidized wine similar to an Amontillado sherry. It wasn't until the 1970's that we first saw bright, crisp white wine come from this grape. Verdejo since exploded, becoming the top selling white wine region in Spain and #3 overall, just after Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
The name José Pariente is well recognized in Spain. Their entry level Verdejo is widely regarded as on of the benchmark unoaked Verdejos, and has also been a popular wine here at the Spanish Table. This is the perfect white wine for our Bay Area Indian summer.
I thought José Pariente Verdejo beautifully captures the essence of this native grape and is their flagship wine. This is an elegant wine, crafted from 30-year-old vines and select old vineyards, and I love the fresh character it gets from those mineral-rich soils. You instantly get hints of fennel, anise, and both white and stone fruits. On the palate, it's refined, and sophisticated, finishing with that signature slight bitterness of Verdejo. This wine is perfect for aperitifs and pairs beautifully with fish, seafood, pasta, rice, and white meats. Personally. I like the way its minerality pairs with an unctuous cut of steak. JL
Ignacio Pariente, Son of Founder and CEO of José Pariente
Wine tasting can transform each sip into a story.
Note-taking is essential to capturing wine memories.
With some of their wines, fermentation and aging happen in the same barrels.
And sometimes points are important, so check this out.
Gourmets Guide 95 points
Living Wine Guide94 points
Proensa Guide 94 points
Peñin Guide 92 points
Wine and Spirits 91 points
James Suckling 90 points
Bodegas Barona 2021 TempranilloRegular Price: $56.99
Club Price: $ 48.44
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It could be said that FRANCISCO BARONA was born under the vines. He has the vineyard streaming through his veins. His father is a vine grower, and so were his grandfather and great-grandfather. Due to his passion for the vineyards and the wine, he travelled to Bordeaux, where he graduated in Oenology and Viticulture, obtaining the well known certificates of BTS VO (French Higher National Diploma in Oenology and Viticulture) and DNO (French National Diploma of Oenology).
After working in some highly regarded international wineries (France, the USA and South Africa), in 2009, he came back as a well experienced winemaker to the Ribera del Duero, a region where he was born and had grown up in amongst the vineyards.
In 2010, with a certainty that he lived in one of the best vine-producing regions in the world, and aged only 25, he started to develop an idea that had been in his mind for a long time –to recover hundred-year-old vineyards from the Ribera del Duero region and make unique, authentic and different wines.
Francisco Barona farms 28 sites planted in Roa, Anguix, La Aguilera, and Pedrosa de Duero organically. These are old field-blend vineyards of Tinto Fino with other indigenous varieties. Barona obstains from the use of chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, and does not irrigate. He works where necessary with cover crop to support the plant's natural defenses and to fix nitrogen in the soil. The soils are not plowed during the fall, winter, or spring. During the growing season, Barona does not defoliate to ensure that the clusters ripen in the shade. A green harvest is carried out in August to remove the clusters that are delayed in their ripening.
Considered by many to be the best young winemaker in Ribera del Duero, Francisco Barona grew up in a family of humble viticulturists in Roa de Duero, and as a third generation farmer travelled to Bordeaux to work at Chateau Pavie-Macquin and study at the University of Bordeaux. After graduating top of his class Barona worked stints at Chateau Malescot St Exupéry and Angelus before working at Hartwell Estate in Napa and Klein Constantia. In 2010 he returned home and founded his estate in Ribera del Duero. Today, Barona owns 45 Ha. of old vines and is building a new winery to house his project in Roa de Duero. Barona's youngest vineyard was planted in 1948, and is leading the charge in Ribera away from commercialization and towards a recovery of what made Ribera del Duero famous - traditionally farmed, old field blended vineyards of Tinto Fino planted at high altitudes.