This Month's Feature
Reds of Southern Spain
March 2010
When one considers Spanish wine, several areas come easily to mind: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Penedes, Txakoli, and Rias Baixas; perhaps even Bierzo, Montsant, Toro and Rueda. Each possess a unique identity, yet all of the above share one salient fact - they’re all north of Madrid. Excepting Jerez in the far southwest, northern Spain has exclusively dominated the wine world’s perspective of the Iberian peninsula, while the wide and storied vineyards of the south have languished in obscurity. Of the 14 pages devoted to Spain in Hugh Johnson’s seminal 5th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, a scant 2 1/2 paragraphs, and no detailed maps, are given to the southern regions of Valencia, Utiel-Requeña, Almansa, Yecla, La Mancha, Jumilla, Alicante, Bullas, and Ribera del Guadiana - a fingernail view of a huge swath of land. In the few years since its publication, not much has changed in the dissemination of knowledge about these regions, while the winemaking scene itself has transformed drastically. To ameliorate this gap (and to warm the heart!), we’ve decided to show 4 killer reds from carefully selected southern regional stars in these last few weeks before Spring.
I would agree with French historian Fernand Braudel that geography is the crucial factor distinguishing the Spanish north and south. Between them, there are very real historical, political, and economic differences - critically influencing wine production - yet these are subsequent to the truth of the land. For the most part, the sloping northern wine zones are populated with frequent high plateaus which jut from the earth like gigantic stalagmites, providing for variability of sun exposure, diversity of soil type, and a range of altitude. On the contrary, upon driving south of Madrid, one encounters wide-open plains and an endless sea of vines planted to relatively flat land. To be sure, there are also peaks in the south, but these tend to form either in forbidding ranges, inhospitable to wine production, or in the occasional cluster, especially toward the southeast. The land, therefore, has been left vulnerable to a very warm and potentially damaging eastern wind (the levante) and scorchingly hot summer temperatures, both of which place severe restrictions on which varietals can succeed here. While the cooler northern regions can support different clones of the thin-skinned, noble Tempranillo grape (which is also grown in certain southern areas, usually under the name Cencibel), the more robust, thicker-skinned Monastrell (the French Mourvèdre), Garnacha, and Bobal do best in the south. As a result, the wines of the south tend toward the brawny and brambly, the brutally ripe and tannic.
Beyond its proximity to Catholic France, the north’s frequent plateaus also helped the success of the Christian armies there - from their eyrie-like fortresses, local lords could spy out for and defeat their Moorish enemy. With medieval Christianity comes, of course, wine, whose culture in the north was allowed the chance to continue and even thrive. Although evidence for winemaking in the Spanish south dates to 2000 BC, the long (and officially, if not technically, abstinent) Moorish occupation there, facilitated in part by its flatter aspect, retarded the spread of wine traditions with heavy taxes, or eradicated it altogether in certain zones.
As a further contrast with the far more affluent north, where one could support a family estate by wine production alone, the greater poverty in the south led to a history of co-operative winemaking which continues until the present day. Great wine can be made in a co-op, yet the liability is a sacrifice of vineyard-specific quality identification, as the juice from top-tier old vines become blended with inferior wines. The very recent, 15-year old shift from co-op to single-estate winemaking is probably the chief factor in the swift and decisive upswing of quality we’re seeing in the south today, as a knowledge of the interplay between vineyard site, varietal behavior, and temperature patterns is being gathered and shared as rarely before... but the proof is on the palate - please enjoy the flight as a snapshot of southern Spain today!
Palacio Quemado 2004 Tempranillo Crianza
Ribera del Guadiana
$7 gls • $3.50 tst • $30 btl
This delectable, medium-bodied Tempranillo from Extremadura, near the Portuguese border, shows a lovely balance of flavor, from sweet cherries to green olive, with a note of leather, light oak, and a shade of mint.
Mustiguillo 2006 ‘Mestizaje’
VdT el Terrerazo (Utiel Requeña)
$7 gls • $3.50 tst • $30 btl
Utiel Requeña is one of the most ancient regions in the south, and Mustiguillo is its finest estate. ‘Mestizaje’ means ‘mixture’, and rightly so with this delicious bottliing, a blend of (indigenous) Bobal, with Cabernet, Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo, and more. Expressive and rustic by turns, this wine speaks of the south with a tasty herbal cut and drive.
Olivares 2007 ‘Altos de la Hoya’, Monastrell
Jumilla
$6 gls • $3 tst • $26 btl
Olivares’ vineyards are planted in Jumilla’s coolest, northernmost, chalkiest sites, which help the finished wine retain a note of friendly acidity. Blended with a touch of Grenache, this Monastrell is immensely drinkable - primary blackberry fruits lead to a palate marked by anise seed, milk chocolate, and spicy mustard powder; the finish is particularly lively.
Bodegas Atalaya 2007 Monastrell
Almansa
$8 gls • $4 tst • $34 btl
A first release from Bodegas Atalaya, this Monastrell also shows a measure of Grenache; it’s very warm on the palate, with dark black licorice, cinnamon, and smoky cassis - a certain lushness marks this as a newer-world style.
Southern Spain Flight
a two ounce serving of each of the wines above
$14
When one considers Spanish wine, several areas come easily to mind: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Penedes, Txakoli, and Rias Baixas; perhaps even Bierzo, Montsant, Toro and Rueda. Each possess a unique identity, yet all of the above share one salient fact - they’re all north of Madrid. Excepting Jerez in the far southwest, northern Spain has exclusively dominated the wine world’s perspective of the Iberian peninsula, while the wide and storied vineyards of the south have languished in obscurity. Of the 14 pages devoted to Spain in Hugh Johnson’s seminal 5th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, a scant 2 1/2 paragraphs, and no detailed maps, are given to the southern regions of Valencia, Utiel-Requeña, Almansa, Yecla, La Mancha, Jumilla, Alicante, Bullas, and Ribera del Guadiana - a fingernail view of a huge swath of land. In the few years since its publication, not much has changed in the dissemination of knowledge about these regions, while the winemaking scene itself has transformed drastically. To ameliorate this gap (and to warm the heart!), we’ve decided to show 4 killer reds from carefully selected southern regional stars in these last few weeks before Spring.
I would agree with French historian Fernand Braudel that geography is the crucial factor distinguishing the Spanish north and south. Between them, there are very real historical, political, and economic differences - critically influencing wine production - yet these are subsequent to the truth of the land. For the most part, the sloping northern wine zones are populated with frequent high plateaus which jut from the earth like gigantic stalagmites, providing for variability of sun exposure, diversity of soil type, and a range of altitude. On the contrary, upon driving south of Madrid, one encounters wide-open plains and an endless sea of vines planted to relatively flat land. To be sure, there are also peaks in the south, but these tend to form either in forbidding ranges, inhospitable to wine production, or in the occasional cluster, especially toward the southeast. The land, therefore, has been left vulnerable to a very warm and potentially damaging eastern wind (the levante) and scorchingly hot summer temperatures, both of which place severe restrictions on which varietals can succeed here. While the cooler northern regions can support different clones of the thin-skinned, noble Tempranillo grape (which is also grown in certain southern areas, usually under the name Cencibel), the more robust, thicker-skinned Monastrell (the French Mourvèdre), Garnacha, and Bobal do best in the south. As a result, the wines of the south tend toward the brawny and brambly, the brutally ripe and tannic.
Beyond its proximity to Catholic France, the north’s frequent plateaus also helped the success of the Christian armies there - from their eyrie-like fortresses, local lords could spy out for and defeat their Moorish enemy. With medieval Christianity comes, of course, wine, whose culture in the north was allowed the chance to continue and even thrive. Although evidence for winemaking in the Spanish south dates to 2000 BC, the long (and officially, if not technically, abstinent) Moorish occupation there, facilitated in part by its flatter aspect, retarded the spread of wine traditions with heavy taxes, or eradicated it altogether in certain zones.
As a further contrast with the far more affluent north, where one could support a family estate by wine production alone, the greater poverty in the south led to a history of co-operative winemaking which continues until the present day. Great wine can be made in a co-op, yet the liability is a sacrifice of vineyard-specific quality identification, as the juice from top-tier old vines become blended with inferior wines. The very recent, 15-year old shift from co-op to single-estate winemaking is probably the chief factor in the swift and decisive upswing of quality we’re seeing in the south today, as a knowledge of the interplay between vineyard site, varietal behavior, and temperature patterns is being gathered and shared as rarely before... but the proof is on the palate - please enjoy the flight as a snapshot of southern Spain today!
Palacio Quemado 2004 Tempranillo Crianza
Ribera del Guadiana
$7 gls • $3.50 tst • $30 btl
This delectable, medium-bodied Tempranillo from Extremadura, near the Portuguese border, shows a lovely balance of flavor, from sweet cherries to green olive, with a note of leather, light oak, and a shade of mint.
Mustiguillo 2006 ‘Mestizaje’
VdT el Terrerazo (Utiel Requeña)
$7 gls • $3.50 tst • $30 btl
Utiel Requeña is one of the most ancient regions in the south, and Mustiguillo is its finest estate. ‘Mestizaje’ means ‘mixture’, and rightly so with this delicious bottliing, a blend of (indigenous) Bobal, with Cabernet, Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo, and more. Expressive and rustic by turns, this wine speaks of the south with a tasty herbal cut and drive.
Olivares 2007 ‘Altos de la Hoya’, Monastrell
Jumilla
$6 gls • $3 tst • $26 btl
Olivares’ vineyards are planted in Jumilla’s coolest, northernmost, chalkiest sites, which help the finished wine retain a note of friendly acidity. Blended with a touch of Grenache, this Monastrell is immensely drinkable - primary blackberry fruits lead to a palate marked by anise seed, milk chocolate, and spicy mustard powder; the finish is particularly lively.
Bodegas Atalaya 2007 Monastrell
Almansa
$8 gls • $4 tst • $34 btl
A first release from Bodegas Atalaya, this Monastrell also shows a measure of Grenache; it’s very warm on the palate, with dark black licorice, cinnamon, and smoky cassis - a certain lushness marks this as a newer-world style.
Southern Spain Flight
a two ounce serving of each of the wines above
$14
