Essex County Wine Society

We begin our wine tastings for 2006-2007 with a look at the wines of Spain. (The first event for the Essex County Wine Society, the Fall Dinner, will occur after this newsletter has been drafted.) In the past several years Spanish wines have excited many wine writers. Robert M. Parker Jr. says that Spain “has done an outstanding job both in maintaining respect for traditions of the past while also looking to the future . . . Spain, along with southern Italy [which, incidentally, we will visit later this year] and to a lesser extent southern France, is leading the world in terms of sensational wine bargains . . . that possess considerable character and soul”. (Wine Advocate Issue 159).

Doug Salthouse, ECWS member, former president, and wine merchant, will lead the tasting. Doug has become an expert in Spanish (as well as Italian and French) wines and has traveled to Spain on several occasions, visiting vineyards and meeting many winemakers. He will present, as Parker put it, wines with “character and soul”, stressing more the indigenous varietals (Monastrell, Garnacha) rather than international ones (Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.).

The vintages in Spain are rated by Spanish authorities considering all 54 regions separately. Of the vintages we will taste 2001 is generally considered Very Good to Excellent (the highest rating) as is the 2004 (not all areas have been rated however). 2003 is rated as Very Good and the 2002 Good to Very Good. Steve Tanzer notes that the torrid conditions in 2003 were best suited to vineyards at significant elevations where evening temperatures dropped considerably. Rain and cool temperatures in 2002 made making wine more difficult but some produced a less dense but refined style of wine. (International Wine Cellar Issue 122)

Doug has picked wines which have garnered very high ratings from the usual suspects (Parker, The Wine Spectator, Tanzer) but Doug has chosen these wines because he has tasted them and finds them appropriate for our tasting, including the highly regarded (and very expensive) wines from Muga and Numanthia-Termes. We will taste wines from several areas of Spain. As an overview, we have extracted several comments on the wines and include ratings, where available, to place the wines in some sort of perspective, to see whether we agree or not. (The wines listed are not in any tasting order.) 1. The 2001 Torre Muga (Parker 95 “terrific”) (Tanzer 95 “full round and sweet . . . wonderfully deep”); 2. Bodegas El Nido 2003 Clio (Parker 96 “super opulent personality”); 3. Juan Gil 2004 (Parker 90 “rich, full-bodied”); and 4. Numanthia-Termes 2003 Termanthia (Parker 96+ “incredibly rich . . . stunning “) (also very, very pricey – Ed’s note). We will also be tasting six additional wines. 5. The 2003 Finca Sandoval, which, interestingly enough is primarily syrah. (Tanzer 93 “powerful. . . lush. . . extraordinary richness”); 6. 2001 Remelluri Rioja ( “a Rioja that could pass for a high-class Pomerol . . . spicy perfume, fleshy and silky textured “ Parker 89); 7. Joan Simo 2001 Les Eres Vinyas Vielles is our representative from Priorat. Tanzer says “perhaps the breakthrough year in terms of technique”. . . “super sweet and ripe . . . griping finish”(92+?); and 8. Alto Moncayo 2003 (Parker 93 “spectacular”). For the aperitif white wine we will see the 2004 Naia des from 80-100 year old verdejo vines. Parker calls it as having a “terrific texture . . . savory” and rates it at 91. We will end the tasting with a sweet wine, the 1927 Pedro Ximenez solera from Alvear. Parker rates a lowly 96 “huge and viscous, yet neither cloyingly sweet nor heavy”.

In summary, we will be tasting two wines from Rioja, Torre Muga and Remelluri, two from Jumila, Clio (Bodegas El Nido) and Juan Gil, and one each from Priorat (Joan Simo), Rueda (Bodegas Naia (white)), Campo de Borja (Alto Moncayo), Toro (Numanthia –Termes), Manchuela (Finca Sandoval) and Montilla-Moriles (Alvear).

The cost for the tasting will be $56– for members, $69-- for guests.

Date October 5, 2006. Spanish Wines

The following tasting will be of the 2003 Bordeaux led by Joel Mitchel on November 2, 2006.

In vino veritas and a votre sante

Bob and Howard