A terroir-iffic Spanish wine!
11/6/2007 -
With the increasing modernization of Spanish wine it is becoming quite difficult to find authentic expressions of Spanish terroir through indigenous varietals. A Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet blend juiced up on Taransaud oak from the licorella of Priorat does not cut it. Well thank goodness that there are people out there like us who want to see Spain reach its full potential and be famous for wines of authenticity and transparency rather than expressions of oak, winemaking and points. Andre Tamers is an importer who really celebrates "The Other Spain" through his company de Maison Selections. Mr. Tamers is picking out some of the most compelling and interesting wines from all of Spain that truly show a sense of place and have real character.
Andre is one of the few importers that has put Basque country wines on the map. Txakolina is the hottest wines in all of Spain. It's most popular incarnation is a white wine made from a grape called Hondarribi Zurri. Txakolina comes in three popular incarnations with the most exotic being Bizkaiko Txakolina which is the red version. That brings us to today's offer of the 2006 Gorrondona Bizkaiko Txakolina. The Bakio region of Basque country used to be famous but faded over the years until three friends revamped the region with their startup. The estate has 12 hectares with two being from pre-phyloxera times. These are the 100-150 year old Hondurabbi Beltza vines which is the grape used in the 2006 Gorrondona. The location has steep slopes facing the Cantabrian Ocean. The vines are all farmed organically with painstaking attention to detail in the vineyard. Raised in stainless steel from a soil based on clay with a slate subsoil this wine announces itself in a grand way as soon as it is opened with regal aromas of black fruits, red fruits, spices, earth and mineral. This is a riveting wine and I was blown away when I tasted it. Kind of like a distant cousin of Irouleguy if I were served this blind. It has that dark evil richness that Irouleguy has but it does have a bit more brightness due to its excellent acidity. The wine has a milky texture that sounds weird but actually works very pleasantly in this situation. Unlike any Spanish red I have ever had. This is the Spanish red for lovers of Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Fer Servadou and Negrette. Unfashionable grapes maybe . . .but with lovely character.
