As some of you may know, I have a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. The reason I bring that up? I can safely say that I did not learn a ton from my dissertation advisor with one exception. A substantial part of his career was based on one article (for which I did the research) which he regurgitated ad nauseam, in the bizarre, publish-or perish paradigm. So, with that in mind, here is the exact article from a couple of weeks ago (with a few spelling errors corrected), but four new tasting notes inserted. I believe my advisor would consider this “new material”.
Back in January, this humble little blog had its anniversary and I have been quite fortunate over the past 14 years. I have tasted a vast array of wines from all over the world and I have visited many of the regions whose wines I have tried.
The list of regions I have visited is fairly robust, and includes France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Chile, Argentina, and just about every region in the U.S. On the European continent, there is one pretty glaring omission, one of the three largest wine producing countries in the world.
Spain.
That’s right. I have never been to Spain. [Well, technically, that is not true. During my bike touring days, I would venture into the Basque region of Northwest Spain, but I never set foot in a vineyard and most Basque people would rather not be a part of Spain anyway, so I do not consider those “visits”.] And, perhaps as a result, I know very little about Spanish wine,
Sure, I know that Riojas are made with Tempranillo and Priorat with Garnacha, but other than that? I guess you could throw in that I don’t believe anyone who says that Cava is a great alternative to Champagne, and we have pretty much reached the end of my Spanish wine “knowledge”.
Now in my defense, I never professed to know about everything and the world of wine is vast and ever-changing, but I will admit that the rather large Spanish “hole” in my wine knowledge is glaring and, frankly, rather embarassing.
Thus, this last year, I was determined to ameliorate the situation. We planned a trip to Spain (that got cancelled due to torrential rains), I started Duolingo (level ten, gracias), and I was determined to attend more Spanish wine tasting events here in Houston.
One such event occurred last fall at Brennan’s on the Bayou, the Castilla Y León Roadshow, which included a Master Class on the Region, led by Master Sommelier Keith Goldston.
After the two hour class, I will not profess to be an “expert” on the region (I do not profess to be an expert on much, except choosing a spouse, I proved to be pretty good at that), but I did walk away with several juicy tidbits (and tasted a number of excellent wines) to provide fodder for further exploration.
There are myriad sites available to provide excellent information about Spanish wine regions in general and Castilla Y León in particular, so I have no desire to recreate the wheel, here, but I do feel a little context is warranted.
As I mentioned above, Spain is the third-largest producer of wine by volume in the world, as it was recently passed by the France for that distinction (Italy is still rather far ahead of both, with the U.S. a distant fourth). Somewhat paradoxically, however, Spain has more acreage planted to wine grapes than any other country; I am still trying to reconcile those two facts.
Briefly, wine has been made on the Iberian peninsula for millennia, but once the Romans started poking around, its production became a bit more focused, even though wine-making techniques remained rather basic until the 19th century when phylloxera hit Europe and new methods were introduced (largely by the French).
For thousands of years in Spain, through the Franco regime, an emphasis was placed on quantity rather than quality, but that began to change with the death of Franco in 1975 and the installation of the new constitution in 1978. Spanish wines have gradually increased in quality since, with many regions regularly making world-class wines.
Castilla Y León is the largest of Spain’s 17 administrative regions and covers roughly one-fifth of the country. Though largely still focused on cereal crops, the region has become increasingly more important as a wine producer, with several regions, including Ribera del Duoro, Rueda, and Toro considered among the best in Spain.
For the master class, we tried eight wines, the first from Rueda, a region whose production is 99% white, with Verdejo being the most significant variety (although Sauvignon Blanc). Along with Rías Biaxas, Rueda produces the most popular still white wines in Spain.
2020 Bodegas Arzuaga Reserva Especial, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y León, Spain: Retail $55. Albillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Tempranillo. The (white) Albillo is used much like Viognier in Châteauneuf-du-Pape: it heightens the aromatics of the red varieties, and is rarely much more than 5% of the blend. Close to inky dark in the glass with some meaty black fruit on the nose with hints of oak. Silkier and more elegant than others in this tasting, but also more noticeable tannins. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2022 Bodegas Rodero Carmelo Rodero, Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y León, Spain: Retail $35. 90% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This represents a “more modern approach” to the wines of the region with big, juicy fruit at the fore. In Ribera del Duero, a Crianza wine must be aged for at least 24 months (with at least 12 in oak) before release. This beauty spent 15 months in new French oak, and then another year in bottle. Big, brooding, and powerful, which apparently was de rigger for the 2022 vintage. Juicy, fruity, but pretty darned big and a touch hot on the finish. Noticeable tannins. Yeah, this is a big boy. but ever so tasty. Outstanding. 93 Points.
We then moved on to two wines from the Toro region of Castilla y León, which are a few hundred kilometers west of Ribera del Duero, but still boast Tempranillo as the main red variety of the region, and it is known locally as “Tinta de Toro”.
2021 Bodegas Rodriguez y Sanzo La Viña De Amaya, Toro, Castilla y León, Spain: Retail $26. 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha.”Old vines” (I put that in quotes since there is no legal definition of the term. Dark in the glass with plenty of mocha and dark fruit. Rich and quite fruity but still relatively light on its feet. That is surprising for Toro, apparently. Excellent. 92 Points.
2021 Bodegas Bornos Bucrana Crianza, Toro, Castilla y León, Spain: Retail $30. 100% Tinto de Toro. From “very old” bush vines. This is also a Crianza, thus a minimum of twelve months in oak. Fairly dark with tons of dark fruit, anise, black pepper, and a touch of smoke. Quite tannic. Even very tannic. Chewy and big. Yowza This could use some time, even a bunch of time. Excellent. 91 Points.
the drunken cyclist 